Call Center Solutions Call Center Operations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'First Call Resolution' (FCR)?
- Resolving the call within the first 60 seconds
- Solving a customer's issue without requiring a follow-up contact (Correct answer)
- Answering calls before the first ring completes
- The first call made after a system outage
Correct answer: Solving a customer's issue without requiring a follow-up contact
FCR measures the percentage of customer issues resolved during the initial interaction, without the customer needing to call back.
Question 2: What is the typical industry benchmark for service level in US call centers?
- 50% of calls answered within 30 seconds
- 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- 90% of calls answered within 60 seconds
- 70% of calls answered within 10 seconds
Correct answer: 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds
The widely accepted US call center industry standard is the '80/20 rule' — 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds.
Question 3: What does 'after-call work' (ACW) refer to?
- Reviewing call recordings after a shift
- Tasks an agent completes immediately after ending a customer call (Correct answer)
- Follow-up emails sent by supervisors
- Post-shift performance reviews
Correct answer: Tasks an agent completes immediately after ending a customer call
ACW (also called wrap-up time) is the time an agent spends updating records, logging notes, or completing tasks directly after a call ends before taking the next call.
Question 4: Which type of call center queue gives priority to callers based on customer value or urgency?
- Round-robin queue
- Skills-based routing
- Priority queuing (Correct answer)
- Linear queue
Correct answer: Priority queuing
Priority queuing assigns a higher queue position to certain callers (e.g., VIP customers, urgent issues) so they are answered before other waiting callers.
Question 5: What is 'shrinkage' in call center workforce management?
- The reduction in call volume over time
- Time when agents are unavailable for calls due to breaks, meetings, or absences (Correct answer)
- The drop in customer satisfaction scores
- Reduction in agent headcount
Correct answer: Time when agents are unavailable for calls due to breaks, meetings, or absences
Shrinkage accounts for all the time agents are paid but not available to handle calls, including scheduled breaks, training, meetings, and unplanned absences.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a call center 'escalation path'?
- To increase call volume during peak hours
- To define steps for transferring difficult issues to higher-level agents or supervisors (Correct answer)
- To route calls to offshore agents
- To automate refund processing
Correct answer: To define steps for transferring difficult issues to higher-level agents or supervisors
An escalation path documents the process and criteria for moving a customer issue from a front-line agent to a specialist, team lead, or manager.
Call Center Solutions Call Center Operations 2
What is 'First Call Resolution' (FCR)?