B2B Customer Service KPIs & Metrics that Matter Most
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are variables used to measure a business' success. They vary according to industry and department, meaning business-to-business KPIs are different than those of a business-to-consumer organization. Similarly, a sales team has different KPIs than those of customer support in the same company. Below are the most important B2B customer support KPIs for the industry:
"Many reps are forced to solve repetitive, almost tedious issues."
Cost per ticket
Support desks are plagued by methods that do not make good use of their agent's time. Instead of focusing on complex tickets that require human input, many reps are forced to solve repetitive, almost tedious issues. In some cases, agents lack the knowledge to handle incoming questions and must hand the customer off to a more experienced employee. The best approach to increasing agent efficiency is to use collaborative, integrated software for support. This allows reps to consult with each other quickly and share knowledge, leading to faster answers for customers.
To understand the efficiency of your support organization, consider the cost per ticket - that is, the total cost of running customer support divided by the number of tickets. The more efficient your team is, the lower your cost per ticket will be. Each business must determine for itself the appropriate cost per ticket, especially in relation to the quality of support agents provide. Customer satisfaction is also a factor in revenue, so you should never sacrifice customer satisfaction for a lower cost-per-ticket average.
Volume of tickets
Handling an excessive number of tickets not only uses a lot of agent time, but it also serves as a costly expense for businesses. There are many simple questions customers can answer themselves through self-service support alternatives such as knowledge base and FAQ sections. These must be easily located and clearly advertised so customers know contacting the support desk is not their only option. In addition, B2B portal software must provide clear instructions customers can understand. Otherwise, they're more likely to send an email or pick up the phone. When customers do contact customer support directly, keywords in their query should prompt a recommendation of existing self-service resources. This way, customers can choose whether they'd like to explore these self-service support options or continue through direct contact with an agent.
Businesses can simply measure the overall volume of tickets they receive, but it's more valuable to track the number of tickets per customer and number of tickets per agent. These metrics give businesses a better idea of the workload reps handle, not just the amount of tickets processed overall. Two different companies with the same number of customers and support reps can have vastly different workloads based on the types of issues agents have to solve. Those handling quick and easy questions make their way through more tickets, while reps tackling tougher issues will address fewer tickets. If your agents are handling more tickets on average, this shows an increase in efficiency. Alternatively, if they're getting fewer customer service issues on average over time, this is a sign customers are using your self-service support options.
Response and resolution times
To gain an understanding of how efficient your reps are, look at average response times. Are customers receiving a response within an hour, a day, a week? Remember that most customers expect a response within one hour. Resolution time is also important - that is, how long does the average customer wait between the time they first open a ticket and the time it's resolved? While a shorter resolution time isn't always better, you need to understand average response times as well as ticket resolution times so that you can set a benchmark for your KPI. Look closely at causes and processes, which can cause many customers to suffer from unnecessary delays. Often, they're shuffled between numerous agents until they're finally given one with the appropriate experience to help them. Other times, their question is simply lost in a chaotic, disconnected computer system. Collaborative customer support software that can redirect information and customer correspondence from multiple channels is the key to solving this issue. The best solutions allow agents to chat with one another directly and add notes to customer profiles, ensuring anyone who accesses that data has the same information. Great customer support software also collects customer messages from email, social media and more, automatically generates tickets, and collates all correspondence into one source every representative can access.
Customer satisfaction
The most important aspect of B2B customer support is the customers themselves. Their satisfaction is key to a business's growth, making this the most important B2B KPI of all. While emotional states are difficult to quantify, there are various KPI metrics for customer service that businesses can use to get an understanding of how their clients feel. Retention or churn is the major one. Customers leaving in large numbers is a definite warning that something is wrong.
Businesses can also determine customer satisfaction by looking at "live agent" ratios. When customers do speak directly to representatives on the phone, businesses should measure the amount of time the agents and customers actually speak to each other versus the amount of time the customer is put on hold. Long wait times are frustrating and decrease satisfaction tremendously.
Of course the best way to measure customer satisfaction by looking at "live agent" ratios is to ask your customers. You can do this through annual customer satisfaction surveys, or NPS (Net Promoter Score), or by our preferred method of transactional surveys. Transactional surveys ask your customers how satisfied they are after every interaction with your company. By measuring satisfaction rates consistently over time you will get the most accurate measurement and will also be able to set benchmarks for your unique organization. This will allow you to make the most of your KPIs by identifying upward or downward trends quickly so that you can make adjustments as needed.
Customer satisfaction is the result of various influences, including operational efficiency, ease of access and interactions with agents. Support reps must be friendly and personable with all the tools and information they need at their disposal. This allows them to put the customer and their needs first. While individual businesses have their own specific goals, these customer service KPIs reflect the priorities of any support team. They're best addressed with B2B customer support software that provides for a collaborative, integrated working environment.
