Key Call Center Metrics & KPIs

What Are Call Center Metrics & KPIs and Why Do They Matter?

Call centers handle hundreds, sometimes thousands, of customer interactions every day. Every call, chat, and email is a chance to deliver great service—or fall short.

Call center metrics and KPIs help teams track performance, efficiency, and customer experience. They provide valuable insights into how well agents resolve issues, how satisfied customers are, and how smoothly operations run.

Without the right KPIs, teams rely on guesswork. The wrong metrics lead to poor decisions and missed opportunities. The right ones provide actionable insights that drive stronger performance, higher customer satisfaction, and a more efficient contact center.

Understanding Call Center Metrics and KPIs

Call centers generate a huge amount of data, but not all data points are equally valuable. To measure success, teams rely on both metrics and KPIs. Every call center metric and KPI serves a purpose, but the key is knowing which ones matter most.

What’s the Difference Between Call Center Metrics and KPIs?

• Metrics track general performance. They provide raw data on things like call volume, wait times, and customer satisfaction scores.
• KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) measure progress toward strategic goals. They highlight whether a contact center is improving efficiency, enhancing customer experience, or meeting business objectives.

📌 Example: A call center might track Average Handle Time as a metric to monitor call lengths. But if the goal is to reduce customer effort, the KPI would be First Call Resolution because it directly measures whether issues are solved on the first call.

Types of Call Center Metrics and KPIs

Customer Experience Metrics & KPIs

These measure how easy it is for customers to get help and how satisfied they are.

• Metrics: Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES)
• KPIs: Net Promoter Score (NPS), First Call Resolution (FCR)

Agent Performance Metrics & KPIs

These track how well agents handle conversations and resolve issues.

• Metrics: Average Handle Time (AHT), Call Transfer Rate
• KPIs: Agent Utilization Rate, Occupancy Rate

Operational and Efficiency Metrics and KPIs

These focus on staffing, cost control, and workflow improvement.

• Metrics: Call Volume, Peak Hour Traffic
• KPIs: Cost Per Call (CPC), Service Level

Tracking both call center efficiency metrics and key performance indicators gives teams the full picture. Metrics highlight what’s happening, while KPIs show if it’s driving real results.

Top Call Center KPIs and Metrics to Track for Quality and Performance

Tracking the right call center KPIs and metrics helps teams improve customer experience, optimize efficiency, and drive better performance. Below is a breakdown of some of the most important ones to monitor.

Customer Experience KPIs 

These KPIs measure how well your call center meets customer needs and expectations.

• First Call Resolution (FCR): Tracks the percentage of issues resolved on the first interaction. Higher FCR means a smoother customer experience.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures customer loyalty based on their likelihood to recommend the company.
• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): Collects direct customer feedback on service quality through surveys.
• Customer Effort Score (CES): Evaluates how much effort a customer must put in to get an issue resolved. Lower effort = better experience.

Customer Experience Metrics 

These metrics provide supporting data on service quality and responsiveness.

• Call Abandonment Rate: The percentage of customers who hang up before reaching an agent. A high rate indicates long wait times or poor service availability.
• Average Speed of Answer (ASA): Measures how quickly agents pick up incoming calls.

Agent Performance KPIs 

These KPIs assess agent effectiveness and their impact on customer service.

• Agent Utilization Rate: Tracks how much of an agent’s working time is spent actively handling calls.
• Occupancy Rate: Measures how efficiently agents manage their time across calls and after-call work.
• First Response Time (FRT): Measures how quickly an agent responds to a customer inquiry. Faster responses improve customer satisfaction.

Agent Performance Metrics 

These metrics provide insight into agent workload and efficiency.

• Average Handle Time (AHT): Measures total call duration, including hold and wrap-up time.
• Call Transfer Rate: Tracks how often a call gets passed to another agent. Lower rates indicate better first-contact resolutions.

Operational & Efficiency KPIs 

These KPIs help measure cost, resource use, and service availability.

• Service Level: Measures the percentage of calls answered within a specific timeframe (e.g., 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds).
• Cost Per Call (CPC): Calculates the total cost of handling an individual call.

Operational & Efficiency Metrics 

These metrics provide deeper insights into staffing and resource management.

• Call Volume & Peak Hour Traffic: Tracks how many calls come in and when demand is highest. Used for workforce planning.

Tracking the right call center KPIs and metrics helps teams make smarter decisions, improve service quality, and optimize efficiency. Customer experience, agent performance, and operational insights all play a role in building a stronger call center. Next, we’ll look at how custom metrics can provide even deeper insights and help teams uncover hidden trends.

Custom Call Center QA Metrics 

Why Standard Metrics Alone Aren’t Enough

Traditional call center metrics track performance, but they only tell part of the story. Metrics like CSAT, FCR, and AHT measure outcomes, but they don’t explain why issues happen. Without deeper insights, teams struggle to pinpoint process gaps, coaching opportunities, or policy misalignment.

To truly optimize call center quality assurance, businesses need call center quality monitoring software that offers flexible, custom metrics designed to uncover hidden trends. MaestroQA provides these advanced insights to help teams move beyond surface-level tracking.

Custom Insights Available in MaestroQA

Custom QA metrics go beyond surface-level tracking. They provide insights into agent performance, process adherence, customer experience trends, and more based on your business needs. Here’s how:

• Phrase Match Metrics: Track key phrases in interactions to spot compliance risks and emerging trends.
• Process-Based Metrics: Evaluate whether agents follow workflows, policies, and best practices.
• LLM Metrics: Use AI-powered analysis to surface hidden patterns in ticket data, fine-tuned through AI calibration.

Why It Matters

Custom QA metrics help teams move from reactive monitoring to proactive improvement. They highlight where coaching is needed, where policies create friction, and where customer expectations are shifting. By tracking what matters most, teams can improve efficiency, enhance customer experience, and drive long-term success. 

💡 Check out Novo’s success with MaestroQA’s custom AI metrics to learn more!

Best Practices for Tracking and Improving Call Center KPIs

Tracking call center KPIs is only useful if the data leads to action. The right approach helps teams improve agent performance, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Here’s how to track and optimize call center metrics effectively.

📌 Define Clear Goals

KPIs & metrics should align with business objectives. Define what success looks like for customer experience, efficiency, and agent performance. If a goal is to improve First Call Resolution, track the impact of coaching and workflow changes to see what moves the needle.

📌 Leverage Automation and QA Dashboards

Manually tracking call center quality assurance data is inefficient and prone to errors. QA dashboards and call center quality monitoring software provide real-time insights, helping teams spot trends faster and make data-driven decisions.

📌 Use QA Scorecards for Performance Management

QA scorecards ensure fair agent evaluations and targeted coaching. Define clear criteria for call handling, compliance, and customer interactions. Regular feedback helps agents improve and ensures consistency across teams.

📌 Monitor and Adjust Regularly

Call center metrics & KPIs should evolve with business needs. Review frequently to ensure they reflect customer expectations, staffing changes, and process improvements.

📌 Integrate Metrics Across Omnichannel Support

Customers interact through phone, chat, email, and social media. Tracking contact center performance metrics across all channels ensures a consistent customer experience. Unified reporting helps teams identify gaps and improve service quality.

Common Call Center Metric Challenges and How to Solve Them

Even with the right call center quality assurance strategy, tracking and improving metrics comes with challenges. Here’s how to overcome the most common roadblocks.

1. Tracking Accuracy

Inconsistent metric definitions lead to unreliable data. A clear framework for tracking call center metrics ensures accuracy. Standardize how KPIs like FCR and AHT are measured across teams.

2. Balancing Efficiency and Service Quality

Focusing too much on speed can hurt customer experience. An agent rushing to lower AHT might miss opportunities to resolve issues thoroughly. Balance call center efficiency metrics with quality-focused KPIs like CSAT and FCR to ensure a better overall experience.

3. Agent Resistance to QA Metrics

Some agents see QA monitoring as punitive rather than helpful. Position call center QA as a coaching tool, not just a scorecard. Use QA insights to recognize strengths, provide targeted feedback, and support career growth.

4. Aligning QA with Business Goals

Metrics should drive business success, not just reporting. If a KPI doesn’t support customer retention, operational efficiency, or revenue growth, reassess its relevance. Use call center quality monitoring software to track data that directly impacts key business objectives.

Turning Call Center Metrics into Actionable Insights

Tracking call center KPIs & metrics is only the first step. The real impact comes from using call center quality assurance data to drive better decisions, stronger coaching, and improved customer experiences.

How to Turn Data into Meaningful Change

• Identify trends, not just numbers. Look beyond the surface to understand what’s driving performance shifts.
• Use metrics to fuel coaching. Help agents improve with targeted feedback based on real data.
• Refine processes in real time. QA insights should guide policy updates, training programs, and workflow improvements.

Improve Call Center Performance with Smarter QA

Tracking call center metrics & KPIs is essential, but making them actionable is what truly drives results.

🚀 Ready to transform your call center QA? Explore MaestroQA’s solutions today.