By: Maggie Klenke
Service level goals are key performance indicators (KPIs) in most support and call centers. These goals measure the time callers spend in queue. In benchmarking surveys, the most common goal given by respondents is to answer 80 percent of calls within 20 seconds. Another common response is an Average Speed of Answer (ASA) of 30 seconds or less. This article is focused on ensuring a clear understanding of the calculations that make up these statistics and the varying results that different statistical methodologies deliver.
Service Level Measurement is a Science
The typical Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system offers two measures of queue time for callers. The first is service level -- factor expressed as X percent of calls answered within Y seconds. So, if the center met the goal of 80 percent answered within 20 seconds, that means that 20 percent of callers waited at least 21 seconds. We know how many were queued longer than 20 seconds, but we don’t know how long these callers actually waited.
The other queue time goal is Average Speed of Answer or ASA. This goal is expressed as an average number of seconds and the most common goals cited are under 30 seconds. ASA is the average queue time for all callers whether they queue or not. So, if 60 percent of 100 callers are answered immediately by idle agents, that is 60 times 0 seconds in the calculation. Let’s assume the other 40 percent of callers who do queue wait between 1 and 300 seconds with an average of 60 seconds. That is a total time in queue of 2400 seconds (40 callers X 60 seconds). This 2400-second total is then divided by the 100 total callers and the ASA is 24 seconds. ASA does not really tell us how many queued or how long they waited, just that the overall average was X seconds. .( No – these two statistics do not track very well against each other and it is possible to reach the goal of one and not the other during the same period even though they were aligned at a certain call volume and average handling time. Call centers have plenty of things to measure without having two devoted to speed of answer.)
The Art of Service Level Measurement
In order to really assess the speed of answer, there are two more factors that must be considered -- the way in which the calculation is done, and the interval over which the measurement is calculated.
When does the ACD system begin measuring the queue for calculating the service level or ASA and which calls are included? It differs from one ACD to another. For example, the queue time can begin to count when the call enters the ACD for a specific agent group and the caller hears ringing. In another ACD the ringing could be ignored, but the recorded announcement will be included in the service level or ASA calculation.The ACD could also be set to ignore the recorded announcement and start counting when it ends. And, finally, the ACD could be set to ignore a standard interval (such as five seconds) and then start the count.
To make it even more interesting, the system can be set to measure only those calls that are actually answered within 20 seconds, or can include all calls, including those that are abandoned within the 20 seconds as well. Do you know what your system is set for and what your options are? (This only applies to the service level goal, not ASA, but your edit suggests it applies to both. Put service level back in.)
The second factor is the interval. Centers absolutely committed to their speed of answer goals measure each hour or half-hour and determine what percentage of these intervals meet the goal. In many centers, the average is calculated across a whole day so that if the peak hours are awful and the low hours are great, then it all averages out. Still more centers average across a whole week so the peak day’s bad service is buried in the slower days’ great results. In some extreme cases, it is even possible that a center averages across a month or even the whole year, rendering any measurement meaningless.
The longer the averaging interval, the more that dreadful service can be successfully hidden. Of course, these busy intervals are the periods when the most customers are impacted. When the interval is long, it enables some centers that give terrible service early in the interval and then, later in the period, overstaff to give more than fabulous service just to make the average. This is neither good service or cost effective.
It’s important to understand how your call center measures service levels in order to make sure that those measurements give you the information that truly reflects performance. The time to do it is now because performance management is only going to get more complicated. As we move to include other kinds of contacts in our centers, such as emails and web chats, we need to consider how we will measure the service level. Some will need similar queue measures, while others will be driven by time to complete response. But knowing what to calculate and how the systems work will be key to setting your goals and meeting your customers’ expectations.
About the Author...
Ms. Klenke is a Founding Partner of The Call Center School. She helps companies develop and implement strategic and tactical plans, technology applications and integration, network design, staffing and scheduling, service level analysis, and overall management issues. She can be reached at maggie.klenke@thecallcenterschool.com or 615-812-8411.
Service level goals are key performance indicators (KPIs) in most support and call centers. These goals measure the time callers spend in queue. In benchmarking surveys, the most common goal given by respondents is to answer 80 percent of calls within 20 seconds. Another common response is an Average Speed of Answer (ASA) of 30 seconds or less. This article is focused on ensuring a clear understanding of the calculations that make up these statistics and the varying results that different statistical methodologies deliver.
Service Level Measurement is a Science
The typical Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system offers two measures of queue time for callers. The first is service level -- factor expressed as X percent of calls answered within Y seconds. So, if the center met the goal of 80 percent answered within 20 seconds, that means that 20 percent of callers waited at least 21 seconds. We know how many were queued longer than 20 seconds, but we don’t know how long these callers actually waited.
The other queue time goal is Average Speed of Answer or ASA. This goal is expressed as an average number of seconds and the most common goals cited are under 30 seconds. ASA is the average queue time for all callers whether they queue or not. So, if 60 percent of 100 callers are answered immediately by idle agents, that is 60 times 0 seconds in the calculation. Let’s assume the other 40 percent of callers who do queue wait between 1 and 300 seconds with an average of 60 seconds. That is a total time in queue of 2400 seconds (40 callers X 60 seconds). This 2400-second total is then divided by the 100 total callers and the ASA is 24 seconds. ASA does not really tell us how many queued or how long they waited, just that the overall average was X seconds. .( No – these two statistics do not track very well against each other and it is possible to reach the goal of one and not the other during the same period even though they were aligned at a certain call volume and average handling time. Call centers have plenty of things to measure without having two devoted to speed of answer.)
The Art of Service Level Measurement
In order to really assess the speed of answer, there are two more factors that must be considered -- the way in which the calculation is done, and the interval over which the measurement is calculated.
When does the ACD system begin measuring the queue for calculating the service level or ASA and which calls are included? It differs from one ACD to another. For example, the queue time can begin to count when the call enters the ACD for a specific agent group and the caller hears ringing. In another ACD the ringing could be ignored, but the recorded announcement will be included in the service level or ASA calculation.The ACD could also be set to ignore the recorded announcement and start counting when it ends. And, finally, the ACD could be set to ignore a standard interval (such as five seconds) and then start the count.
To make it even more interesting, the system can be set to measure only those calls that are actually answered within 20 seconds, or can include all calls, including those that are abandoned within the 20 seconds as well. Do you know what your system is set for and what your options are? (This only applies to the service level goal, not ASA, but your edit suggests it applies to both. Put service level back in.)
The second factor is the interval. Centers absolutely committed to their speed of answer goals measure each hour or half-hour and determine what percentage of these intervals meet the goal. In many centers, the average is calculated across a whole day so that if the peak hours are awful and the low hours are great, then it all averages out. Still more centers average across a whole week so the peak day’s bad service is buried in the slower days’ great results. In some extreme cases, it is even possible that a center averages across a month or even the whole year, rendering any measurement meaningless.
The longer the averaging interval, the more that dreadful service can be successfully hidden. Of course, these busy intervals are the periods when the most customers are impacted. When the interval is long, it enables some centers that give terrible service early in the interval and then, later in the period, overstaff to give more than fabulous service just to make the average. This is neither good service or cost effective.
It’s important to understand how your call center measures service levels in order to make sure that those measurements give you the information that truly reflects performance. The time to do it is now because performance management is only going to get more complicated. As we move to include other kinds of contacts in our centers, such as emails and web chats, we need to consider how we will measure the service level. Some will need similar queue measures, while others will be driven by time to complete response. But knowing what to calculate and how the systems work will be key to setting your goals and meeting your customers’ expectations.
About the Author...
Ms. Klenke is a Founding Partner of The Call Center School. She helps companies develop and implement strategic and tactical plans, technology applications and integration, network design, staffing and scheduling, service level analysis, and overall management issues. She can be reached at maggie.klenke@thecallcenterschool.com or 615-812-8411.
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