Call Center Solutions Featured Article

ForeSee, a customer experience analytics provider, recently unveiled the results of its February Contact Center Benchmark. According to this report, satisfaction benchmark for contact centers is at 70 on the company’s 100-point scale.

The benchmark reflects the average score that contact centers can use as a yardstick against which to measure their own performance. This would mean that contact centers that rank higher than 70 are outperforming while those scoring less than 70 are not up to the mark.

The benchmark score was decided based on the interaction with nearly 11,000 customers who expressed their views about contact centers. The benchmark scores of individual companies included in the list range from a low of 53 to a high of 86.

While some companies were identified as excellent for the contact center experience they provide to their customers, a few others were strongly disliked.

ForeSee also revealed separate benchmark scores for certain types of call centers and found drastic difference from the overall results. For example, the satisfaction benchmark for contact centers in the services sector stood at 67. This was no surprise for the agency as it said most of the customers contacting a service-oriented center are already frustrated with a new problem or poor service.

As part of this evaluation, ForeSee also compared the likely future behaviors of highly-satisfied customers with a satisfaction score of 80 or higher on ForeSee's 100-point scale to those of less-satisfied customers (with satisfaction below 70).

Based on likelihood scores, highly satisfied customers report being 174 percent more likely than less satisfied customers to make contact again, 154 percent more likely to purchase next time,  and 238 percent more likely to recommend the company to a friend, family member or colleague.

The first category indicates higher frequency of interaction, improved engagement, and increased share of mind and wallet; the second category indicates increased sales; and the third category means more business and increased loyalty.

"Our research continues to show that a satisfied customer is the key to maintaining and growing sales and profitability regardless of channel," said Eric Head, senior director overseeing ForeSee's call center business, in a statement. "Contact centers are no exception, and it's imperative, if companies want to continue to grow their bottom line, to measure and address customers' experiences with contact centers via phone as well as email and chat."

Recently Mariann McDonagh, chief marketing officer for inContact, a provider of hosted call center software and solutions, commented that customer experiences are really a key focus in the market right now.

The elements hosted call centers measure in terms of success doesn’t really need to be considered, McDonagh added. There are negative implications for hosted call center businesses that primarily focus on agent performance as it pertains to talk time rather than customer resolution.