First call resolution is a very important metric with many call centers. Driving up this metric is a very laudable goal and often attempted with great fervor. You combine ACD statistics with that from the CRM system and try to see what calls got closed in the first call. If the call center has a simple call structure - first call, level 1 escalation, level2 escalations and so on, the problem is easily solved by taking the calls that went from open ticket to close ticket and subtract all escalations, you get the first call resolutions. If a company chooses to define the same call-id whether it is escalated or not as a first call, keeping track of its resolution is fairly easy.

Unfortunately, life is not all that simple in call centers in real life. If I am a telecom call center I could be calling about my service activation or some simple billing questions. In those cases even with escalations calls could be closed within the same call-id in your telephone system.

Complex real-life calls, especially with corporate customers, tend to involve people outside the call center or even people outside the company.

Nari Kannan
President and CEO
Ajira

In those cases forget even improving first call resolution, just getting the data itself is a problem. Let me illustrate it with a simple example.

The Problem

Figure 1. A Simplified Logistics System Call Flow

Figure.1. shows a simplistic version of a logistics package query for a corporation. The caller from the corporate client is trying to reconcile what they think might have been a billing error. Unlike a personal shipment where the rates for the billing may have come from a standard rate sheet at the shipping outlet, different corporate clients may have a variety of contracts with the shipper. In these cases, the call center may only be the beginning of the process in answering the customer call and closing it.

The difficulty in even finding out what calls are closed in the first call is exacerbated by the following common things that plague the first call resolution puzzle:

• Multiple Parties Outside The Call Center:Answers to many questions regarding a call could be easily available to a call center agent if they use CTI (Computer Telephony Integration). The sensitive nature of some information (like HR Payroll Information or Financial Information in a Contract or Bank Account Passwords) may preclude them from being available for first-call resolution. That information may be in the hands of the Accounts Department or HR and so they need to get involved just by the nature of the information handled. The call center agent may have to call back simply because the concerned person was not at his/her desk when the customer called.
   

• Multiple Call Center Technologies:Multimedia technologies like Text Chat, IVR, E-mail along with Voice are transforming the way every company deals with customers. If first call resolution is defined as a problem being solved in the first interaction, what happens if your Voice system cannot identify a person coming in with a query about their billing problem through e-mail?
   

• Multiple Software Systems: Even in the above logistics example, many companies have done the necessary integrations between software systems involved like the Voice system, CRM system, Logistics Scheduling system, Billing System, etc. Delivery information flows freely between them regarding deliveries, billing, etc. However, if you want to even see if the same call is being handled by different people in different departments and how long they are taking to do their part of the call, you are out of luck. Timestamps necessary for measuring response times are all hidden in these different systems and not easily accessible.
   

• Threading Information:When integrating different software systems to enable service agents to perform first call resolution, it is very important to pass and store threading information in all the software systems that are used to answer the call. This can be as simple as a unique call-id. Unfortunately many times when a customer calls again about the same problem if a new call-id is created the threading information is lost.
   

• Lack Of Appropriate Metrics: Technology solutions are often compromised hopelessly with selection of the appropriate metrics in the call center. If the metrics are geared towards number of calls handled and call close times and have no incentive for a call center agent to close a call on the first try, first call resolution percentages will stay low no matter what the technology brings.

The Solution
The solution to proper first call resolution consists of the following technology and organizational components:

• Appropriate Metrics:Strong incentives for first call resolution should be instituted and they should be more motivating than other metrics by which call center agents are measured by. Metrics drive behavior and eventually it comes down to people and they should have the proper motivation to achieve first call resolution targets.
   

• Threading Information: Threading information such as a call-id that uniquely identifies a customer call and making sure that it is recorded and used in ALL the software systems used in the resolution process is key to even tracking whether calls are closed in the first try.
   

• Process Modeling And Timestamp Collection: End-to-end process modeling is important in seeing all the possible routes a call could take towards resolution in the first try. This and the collection of timestamps from the various systems involved and analysis of how long it takes and even what routes first call resolution take provides a lot of insights for improvement. You cannot manage what you cannot measure.
   

• Designing For The 80/20 Rule: The 80/20 rule applies here in first call resolution as much as it does in other areas of management in a company. 20% of the calls may cause 80% of the problems in first call resolution. Analyzing the problems and identifying ways of improvement – more training, more people, better integration and CTI are all ways to ensure that the 20% of the calls that take 80% of the time take less time than what they do now without compromising customer satisfaction.
   

• Realistic Expectations: After all the efforts that go into improving first call resolution, there is probably an upper limit beyond which additional efforts bring marginal returns. Customers are people, call center agents are people and human errors and delays are always possible leading to miscommunications, etc. These are the usual suspects in first call resolution rates remaining low.

Conclusions
First call resolution target is a holy grail with most call centers and a laudable one. However technological and organizational problems may prevent companies from achieving their first call resolution goals. A systematic analysis and putting in place, the proper technology and organizational solutions will help achieve these goals.

About Nari Kannan
Nari Kannan is the President and CEO of Ajira, a company that designs and develops Service Process Management Tools. Nari has 18 years of experience in information technology and started out as a Senior Software Engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation. He has since served variously as Vice-President of Engineering or Chief Technology Officer of five Silicon Valley startup companies dealing with a variety of problems in IT consulting, automotive claims processing, human resources and logistics applications.

About Ajira Technologies, Inc.
Ajira Technologies, Inc., is a company that designs and develops Service Process Management solutions. Ajira focuses on tools that can help Model, Message, Measure and Modify services processes. Ajira's software solutions integrate seamlessly with disparate software systems in a company that are used to execute end-to-end business processes. Operational data warehouses thus created over a period of time can be analyzed or mined for insights with Ajira analytic solutions.