How do you benchmark and compare your occupancy rate with industry standards and best practices? (original) (raw)
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Occupancy rate is a key metric for contact center operations, as it measures how efficiently your agents are using their available time to handle customer interactions. A high occupancy rate means that your agents are busy and productive, but it can also lead to burnout and lower quality of service. A low occupancy rate means that your agents have idle time and less workload, but it can also indicate overstaffing and higher costs. How do you benchmark and compare your occupancy rate with industry standards and best practices? Here are some steps to help you answer this question.
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Calculate your occupancy rate
The first step is to calculate your occupancy rate, which is the ratio of the time your agents spend on customer interactions to the time they are logged in and available. You can use this formula to calculate your occupancy rate:
Occupancy rate = (total handle time / total available time) x 100%
Total handle time is the sum of the time your agents spend on calls, chats, emails, or other channels, including after-call work. Total available time is the sum of the time your agents are logged in and ready to take customer interactions, excluding breaks, training, meetings, or other offline activities.
- Benchmarking occupancy rates in a contact centre against industry standards involves several steps: Identify Relevant Metrics: Define what occupancy rate means for your specific contact centre. Typically, it's the percentage of time agents spend handling customer interactions compared to their available time. Research Industry Standards: Utilise industry reports, white papers, or research studies specific to your sector or similar customer service operations. Look for benchmarks and averages related to occupancy rates.
Compare your occupancy rate with industry averages
The next step is to compare your occupancy rate with industry averages, which can give you a general idea of how your contact center is performing relative to others in your sector or market. However, you should be aware that industry averages are not always reliable or relevant, as they may vary depending on the source, the sample size, the methodology, the channel mix, the service level, the customer profile, and other factors. Therefore, you should use industry averages as a reference point, not as a definitive target or benchmark.
- Analyze your historical data to understand trends and patterns in occupancy rates within your contact center. Compare these figures with external benchmarks to gauge how your performance aligns with industry standards. Consider Different Contact Centre Types: Factors like inbound/outbound calls, seasonal variations, customer demographics, or service types may impact occupancy rates. Ensure you compare against similar contact centres in terms of scale and nature of operations.
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