Call Center Performance Metrics 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A center has 50 agents logged in for 8 hours each, and they spend a combined 340 hours on calls and after-call work. What is the occupancy rate?
- 85% (Correct answer)
- 68%
- 40%
- produces no valid occupancy figure
Correct answer: 85%
Occupancy equals 340 productive hours divided by 400 logged-in hours, which is 85%.
Question 2: Why can sustained occupancy above roughly 90% be harmful to a call center?
- It leads to agent burnout and higher attrition (Correct answer)
- It automatically lowers service level to zero
- It means agents are idle too often
- It doubles telecom costs immediately
Correct answer: It leads to agent burnout and higher attrition
Very high occupancy leaves agents no recovery time between calls, driving fatigue, errors, and turnover.
Question 3: Shrinkage in workforce management refers to what?
- Paid time when agents are unavailable to handle calls, such as breaks, training, and meetings (Correct answer)
- The decline in call volume during holidays
- Reduction in average handle time after coaching
- Loss of customers to competitors
Correct answer: Paid time when agents are unavailable to handle calls, such as breaks, training, and meetings
Shrinkage is the portion of paid time agents cannot take calls due to breaks, meetings, training, and absence.
Question 4: Which formula correctly describes First Call Resolution rate?
- Issues resolved on first contact divided by total first contacts (Correct answer)
- Total calls divided by total agents
- Calls answered in threshold divided by calls offered
- Talk time divided by total handle time
Correct answer: Issues resolved on first contact divided by total first contacts
FCR is the share of contacts fully resolved the first time out of all first contacts received.
Question 5: An agent handles 60 calls in a shift but scores poorly on QA and CSAT. What does this illustrate about metrics?
- Productivity metrics must be balanced with quality metrics for a full picture (Correct answer)
- Call volume is the only metric that matters
- QA scores are unrelated to performance
- High volume always means high quality
Correct answer: Productivity metrics must be balanced with quality metrics for a full picture
Relying on a single metric can hide problems, so centers balance efficiency measures with quality and satisfaction measures.
Question 6: Cost per call is calculated by dividing total operating costs by what?
- Total number of calls handled (Correct answer)
- Number of agents employed
- Total talk time in minutes
- Number of abandoned calls
Correct answer: Total number of calls handled
Cost per call divides the center's total costs by the number of calls handled in the same period.
Question 7: Which situation would cause the abandonment rate to increase?
- Understaffing during an unexpected call volume spike (Correct answer)
- Adding more agents during peak hours
- Shortening the IVR menu
- Improving First Call Resolution
Correct answer: Understaffing during an unexpected call volume spike
When staffing cannot keep up with volume, queue times grow and more callers hang up before being answered.
Call Center Performance Metrics 4
A center has 50 agents logged in for 8 hours each, and they spend a combined 340 hours on calls and after-call work.
What is the occupancy rate?