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So what kind of service do you need to provide to be on par with the best call centers in the world? Based on the benchmarking data we collected, you can compare the performance of your team with others.
Our research shows that the average call center receives 4,400 calls per month. This number includes all picked up, missed, blocked, and dropped calls. To break this statistic down further, research indicates the average call center picks up 200 calls per day, 1,000 per week, 4,000 per month, and misses 48 calls per month. This number can be drastically different depending on the number of customers you have and the industry you’re in. This benchmark doesn’t necessarily showcase if your call center support is good or bad but instead provides an idea of monthly call center volume and usage.
The next benchmark is the call center first contact resolution rate. This benchmark indicates how many calls are resolved during the first call. The global call center first contact resolution rate is between 70-75%. The benchmark suggests that most call center agents can resolve customer problems on the first try without following up or doing extra tasks to reach problem resolution.
But what about calls that aren’t resolved on the first try? Call center benchmarks indicate that the average call escalation rate is 10%. In addition, the average number of call center transfer rates is 9.9%, and a typical caller is transferred 2.6 times before their issue is resolved.
Next, let’s look at average call handling time, also known as AHT. Average handling time is the average duration of the entire customer call. It includes total talk time, all hold times, transfers, as well as after-call work. The average call center benchmark for AHT is 6 minutes. The average call duration is 302 seconds or 5 minutes and 2 seconds, and the call center hold time average is 25.8 seconds.
After knowing the average call handling time, we can break down the benchmark even further. On average, call center agents spend 31.8 minutes out of one activity hour talking to customers. In addition, they spend 5.22 minutes out of one activity hour being idle, 10.2 minutes on post-call wrap-up, and 15.96 minutes in meetings, training sessions, or on breaks. However, most call centers aim for 85 to 90% schedule adherence – meaning that every hour, agents are available to handle customer calls or after-call work for 54 minutes.
Call center first contact resolution rate
#ResolutionRate
#FirstContact
The call center first contact resolution rate is between
70-75%
Astute
Average call volume
#CallVolume
The average call center call volume is
4,400
calls per month.
LiveAgent
Average call handling time
#HandlingTime
The average call center handling time (AHT) is
6 min
Geckoboard
Call hold time average
#HoldTime
The call center hold time average is
25.8 sec
LiveAgent
Call center talk time
#TalkTime
#CallCenter
On average, call center agents spend
31.8 min
out of one activity hour talking to customers.
Contact Babel
Call duration
#CallDuration
The average call center call duration is
302 sec
or 5 minutes and 2 seconds.
Contact Babel
Call center idle time
#IdleTime
On average, call center agents spend
5.22 min
out of one activity hour being idle.
Contact Babel
Call center non-production time
#NonproductionTime
On average, call center agents spend
15.96
minutes out of one activity hour in meetings, training sessions, on breaks, and other things.
Contact Babel
Call center blocked calls
#BlockedCalls
Call centers have a goal to keep the percentage of calls blocked within
2%
for inbound calls.
Voxco
Average call center abandonment rate
#AbandonmentRate
The industry standard is a
5-8%
call abandonment rate.
Voxco
Call center service levels
#ServiceLevels
The traditional service level in the contact center is to answer
80%
of calls in 20 seconds.
Call Center Helper
Call center average speed of answer
#SpeedOfAnswer
#ASA
The average speed of answer (ASA) for call centers is
34.4 sec
Contact Babel
Average after call work time
#CallWorkTime
On average, call center agents spend
10.2 min
out of one activity hour on the post-call wrap-up.
Contact Babel
Call transfer rates
#TransferRates
The average number of call center transfer rates is
9.9%
Contact Babel
Call center agent schedule adherence
#AgentScheduleAdherence
Most call centers aim for 85 to 90% schedule adherence – meaning that every hour, agents are available to handle customer calls or after-call work for
54 min
Avoxi
Just like every communication channel, call centers experience call abandonment. According to Voxco, the industry standard is a 5-8% call abandonment rate. Call abandonment measures how many callers disconnect or hang up a call before speaking to an agent or representative. Having higher call abandonment rates than the industry average can indicate that you need to hire more agents to reduce call queues. Customers often abandon calls because hold times are too long, and there are no callback options. However, if callback options are available, on average, 37% of callers request a callback.
Another call center benchmark that is important to measure is the number of blocked calls. Most call centers aim to keep the percentage of calls blocked within 2% for inbound calls. A call center blocked call rate can be defined as the proportion of incoming calls that receive a busy tone. A high call center blocked call volume can indicate that your business is missing out on new sales opportunities because customers aren’t getting through to your business. It’s also important to note, that the the first hour is crucial for a sales call. The number of responses drops drastically by 11 times from the first hour to the 8th hour of lead generation.
Most call center agents want to know how fast they need to answer customer calls to be on par with industry leaders. According to our research, the traditional service level benchmark in contact centers is to answer 80% of calls in 20 seconds, and the average speed of answer (ASA) is 34.4 seconds. However, answering calls this fast isn’t always possible. Statistics across different industries showcase that the actual fastest call pick-up time is 30 seconds, the average is 43 seconds, and the slowest is 10 minutes.
As for call center efficiency, the average contact center that consists of 10 call center agents and six call center departments should have an occupancy rate between 85% and 95%. In addition, the average call center agent should also resolve 20 calls per day.
Last but not least, let’s talk about costs. The average cost per inbound call is $5.50, and the average cost per outbound call is $6.46. When compared to other channels, the prices are relatively the same, apart from self-service. For example, phone, live chat, and email cost an average of $8.01 per contact, while self-service channels cost about $0.10 per contact.
Call center callback requests
#CallbackRequests
#CallCenter
On average,
37%
of callers request a callback.
LiveAgent
Average cost per call
#CostPerCall
The average cost per inbound call is
$5.50
$6.46
Contact Babel
The average number of call transfers before a call is resolved
#CallTransfers
A typical caller is transferred
2.6
times before their issue is resolved.
LiveAgent
Call center occupancy rate
#OccupancyRate
A contact center should have an occupancy rate of between
85%
& 95%
Fonolo
The average number of picked up calls
#PickedUpCalls
The average number of calls picked up per
day – 200
week – 1 000
month – 4 000
LiveAgent
The average number of missed calls
#MissedCalls
On average, call centers have
48
missed
calls per month.
LiveAgent
Time to first call pickup
#CallPickup
The average call pick-up time is
43 sec
LiveAgent
Call center department statistics
#CallCenterDepartments
The average call center has
6
depart
ments
LiveAgent
Average number of call center agents per company
#CallCenterAgents
On average, a typical call center has
10
call
center
LiveAgent
Calls resolved by agents each day
#CallCentre
An average contact center agent resolves
20
calls
per day
LiveAgent
Fastest, slowest, and average call center response time
#CallCenterResponseTime
Response time:
Fastest – 30 sec.
Average – 43 sec.
Slowest – 10 min.
LiveAgent
Calls escalation rate
#EscalationRate
The average call escalation
rate is
10%
Astute
Cost per call vs. other channels
#CostPerCall
Phone, live chat, and email cost an average of
$8.01
per contact, while self-service channels cost about
$0.10
per contact.
Gartner
Call center statistics 
