9 beprövade strategier för att förbättra callcenterhandläggarnas produktivitet

Every call is a chance to make or break your brand. With 94% of customers basing their loyalty on how they’re treated, your agents play a pivotal role. They aren’t just answering phones—they’re your brand’s frontline ambassadors.

However, 78% of agents report that balancing speed with quality is a significant challenge. This leaves managers asking a crucial question: How can we improve productivity without sacrificing the customer experience?

This guide provides the answer. We’ll break down key metrics, explain what areas of improvement indicated by these metrics, and share actionable strategies to ensure every customer interaction leaves a positive, lasting impression.

How Do You Measure Call Center Agent Productivity?

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are pivotal in evaluating call center agent productivity. These metrics offer crucial insights into agents’ performance, aiding operational and staffing decisions.

1. Average Handling Time (AHT)

AHT measures the average duration of customer interaction, including talk time, hold time, and post-interaction work. A higher AHT often points to inefficiencies like insufficient agent training to attend to complex queries or delays in accessing necessary information (possibly due to outdated or clunky technology). Higher AHTs increase the wait times for other callers, leading to customer frustration.

2. First Contact Resolution (FCR)

FCR, or First Call Resolution, quantifies the percentage of issues resolved in the first interaction with the customer. A low FCR often reflects inefficiencies in agent training, processes, or technology or sometimes a lack of autonomy requiring intervention from a supervisor. Unresolved issues in initial calls lead to repeated customer contacts, burdening the contact centers.

3. Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

ASA, or Average Speed of Answer, calculates the average time it takes for an agent to answer an inbound call. The formula to calculate ASA is:

A higher ASA indicates longer wait times before customers reach an agent. This often indicates understaffing, inefficient call routing, or high call volumes, leading to increased abandonment rates and lower customer satisfaction.

4. Wrap-Up Time

Wrap-Up Time, while part of AHT, is an important component to examine on its own and is the time period between when a customer hangs up and when an agent marks themselves available for the next call. During this time, the agent finishes tasks related to the previous call.

A high Wrap-Up time indicates that agents are spending more time completing post-call tasks like note-taking or creating follow-up actions. This leads to delays in handling the next call, reducing overall agent availability and productivity.

5. Call Availability

Measures the percentage of time agents are available to take calls, excluding breaks and other non-call activities. Lower availability rates indicate that agents are spending more time on post-call activities or other tasks, leading to longer customer wait times and reduced service efficiency.

6. Agent Occupancy Rate

Indicates the percentage of time agents spend actively handling calls versus being idle. It’s the most common way to measure how much time your call center agents spend interacting with customers.

A low occupancy rate means agents are idle too often, pointing to staffing issues or poor call distribution. In remote setups, it may also signal challenges in team management, dragging down productivity.

Measuring the metrics mentioned above gives a clear picture of agent productivity. Digging deeper into these KPIs allows for identifying areas of improvement in technology, people, and processes. With this insight, we can now focus on specific strategies to drive meaningful improvements in agent performance and efficiency.

9 Strategies to Improve Call Center Agent Productivity

AI enhances agent productivity by automating tasks, providing real-time support, and driving data-informed decisions. These tools reduce agent turnover and significantly boost overall productivity. In addition, according to 21% of contact center leaders, AI can also have a positive impact on customer satisfaction and retention.

Leveraging the latest technologies like AI and implementing targeted strategies around the KPIs discussed earlier is key to optimizing agent performance. So, let’s dive into these nine actionable strategies to improve agent productivity in your contact center:

1. Use AI to Empower Agents
2. Evaluate 100% Agent Interactions
3. Implement Intelligent Self-Service Capabilities
4. Provide Comprehensive Agent Training
5. Leverage Agent Assist Technology
6. Implement Intelligent Routing Features
7. Equip Agents with Knowledge Management Systems
8. Promote Work-life Balance and Agent’s Well-Being
9. Integrate with Unified Communications Systems

Let’s explore each strategy in detail to see how it can improve agent productivity.

1. Use AI to Empower Agents

Incorporating AI in customer service is crucial for enhancing agent productivity. AI automates routine tasks and provides real-time insights, allowing agents to focus on complex issues. This results in improved efficiency and faster response times.

EnghouseAI boosts productivity by transforming agent engagement through automation, personalization, and assistance.

• Virtual Agents: Frees up human agents to focus on more complicated tasks by handling routine inquiries and delivering instant answers 24/7 across all channels.
• Summarization: Condenses long agent-customer interactions into a few sentences, saving time and reducing handle time (AHT). It ensures accurate and actionable summaries.

• Automatic Webchat Translation: Enables real-time chat translation for multilingual support, allowing agents and customers to communicate in their preferred language and reducing costs for language experts.
• Agent Knowledge: Proactively equips agents with accurate, consistent responses to customer inquiries, going beyond canned replies to enable hyper-personalized interactions. Information is pulled directly from your verified knowledge base.
• Voice of the Customer (VoC) Insights: Extracts valuable customer sentiment insights and identifies trends and issues, enabling agents to proactively address concerns more effectively.

EnghouseAI sets itself apart with practical CX-focused AI solutions such as virtual agents and automatic conversation summarization, enabling agents to manage tasks more efficiently. Automating routine processes frees up agents and drives significant productivity gains. 

Källa: Enghouse AI

2. Evaluate 100% of Agent Interactions

Traditionally, call center managers or supervisors assess agent performance manually, evaluating fewer than 5% of interactions. This limited review misses valuable business insights and learning opportunities, and the analysis of small samples hinders fairness and accuracy and is prone to bias and inconsistencies.

Enghouse Interactive’s Automatiserad utvärdering av agenter evaluates up to 100% of interactions across voice, text, and social media channels. Using AI and NLP, it scores conversations based on your criteria. This tool highlights key interactions for supervisors, saving time in identifying coaching moments and ensuring objective, consistent reviews.

Enghouse Interactive’s Automatiserad utvärdering av agenter’s KPI-based scoring system promotes unbiased evaluations. This leads to better agent job satisfaction by knowing they have been evaluated fairly. Automatiserad utvärdering av agenter can also identify targeted coaching needs, resulting in motivated agents who have what it takes to deliver superior service and higher first-call resolution (FCR) rates.

By proactively addressing agent strengths and weaknesses, Enghouse Interactive’s Automatiserad utvärdering av agenter enhances the overall customer experience.

3.  Implement Intelligent Self-Service Capabilities

Self Service Capabilities, like IVR and virtual agents, are crucial for enhancing agent productivity and improving customer service. IVR automates initial customer engagement, handling basic queries about locations, hours, etc. Virtual Agents can automate more complex tasks like providing responses to inquiries using natural language.

Enghouse’s Intelligent Self Service solutions integrate voice, video, SMS, and speech-enabled chatbots, providing seamless self-service across channels. The IVR and Virtual Agent solutions reduce call volumes, lowering costs significantly by minimizing agent-handled calls. Customers benefit from 24/7 availability, accessing information and services conveniently, reducing average call handling times by 1-2 minutes. This self-service capability empowers customers and ensures optimal service year-round.

Enghouse’s Self Service solutions reduce agents’ workload and improve Average Handle Time (AHT) and First Call Resolution (FCR).

4. Provide Comprehensive Agent Training

Comprehensive agent training is vital for peak productivity. It equips agents not only with the tools they need but also emotional intelligence to handle demanding customers and deep product knowledge, enhancing customer experiences and operational efficiency.

Here are a couple of options to explore:

Video-Based Training: Adopt video-based training to let agents learn at their own pace. This method offers personalized paths, boosting knowledge retention and skill development. Use the Enghouse Video-Based Agent Development platform to stream HD educational content across devices, promoting continuous learning and career advancement.

Targeted Coaching: Focus on specific performance issues with targeted coaching to increase agent engagement and effectiveness. Enghouse Interactive’s Automatiserad utvärdering av agenter provides AI-powered evaluations and KPI-based scoring for fair assessments. Supervisors can review all customer-agent interactions, gaining detailed scorecards for precise feedback, enabling effective coaching strategies.

Integrating these training methods helps contact centers improve critical metrics like First Call Resolution (FCR) and customer satisfaction while reinforcing agent proficiency and productivity.

5. Leverage Agent Assist Technology

Exceptional customer service is crucial, but challenging calls can disrupt an agent’s performance. Traditional post-call guidance often comes too late and risks losing customers.

Enghouse’s real-time coaching solution addresses this by analyzing live calls and delivering instant, actionable insights. It monitors agent’s use of key phrases and assesses stress levels, offering immediate guidance based on tone, volume, cross-talk, and speed. On-screen reminders further assist agents in managing calls calmly and effectively.

These features boost productivity by improving First Call Resolution (FCR) rates and increasing Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT).

Enghouse’s real-time coaching ensures agents deliver top-tier service and enhances their confidence and efficiency, driving overall productivity and customer retention.

6. Implement Intelligent Routing Features

Intelligent routing directs customer calls to skilled agents, eliminating long wait times and improving efficiency. Matching each query to the most suitable agent prevents agent burnout and customer dissatisfaction, allowing agents to focus on tasks they excel at instead of handling inquiries outside their expertise or too mundane for them.

Enghouse’s AI-powered intelligent routing system automates inquiry distribution based on skill sets, workloads, and customer profiles. Its user-friendly interface allows for easy management of routing strategies and adjusts call flows dynamically based on customer value and agent status.

In addition to real-time intelligent routing, Enghouse Interactive’s WFM solution enables you to proactively schedule agents with specific skills to better align with your contact center’s forecasted needs. For example, if you anticipate a surge in calls requiring technical support, you can schedule more agents with technical expertise during those periods to ensure optimal customer service.

These approaches help agents work more efficiently, reduce the need for call transfers, increase first-contact resolution rates, and minimize handling costs—ultimately boosting overall productivity and performance.

7.  Equip Agents with Knowledge Management Systems

A detailed and well-structured knowledge base is the key to any thriving business. It ensures customers can easily find answers to common questions and resolve issues independently, enhancing overall efficiency.

Enghouse Interactive recognizes the crucial role of Knowledge Management Systems(KMS) in optimizing customer interactions. Their solutions streamline information retrieval, equipping agents with the insights necessary to address customer inquiries promptly.

By integrating data from various sources, such as knowledge bases, CRM systems, and past customer interactions, Enghouse Interactive enhances agent productivity. This leads to improved first-call resolution rates, reduced handle times, and increased customer satisfaction.

8. Promote Work-life Balance and Agent’s Well-Being

Tired, exasperated agents lead to less effective interactions, higher customer churn, and ultimately less revenue. Conversely, well-rested, engaged, and motivated agents exceed customer expectations, improve satisfaction, and boost revenue.

Empathy is a crucial tool for customer service agents. Studies show that agents with high emotional intelligence (EQ) can better understand and respond to customer needs precisely.

To support agents in developing these skills, it’s crucial to create an open and supportive culture where they feel comfortable discussing challenges. Regular, transparent communication between agents and managers builds trust and fosters a more positive work environment.

At the same time, actively addressing the stigma surrounding mental health ensures agents feel safe seeking support when needed. This not only creates a healthier workplace but also empowers agents to perform at their best without fear or hesitation.

Prioritizing agent well-being through compassion, professional development, and work-life balance boosts satisfaction and reduces burnout. These efforts directly contribute to improved agent performance and better customer service outcomes.

To transform your culture into one that supports agent well-being and drives outstanding customer experiences, this Spelbok för empati is an excellent starting point.

Additionally, Enghouse Interactive’s WFM solution empowers agents to influence their schedules by allowing them autonomy with shift swaps. It also makes it easier for managers to accommodate time-off requests. This facilitates a more balanced workload and enables agents to better manage their work-life balance, resulting in happier agents who are more likely to stay with your organization.

9. Integrate with Unified Communications Systems

Contact center agents often struggle to resolve complex customer issues when they lack direct access to subject matter experts (SMEs) or decision-makers, resulting in delays and lower first call resolution (FCR) rates.

Integration with Unified Communications (UC) systems, like Microsoft Teams, bridge this gap by enabling real-time collaboration between agents and non-agent staff. Agents can quickly connect with SMEs or back-office personnel via chat, file sharing, or video, leading to faster resolutions and better customer experiences.

With over 15 years of collaboration with Microsoft and a trusted partner status in the top 1% of Microsoft’s Partner Ecosystem, Enghouse Interactive offers a Microsoft Teams-enabled contact center solution that redefines customer experience. Läs mer om detta

The strategies outlined above have consistently driven significant improvements in agent productivity. Over the past four decades, Enghouse Interactive has delivered measurable results for businesses, as reflected in numerous case studies.

Enghouse Interactive: Boosting Agent Productivity in Your Call Center

Enghouse Interaktiv empowers your contact center with flexibility and choice to drive agent productivity.

Through its wide range of solutions—such as AI-driven tools, intelligent routing, and self-service options—Enghouse gives agents the tools they need to work more efficiently and deliver high-quality customer experiences. This flexibility allows your agents to focus on what matters, handling more complex tasks while automating routine processes.

Moreover, whether you need cloud, on-premise, or hybrid deployments, Enghouse ensures that the platform fits your business with the agility to evolve as your needs change.

For an all-in-one solution, Enghouse CCaaS integrates these capabilities into a single, scalable platform. By providing seamless access to tools that boost agent performance, Enghouse CCaaS helps your team work smarter, not harder.

Discover how Enghouse Interactive’s solutions can transform your contact center and drive agent productivity to new heights.

Vanliga frågor

1. How to Calculate Agent Productivity in a Contact Center?

There are several components that go into calculating agent productivity. For instance, one metric to look at is the number of calls handled per hour. However, this number varies significantly across industries. For example, a UK housing association tends to handle fairly long calls, which may not be the case for a bank’s contact center.

Besides calls handled per hour, a few other metrics include:

• Average Handle Time (AHT): This tells you how long agents take to handle each call.
• Occupancy Rate: Measures how much time agents spend actively working versus idle.
• First Call Resolution (FCR): This shows how often agents solve problems on the first try, reducing the need for follow-ups.

Combining these metrics gives you a clearer view of performance. Plus, once you do add virtual agents, the call length for agents will go up because they will only be getting the more complex calls. Hence, each company needs to determine which metrics are important to them and what their ideal range is for each metric.

Coming up with ideal ranges and tracking metrics helps pinpoint areas for improvement and ultimately boosts agent productivity, contact center efficiency and customer satisfaction.

2. What are the Key Agent KPIs in a Call Center?

Measuring agent performance in a call center includes tracking key KPIs such as:

• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• First Call Resolution (FCR)
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score
• Quality Assurance (QA) Score
• Occupancy Rate
• Transfer Rate
• Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)

3. How does Enghouse Interactive Help Improve Contact Center Agent Productivity?

Enghouse Interaktiv improves contact center agent productivity by automating routine tasks, allowing agents to focus on more complex customer issues. Their AI-powered tools provide real-time guidance and support, helping agents work more efficiently and reduce Average Handle Time (AHT). With intelligent call routing and comprehensive Knowledge Management Systems, Enghouse ensures agents have quick access to the information they need, leading to faster resolutions and improved performance.