KNOWLEDGE ACCESS

Do you know of any statistics or resources that show a recommended number of level two technicians per servers managed?

Our benchmark research of high-tech support centers show that, on average, these is one “level two expert” per 15 to 20 front-line technicians. These experts typical field difficult questions, take escalated calls, plus constantly mentor, train and coach individuals on their team.
--Dr. Jon

From your research, do you have a rough idea of the distribution of customer contacts by telephone, e-mail and other contact channels?

Exact data on the distribution of consumer-to-business preferences among channels is not readily available, but our approximations from 1999 data are as follows: 75% by telephone, 10% by US mail, 3% by e-mail, 2% by Web self-service and 10% by all other channels. With business-to-business centers, electronic data interchange remains the major source of contact among business customers. These centers are also changing rapidly to encompass both the Internet and specialized intranets.

Hello, I am trying to find the free white paper that you reference here: "Yes, our research shows that individuals with a higher level of education are likely to contact call centers more often. In addition, individuals in the 20- to 40-year-old age group are more likely to contact companies than individuals in the 50- to 70-year-old age group. There is a free white paper available on our Web site, www.BenchmarkPortal.com regarding caller and Web visitor demographics. " I cannot find this white paper. We would like to look at these demographics. Thank you.

We have the following whitepaper available on our Web site: The Impact of Call Centers on Company Image. Go to: http://www.benchmarkportal.com/store/index.taf to access this paper.

-Dr. Jon Anton

I have the Technical Support - Industry Benchmark Report for Best-in-Class Call Center Performance as of 4/1/2003 and was looking at the FCR % of 66.7 for the industry average. Do you have a current figure for FCR? Has this gone up or down and why?

With the introduction of new desktop technology, FCR% continues to improve, especially in Tech Support. The current figure for inbound tech support calls from customers is 79.2%. The main reason for this improvement is better knowledge systems for finding answers to technical questions.
--Dr. Jon

I hear a lot about customer service touchpoints. What are they, and could you give me some examples?

Customer service touchpoints are all the different channels through which customers can reach out and touch (contact) a company. Some examples include the following: phone, fax, e-mail, kiosks, Web sites, voice over IP, live text messages, regular mail, satisfaction surveys, electronic data interchange (EDI), IVR and voice mail.

I hear people refer to a call center as having a “robust agent desktop.” What technology must be in place to ensure that an agent’s desktop is robust?

A robust agent desktop has at least the following technology attributes: 1) screen pops with caller information, 2) value-and skills-based routing, 3) a caller-tracking CRM system, 4) easy access to product knowledge, 5) ready access to computer-based, self directed training, 6) automated agent monitoring software, 7) onscreen information for agents about the number of callers in queue and average talk time.

We are working feverishly on integrating our Web site with our call center. Have you seen any benchmarking statistics on Web sites that would give us some performance norms to set as our goal?

About six months ago, we began a study to quantify the customer relationship value of commercial Web sites. Using a specially-designed report card with an exhaustive list of possible Web site features, we visited and scored 80 Web sites and found even the best sites sadly lacking in the design and implementation of mission-critical features. When you are finished with the first phase of your Web site launch, we would be glad to score your site, and compare it to others in a true benchmark.

What is your suggested method of calculating the average cost of an on-line transaction?

We have seen several ways to determine the cost per Web hit. The most common one that I have seen requires two steps. First, take the total initial cost to build the Web site and amortize this figure over three years. To this annual amortization value add the annual maintenance cost. This should give you a fairly consistent annual cost to operate your Web site. Then take the total number of visitors who actually perform on-line transactions, such as downloading brochures or purchasing products, and divide that figure into the total cost for the same time period. This number can be as low as 50 cents per transaction, if not lower.