Call Center Metrics
2021-22 A Contact Center Performance Report

At the close of each year, we take a deep look at how call centers across various industries performed on our platform. This year, we evaluated around 22 million calls placed during 2022 and compiled a detailed annual report that compares this data to over 150 million other calls from our other yearly reports. 

Here is a broad overview of the call center metrics and industry standards it contains, along with some advice on improving various call center performance metrics and efficiency KPIs.  

Call Center Metrics

Looking for up-to-date call center metrics data? Ozonetel has the latest results on core call center KPIs related to inbound calls, outbound calls, customer experience, and agent productivity. 

At the close of each year, we take a deep look at how call centers across various industries performed on our platform. 

This year, we evaluated around 24 million calls placed during 2021 by 61,914 active call center agents. We then compiled a detailed annual report that compares this data to over 150 million other calls from our other yearly reports. 

Here is a broad overview of the call center metrics and industry standards it contains, along with some advice on improving various call center performance metrics and efficiency KPIs.  

What are call center metrics?

Call center metrics measure every aspect of management, operations, and business performance. If data is attached to it or can be garnered from it, there’s a metric for it. 

What are call center KPIs?

Call center KPIs are the metrics related to your key or critical business objectives, goals, and targets. We could consider your average wrap time to be a KPI since this directly impacts the center’s performance and revenue. 

The metrics covered below also count as KPIs. 

Top Call Center Metrics & KPIS

This guide covers nine top call center metrics and KPIs:  

  • Average Time in Queue (AWT/ASA)
  • Average Speed of Answer (AASA)
  • Average Abandonment Rates
  • Average Talk Times/AHT
  • Average Wrap Times/ACW
  • Connection Rate (outbound)
  • Average Hold Time
  • Service Level Agreement

We’ll further break these down into inbound call center metrics, outbound KPIs, customer experience metrics, and agent productivity KPIs. 

Let’s begin with a general overview of the metrics and some initial statistics. 

Average Time in Queue (ASA) or Average Wait Time (AWT)

What Is the Average Time in Queue? Average Time in Queue – sometimes referred to as Average Wait Time – is how long callers wait to get connected to an agent after calling the business. 

This metric starts ticking once callers get into a waiting queue to speak with an agent. This is after callers reach the business, listen to any welcome messages, and make it through the IVR menu. It stops once the caller gets sent through to an agent and the phone starts ringing. 

Average Time in Queue is often referred to as the Average Wait Time. But to be precise, the Average Wait Time is the time spent in the queue plus how long it takes for the phone to ring and an agent to pick it up. 

Average Time in Queue tells you how long all your callers waited on average, including the ones who hung up. 

Why Is Average Time in Queue Important? Average Time in Queue sheds light on the contact center’s performance, how well it handles call volumes, and what kind of customer experience is delivered. 

We’ll explore these details further in the sections on inbound call center metrics and customer experience metrics. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? 20 seconds is considered an acceptable overall waiting time. Call centers are typically recommended to answer 80% of calls in 20 seconds or less. 

What are the Going Contact Center Standards for Average Time in Queue? 

Here are the results from our year-on-year reports: 

2022

0 s

2021

0 s

2020

0 s

2019

0 s

2018

0 s

Find more data-backed details on Average Time in Queue and other call center metrics in our recently released Call Center Performance Report for 2022.

How Is Average Time in Queue Measured? This granular call center KPI can be found in your contact center solution. To calculate it yourself, check the total time callers waited in queues then divide that by the total number of inbound calls. 

The formula for this is: 

  • Average Queue Time = total length of time callers waited in queue / total number of inbound calls

Improving the Average Time in Queue. This metric depends on how well call volumes are managed and if staffing levels are appropriate. The following steps can help to improve it:

  • Use historical reports to project call volumes and determine staffing levels
  • Improve the after call work process with better software and seamless workflows so that agents can wrap things up faster
  • Route calls by agent skill levels, but set queue limits for each one; then create fallback routing rules for high queue volumes
  • Divert simple customer information requests to a self-service IVR
  • Let callers request call-backs and leave a voicemail
  • Use dynamic queue re-prioritization to send high-value or higher service level customers to an agent faster
  • Integrate an online chat or other omnichannel service features
  • Use historical reports to project call volumes and determine staffing levels
  • Improve the after call work process with better software and seamless workflows so that agents can wrap things up faster
  • Route calls by agent skill levels, but set queue limits for each one; then create fallback routing rules for high queue volumes
  • Divert simple customer information requests to a self-service IVR
  • Let callers request call-backs and leave a voicemail
  • Use dynamic queue re-prioritization to send high-value or higher service level customers to an agent faster
  • Integrate an online chat or other omnichannel service features

Average Speed of Answer (ASA)

What Is the Average Speed of Answer in a call center? Average speed of answer refers to how long it takes an agent to answer a call once the caller leaves the IVR system and includes the times it takes for the call to ring through to an agent. 

Why Is the Average Speed of Answer Important? This is a basic agent productivity KPI. It also affects your customer satisfaction levels, since how long callers wait for an agent to pick up impacts their overall experience. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? 20 seconds is still regarded as the ASA to aim for. 

What are the Going Contact Center Standards for Average Agent Speed of Answer? 

 

2022

0 s

2021

0 s

2020

0 s

2019

0 s

2018

0 s

There’s no reason for answer times to exceed a couple of seconds. Certain industries have made improvements, while others remain laggards and are responsible for increasing this average. See how well your call center’s metrics measure up to the industry standard in our 2022 Call Center Metrics Report. 

How Is the Average Speed of Answer Measured? Average Speed of Answer shouldn’t include the IVR time or count abandoned calls. 

To calculate it, look at how long callers who got through to an agent waited versus how many callers there were. 

The formula for this is: 

Average Speed of Answer = total wait time for answered calls / total number of answered calls 

Improving the Average Speed of Answer. To improve the ASA, rely on your contact center solution’s options. 

  • Have call-back options available
  • Integrate call volume forecasting into workforce management
  • Have WFH staff available for unexpected periods of high call volumes
  • Monitor agent performance to watch how they work and see where they can improve

Average Abandonment Rate

What Is the Average Abandonment Rate? The abandonment rate measures what percentage of callers choose to terminate their call before it’s answered by an agent or choose to terminate without leaving a message if sent through to voicemail. 

Why Is the Average Abandonment Rate Important? This metric tells you how many callers are hanging up before getting to an agent. This is generally due to excessive call queue wait times. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? An abandonment rate between 2 and 5% is considered best for call centers. Abandonment rates between 5% and 8% are still acceptable. And anything over 10% is extremely poor. 

Mobile call abandonment levels can reach 20% due to poor reception. However, there are ways to screen out calls that were missed due to technological or connectivity issues. 

What are the Going Contact Center Standards for Average Abandonment Rates? 

2022

0 %

2021

0 %

2020

0 %

2019

0 %

2018

0 %

In 2021, 28% of calls were abandoned by callers before agents picked up. This is a drastic spike over 2020’s already high rate of 21%. 

Check how your industry fared in Ozonetel’s latest Call Center Performance Metrics Report. 

How Is the Average Abandonment Rate Measured? To calculate a call center’s abandonment rate, divide the number of dropped calls by the total number of calls. 

The formula for this is: 

  • Average Abandonment Rate = (number of inbound calls where customers hung up before they were answered / number of calls received) x 100
  • or Abandonment Rate = ((number of calls received – number of calls handled) / number of calls received x 100

You can screen out calls dropped due to tech or connectivity issues. 

The formula for that is: 

  • Average Abandonment Rate = ((number of calls abandoned before an answer + number of calls handled in less than x seconds) / number of calls received) x 100

Improving the Average Abandonment Rate. This is simple. Do everything you can to lower average waiting times and improve the service given. Callers typically choose to abandon calls because they’ve waited in line for too long. 

This worsens if they believe they won’t receive effective problem resolution during the call. In these cases, callers are far more likely to seek help elsewhere. 

Here are a few things that can help: 

  • Improve call volume forecasting
  • During high wait times, add queue messages with information on alternative help sources
  • Include self-service IVR and voice bots wherever possible

Average Talk Times

What Is the Average Talk Time? Average talk time is the average length of time that agents spend talking with callers. 

Why Is the Average Talk Time Important? This metric helps management assess the contact center’s efficiency, plan staffing levels, and analyze the cost per call. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? There isn’t necessarily one industry-wide standard for this metric that will be right for everyone. 

That’s because the amount of time service agents need to spend with a customer will vary. A take-out shop might need 30 seconds, while an insurance broker needs 30 minutes. 

However, this metric impacts the call center’s performance. So, contact centers overall usually try to keep this below 6 minutes. 

What are the Contact Center Standards for Average Talk Times? 

2022

0 min

2021

0 min

2020

0 min

2019

0 min

2018

0 min

2021 saw a slight efficiency improvement over 2020. A few industries remain significant outliers, such as insurance, fintech, and real estate with longer talk times. Restaurants and food delivery talk times were much lower. 

To correctly assess your call center’s efficiency, check your industry’s rating then analyze this data against CSAT and FCR scores. 

How Is Average Talk Time Measured? This is simply measured by dividing the total talk time by the total number of answered calls. 

The formula for this is: Average Talk Time = total talk time / total number of answered calls 

Improving the Average Talk Time. This can be condensed by improving the information agents have at hand, collecting more details from customers beforehand, and training agents on improved diagnostic-resolution dialogues. 

A few tips include: 

  • Integrate the CRM into an on-screen information panel via screen pop  
  • Include a contact manager tool with customer details 
  • Utilize AI-based speech analytics to analyze calls deeply and improve training 

After Call Work or Average Wrap Times

What Is After Call Work or the Average Wrap Time? Wrap time refers to how long call center agents take to process a call after they finish talking with a customer. It includes activities like updating customer profiles, adding notes, sending follow-up messages, or entering call dispositions. It begins once the call is terminated and ends when the agent finishes the processing. 

Why Is the Average Wrap Time Important? This call center metric directly measures productivity and call center efficiency. It also gives insight into customer experience factors. 

Agents busy with after call work are unavailable to take calls. This means that wrap time affects queue waiting times and what call volume can be handled. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? There is no set wrap time standard as after call work varies across industries and businesses.  

Each contact center should evaluate the type of after call work agents are doing, check their average times, measure this against the handling time, and see where improvements can be made. 

What are the Contact Center Standards for Average Wrap Times? 

2022

0 s

2021

0 s

2020

0 s

2019

0 s

2018

0 s

The 41-second average wrap time wasn’t seen in all industries. Industry-specific wrap times range from a mere 5 seconds to over 90. 

See how everything breaks down in Ozonetel’s 2022 Call Center Performance Metrics Report. 

How Is After Call Work Measured? This KPI starts running once the call ends and goes until the agent completes the processing. 

To calculate it, divide the total wrap time by the total number of calls handled. 

The formula for this is: 

  • Average Wrap Time = Total Wrap Time / Total Number of Handled Calls

Improving the Average Wrap Time. Improving wrap time generally requires making it easier for agents to process information and allowing them to do so throughout the call. 

A few tips include:  

  • Integrate after call activities into the call (use disposition codes and abbreviations)
  • Use a smart contact center solution that analyzes calls
  • Use a fast-running solution that doesn’t require high bandwidth

Connection, Answer, or Pick-Up Rate

What Is the Connection, Answer, or Pick-Up Rate? The connection rate, also referred to as Answer or Pick-Up Rate, is an outbound metric that assesses how many leads answered an outbound call, in comparison to how many were called. 

Why is the Connection Rate Important? Knowing how many people picked up the phone gives fundamental insight into how well your campaign is doing. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? 

What are the Contact Center Standards for Connection Rates? 

2022

0 %

2021

0 %

2020

0 %

2019

0 %

2018

0 %

This metric’s improvement is related to increases in transactional calls from e-commerce, restaurants, food delivery, and healthcare. See more on how this call center KPI breaks down in our 2022 Report on Call Center Performance Metrics. 

How Is Connection Rate Measured? To find a call center’s answer rate, divide the number of calls answered by the number of calls placed. This usually includes voicemail, so include those in the calculation. 

The formula for this is: 

  • Connection Rate = total number of calls answered / total number of calls placed

Improving the Connection Rate. People generally don’t answer calls because the numbers look unfamiliar, they suspect it might be a scam, they don’t want to be marketed to, or they are busy. 

There are a few ways you can get around these issues, including: 

  • Use local numbers for outbound call campaigns
  • Analyze the best times of day for calling
  • Send a text or email first before a call
  • Schedule outbound calls
  • Use verified business numbers

Average Hold Time (AHLDT)

What Is Average Hold Time? The average hold time metric is how long callers spent on hold for whatever reason, which may include being transferred to another service representative or waiting for an agent to retrieve information or consult a supervisor. 

Why Is the Average Hold Time Important? AHLDT informs you of customer satisfaction levels, productivity, and efficiency. 

Callers generally don’t like waiting on hold which makes this a key customer experience metric. Hold times can also increase the handling time or how long it takes to take care of a caller. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? Customers self-report a willingness to wait for 2 to 3 minutes. However, this will impact their satisfaction levels.  

It’s best to keep hold times to a minimum, with under 20 seconds being ideal. 

What are the Contact Center Standards for Average Hold Times? 

2022

0 s

2021

0 s

2020

0 s

Discover your industry’s precise average hold time in our 2022 Call Center Metrics Report. 

How Is the Average Hold Time Measured? To find the average hold time, divide the time callers spend waiting by the number of callers. 

The formula for this is: 

  • Average Hold Time = time spent waiting by all callers / total number of callers

Improving the Average Hold Time. To improve your call center’s hold time, work on increasing agent efficiency levels and maximizing your solution’s capabilities. 

Here are a few tips: 

  • Use warm transfers to let one agent fill in the upcoming service rep
  • Allow the first agent to stay on the line and introduce the service rep to the issue with the customer
  • Provide agents with detailed customer and product information
  • Collect better information with AI voice bots and CRMs, then port this to the agent.

Service Level

What Is the Service Level? The service level is how many calls are answered within twenty seconds. 

Why Is Service Level Important? Maintaining a high service level depends on getting several operational areas right, including IVR routing, staffing, training, and workflows. 

High service levels result in high answer rates, low abandonment, and overall improved performance. 

What Is This Call Center Metric’s Industry Standard? The industry standard is to answer 80% of calls in 20 seconds or less. Some centers are now moving to answer 90% of calls in 15 seconds or less. 

How Is Service Level Measured? The service level is calculated by looking at how many calls were answered within the service level versus the total number of calls received. 

A general formula for this is: 

Service Level = (number of calls answered within service level / total number of calls received) x 100 

Improving the Service Level. This takes a comprehensive approach, with every operational aspect refined to improve handling time, queue times, and first call resolutions. 

Inbound Call Center Metrics

Inbound call centers primarily handle customer support, technical help, and transactional questions related to order processing. A few sectors include sales and promotional messaging in their inbound calls. 

There are four inbound call center KPIs covered in the latest report. Those are the time in queue, abandonment rate, speed of answer, and hold time. 

Average Time in Queue

This metric is critical for inbound call centers because it shows how well the inbound call volume is managed and whether or not staffing levels are appropriate. 

See more about this metric in the customer experience section. 

Average Abandonment Rates

The Average Abandonment Rate only applies to inbound calls. High rates signify a major issue with handling call volumes and staffing. 

Staffing should consider more than how many agents are around. There are likely to be issues with efficiency, productivity, training, and the percentage of time agents spend logged in and ready versus on other tasks. 

Average Speed of Answer

The ASA generally only applies to inbound call centers. It directly shows how well the contact center does in getting to customers who are waiting. This is the first step in customer service and it can’t be underestimated. 

There are a few cases where it may apply to outbound call centers, such as when using certain types of auto-dialers. But it is primarily an inbound metric. 

Average Hold Time

Hold time is generally relevant to inbound calls. Holds occur when agents can’t resolve a customer issue right away or on their own. They may need to retrieve information, consult with a supervisor, or transfer a call. Improving call routing with AI and more complex conditions can assist. 

Outbound Call Center Metrics

Outbound call centers typically process sales and promotional calls. They also do outbound customer service related to confirmations and relevant transactional information. 

Many inbound call metrics are relevant here. However, the two primary outbound KPIs are the number of calls dialed per agent and the rate answered by customers. 

Calls Dialed per Agent

This metric tells you how many calls each agent typically made. It’s a key tool in assessing how to prepare for and manage outbound campaigns. 

Connection Rate, Pickup Rate, Average Answer Rates

Nothing else in your outbound campaign matters if calls aren’t getting answered.  

Connection rates are usually good when the calls are related to orders, confirmations, and transactional support. Unexpected sales calls may do worse. 

You can always improve this by finding the ideal time of day to call and working to build trust with customers. 

Get a Comprehensive Look at Call Center Metrics and Industry Standards

This guide evaluated core call center KPIs based on data from our most updated research on over 150 million inbound and outbound calls. 

For complete details on industry-specific contact center standards please refer to our recently released Call Center Performance Report for 2022.  

Webinar Video