{"id":16227,"date":"2024-12-08T09:35:46","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T09:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-service-kpi\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T23:30:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T23:30:57","slug":"customer-service-kpi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userpilot.com\/blog\/customer-service-kpi\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Customer Service KPIs + 6 Strategies to Improve Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s a customer service KPI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A customer service key performance indicator (KPI) is any measurable value that helps you track support team efficiency, customer satisfaction<\/a> with service interactions, and the overall success of your customer service operations.<\/p>\n

Tracking these metrics equips you to identify areas for improvement and deploy better solutions to enhance the customer experience.<\/p>\n

15 most important customer service metrics to track<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are numerous customer service KPIs, but they don\u2019t hold the same weight. We’ve carefully selected 15 of the most impactful ones to help you unlock valuable insights.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n

1. Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

CSAT<\/a> is a key metric that gauges how happy your customers are with a specific interaction or their overall experience with your company.<\/strong> To get the most accurate measure of satisfaction, it’s best to collect CSAT feedback immediately after a customer interacts with your service.<\/p>\n

For instance, after a customer finishes a live chat with a support agent, you could automatically send them a survey<\/a> asking, “On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with our support team?”<\/p>\n

How to calculate<\/strong>: Divide the number of satisfied customers<\/a> by the total number of respondents and multiply by 100. Any score above 50% is good<\/a>. Excellent if you can get 70%+.<\/p>\n

Practical use<\/strong>: Use customer satisfaction scores to identify areas where your service excels, such as consistently high ratings for specific agents or positive feedback on particular service features. This allows you to replicate successful practices and acknowledge top performers.<\/p>\n

Conversely, CSAT can highlight areas needing improvement. For instance, if customers regularly complain about unhelpful support agents, it’s a clear sign that you need to provide better service team education<\/a> or revise your communication guidelines.<\/p>\n

\"CSAT-formula-customer-service-kpi\"<\/picture>
Formula to calculate the customer satisfaction score.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Average customer effort score (CES)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

CES <\/a>gauges how easy it is for customers to interact with your business and get their issues resolved.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like CSAT, this KPI is tracked through surveys triggered after customer interactions. The survey questions typically go something like: “How easy was it to get your issue resolved today?” (with response options ranging from “Very Easy” to “Very Difficult”).<\/p>\n

How to calculate<\/strong>: Divide the number of responses that agree your service is easy by the total number of responses, then multiply the result by 100. Per Gartner\u2019s CES benchmark<\/a>, scores less than 70% indicate a need for improvement.<\/p>\n

Practical use<\/strong>: Identify friction points <\/a>in the customer journey and implement contextual solutions. For example, if customers struggle to find answers in your knowledge base, consider reorganizing its content, improving search functionality, or adding more visual guides.<\/p>\n

\"customer-effort-score\"<\/picture>
Formula to calculate customer effort score.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. First contact resolution rate (FCR)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

FCR measures the percentage of customer inquiries resolved during the first interaction without needing escalation or follow-up. <\/strong><\/p>\n

To accurately calculate your FCR, focus on direct engagements between customers and your human support agents. Including automated responses or self-service interactions<\/a> can skew the results because these interactions don’t always represent a complete resolution that fully satisfies the customer’s needs.<\/p>\n

Also, it’s generally best to consider interactions that occur during regular business hours, unless your company provides round-the-clock support.<\/p>\n

How to calculate<\/strong>: Divide the number of customer issues resolved on first contact by the total number of cases and multiply by 100. The average FCR across industries is 70%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Practical use<\/strong>: High FCR means faster resolution, happier customers, and reduced support costs. You can improve your first contact resolution rate by having a robust knowledge base<\/a> that service team members can quickly use to find information.<\/p>\n

It also helps to create a decentralized customer service department <\/strong>where agents have the authority to make decisions and resolve customer queries without escalating to supervisors.<\/p>\n

\"first-contact-resolution-customer-service-kpi\"<\/picture>
Formula to calculate the first contact resolution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Average first response time (FRT)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This customer service KPI measures how long it takes for a customer service representative<\/a> to respond to an initial inquiry on any support channel.<\/p>\n

Don’t confuse FRT with FCR. While FCR is about resolving an issue during the first interaction, FRT focuses solely on the speed <\/em>of the initial response.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to calculate<\/strong>: Decide on a specific time period (e,g minutes, hours, or even days). Then, divide the total time taken to send the first response during that period by the total tickets your agents responded to in the same period. As always, multiply by 100 to get the percentage.<\/p>\n

Benchmarks for the average response time<\/a> vary depending on the support channel you\u2019re considering. In general, customers expect the following:<\/p>\n