Integrated CX

The modern customer expects a frictionless experience when they contact the call center. They seek personalized service and helpful answers, without having to spend too long interacting with the support agent. With 81% of customers requiring a brand interaction to resolve their issues, the pressure on contact centers to deliver is immense.

The average handle time is a key call center metric that businesses use to track the efficiency of their support teams. It highlights how well support agents resolve issues by combining speed and quality.

What is average call handling time (AHT)?

Average handle time (AHT) measures the total amount of time an agent spends handling a customer interaction. The standard AHT formula includes three core components: total talk time, total hold time, and after-call work (ACW).

Contact centers use AHT as a key performance indicator (KPI) to track agent performance, cost of handling customers, and team productivity. While a lower AHT indicates faster service delivery, speed alone shouldn’t be the goal. The key is to reduce call handling times without sacrificing the customer experience (CX) or resolution quality.

How to calculate AHT

The standard formula for calculating AHT is:

AHT = (Total Talk Time + Total Hold Time + After-Call Work) / Total Number of Calls

For example, if an agent spends 200 minutes on calls, 50 minutes on hold, and 30 minutes on follow-up work across 40 calls, their AHT would be:

(200 + 50 + 30) / 40 = 7 minutes per call

So, what’s a good AHT to strive for? The answer is that it depends on your industry. Data from Zendesk suggests anywhere between 3-4 minutes for retail to 8-10 minutes for technical support. A generally quoted figure, irrespective of industry or team size, is 6 minutes. 

However, it’s worth noting again that chasing these numbers isn’t the best strategy for modern contact centers. An insight-driven approach that seeks to understand the underlying causes for slow and inadequate service helps improve overall contact center performance.

Why is average handle time an important call center metric?

Average handle time is a performance indicator that directly impacts both operational efficiency and customer experience. As a result, it’s one of the most crucial call center metrics for businesses looking to balance service quality with optimal resource utilization. Here are three key reasons why AHT is an important KPI to monitor:

Measures contact center efficiency

AHT provides real-time insight into how effectively your agents handle customer interactions. A high AHT indicates inefficiencies in workflows, outdated tools, or gaps in agent training. On the other hand, a low AHT may suggest optimized call handling and well-structured processes. Tracking this metric helps managers spot performance issues early and implement data-driven improvements.

Impacts customer experience

Customer satisfaction takes a hit when customers wait on hold for long periods. On the other hand, agents who resolve inquiries quickly and accurately create positive customer experiences. Therefore, monitoring AHT ensures that service is not only fast but also aligned with customer needs and expectations.

Helps with workforce planning

When you analyze call center performance by tracking AHT, you get clear insight into workforce planning. For example, you can see if your current staffing decisions are having a positive or negative effect on service speed. With consistent AHT benchmarks, managers can forecast call volume and schedule shifts accordingly. This is valuable for ensuring the right number of agents are available to meet demand, especially during peak hours.

Potential causes of high AHT

When your AHT is higher than expected, it’s usually a sign that your contact center workflows aren’t hitting the mark. Below are some of the most common reasons behind high AHT and what they indicate:

• Inadequate agent training makes it difficult for the frontline support team to quickly resolve customer inquiries. For example, agents with little to no training in working under pressure will likely take longer to handle frustrated customers. Similarly, it’s impossible to leverage AI-driven tools if agents have no idea how to use them!
  
• Lack of automation results in valuable time spent on routine tasks like sifting through call recordings or updating databases. When agents are forced to manually perform such tasks, they are left with even less time to understand and fulfill customer needs. As a result, the total talk time and ACW increase, causing customers to lose patience.
  
• Complex or unclear processes are a major obstacle to effective issue resolution. For instance, when scripts feature outdated or confusing terms, agents struggle to troubleshoot or make the right decisions under pressure.
  
• Fragmented systems or tools create a disjointed experience for agents. Switching between multiple platforms is enough to hinder even the most battle-hardened agents at times. This fragmentation adds unnecessary time to call handling and delays access to essential customer data.
  
• Poor call routing misdirects calls to the wrong agents, contributing to an increase in handle times. For example, a billing issue going to an agent unfamiliar with the payments process will either result in a transferred call or the customer having to re-explain themselves. The result is a far longer call than it would have been if the query reached the right agent the first time around.
  
• Ineffective scripts or rigid protocols prevent agents from putting their best foot forward. Scripts provide a handy template, but if designed poorly, they leave little room for improvisation. If anything, they can result in robotic responses that do little to satisfy disgruntled customers. Similarly, rigid policies can sometimes make it impossible for agents to adapt to complex issues.
  
• Lack of access to knowledge resources means agents end up wasting time searching for information. Without a centralized and up-to-date knowledge base, troubleshooting or fetching the right customer details becomes a headache. It also leads to longer wait times and adds to the manual work that an agent must perform.

5 Strategies to reduce average call handling time

From limited agent knowledge to a lack of automation, there are several factors responsible for high average handle times. The good news is that contact center leaders can chart a course through these choppy waters with six actionable strategies:

1. Equip agents with conversational intelligence software

Support your agents with tools that handle routine tasks, provide easy access to experience data, and help with performance improvements. Conversational intelligence (CI) software brings it all together by leveraging artificial intelligence and automation. It automatically generates call summaries and analyzes 100% of customer interactions to provide accurate and actionable insights.

Among other things, these features drastically reduce ACW by automating processes like data entry, QA, and note-taking. With automated call summaries shown to reduce AHT by up to 33%, CI enables faster resolution and improved customer satisfaction.

Additionally, the AI-powered insights surface the best-performing scripts and responses, allowing teams to resolve issues more efficiently. As a result, agents spend less time on each call and deliver more seamless experiences.

2. Improve agent training and onboarding

Agents lacking in confidence or clarity are most likely to take time handling calls. However, these issues aren’t permanent and can be fixed with better training and onboarding.

Start by designing targeted coaching sessions for your agents. CI can help here by analyzing call summaries and highlighting individual weaknesses. For example, you can quickly see if an agent struggles with product knowledge or empathy during most of their calls. This information guides a structured approach to training that helps you generate maximum value from your workforce.

Similarly, a thoughtful onboarding program helps new agents hit the ground running. Create a dedicated team for this purpose, assigning a leader for each aspect of the onboarding process. For instance, a “culture leader” could help new hires build working relationships quickly, while a “technical leader” could guide them on making the most of the tools available to them.

With the help of targeted training, performance insights, and smoother onboarding, your agents will better understand how to exceed customer expectations. Instead of obsessing over raw numbers on a call center dashboard, they embrace a customer-centric approach that helps them improve metrics across the board.

3. Understand customer sentiment better with AI and NLP

When agents can instantly grasp how a customer feels and what they need, they can respond faster and more effectively. This is where AI-powered techniques like natural language processing (NLP) come in.

NLP works by analyzing vast amounts of unstructured data to understand and interpret human language. For example, InMoment’s core NLP engine provides low-latency text mining and analytics that process more than five social media posts per second. A popular application of this technology is sentiment analysis, which automatically detects emotion, tone, and intent in customer interactions at scale.

Since agents don’t have to manually read through feedback or call summaries, they can quickly respond to shifts in sentiment without wasting time. The result is frictionless customer support where agents can prioritize issues and customers can quickly get what they need. It’s a smarter way of handling calls without relying solely on scripts or, worse, guesswork!

4. Leverage the omnichannel voice of customer

Your customers don’t think in channels. They expect a smooth and cohesive experience across every touchpoint of their journey. 

According to a recent InMoment survey, channel preferences are increasingly widespread and changing. For example, while 54% of respondents prefer to pick up the phone for issue resolution, 51% of them use the website for support. There is also a growing preference for self-service among younger customers, with Gen-Z twice as likely to use chatbots as compared to Baby Boomers.

Therefore, the data makes it clear that even a multichannel approach isn’t enough. Treating multiple communication channels independently isn’t the answer to modern customer expectations. A better strategy is to leverage omnichannel platforms, which collect and connect insights across these channels to ensure no piece of experience data falls through the cracks.

The omnichannel customer experience reduces back-and-forth, prevents repeat questions, and helps customers receive targeted support regardless of the channel. Meanwhile, agents don’t have to dig through separate systems or risk customer dissatisfaction by asking them to start from scratch.

5. Monitor performance and provide targeted coaching

Despite advanced CI tools and training programs, your agents may still face challenges during customer interactions. While these instances are normal, they also provide an opportunity to address emerging inefficiencies or gaps in agent performance. When you know exactly where your frontline support staff gets stuck, you can fix it fast.

Performance monitoring tools, powered by conversational insights, help you track how well your agents handle calls over time. Unlike manual processes, you can analyze 100% of calls to reliably spot behavioral patterns and frequent customer pain points. 

These insights help build targeted coaching programs to improve upon strengths and address weaknesses. For example, if an agent frequently puts customers on hold, they either lack decision-making skills or quick access to the right answers. In either case, you can engage them in a one-on-one session to guide them through best practices.

Therefore, agent-specific insights make it possible to go beyond generic and unhelpful advice. They provide unique roadmaps for each agent so that they can confidently bring their best selves to work daily.

6. Improve your self-service options

If customers can easily find the right answers on their own, they won’t have to pick up the phone in the first place. This is the idea behind self-service technology like chatbots, which rely on their knowledge bases to resolve common customer queries.

Start by analyzing customer feedback and call summaries to identify frequently asked questions. For example, if you receive a high volume of calls regarding shipping updates, consider offering proactive order status updates via email or messaging. 

Slightly more complex queries, like questions about product features, can be routed through chatbots, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, or in-app FAQs. 

Since self-service lowers the daily call volume, it plays a key role in reducing average handle times. Additionally, giving customers the option to solve simple problems themselves often results in improved satisfaction.

Reduce calls and resolve issues faster with InMoment

At first glance, the average handle time is all about service speed. However, rushing to end calls isn’t the answer here. When you remove friction from the support experience, from better agent training to leveraging technology, you reduce the AHT while strengthening customer loyalty.

InMoment’s conversational intelligence software helps you reliably reduce AHT by capturing real-time insights, automating repetitive tasks, and identifying issues that slow teams down. It’s a proven solution for leaders ready to deliver faster and more efficient support to maintain a competitive edge.

See how InMoment’s conversational analytics can help your agents intelligently handle calls with insights and empathy—schedule a demo today.

The best call center experiences start with well-coached agents. Data from Zendesk reveals that 41% of customer experience (CX) leaders view relevant training as the most strategic way to improve agent management and enhance the customer experience.

Without call center coaching, even the best tools fall short. The right training program, backed by real-time insights, has the potential to transform call center performance, boost agent retention, and improve customer satisfaction.

What is call center coaching?

Call center coaching is the structured process of training your agents to improve their performance and elevate the quality of customer interactions. The exact format depends on your goals, since onboarding new hires will require a different approach as compared to upskilling existing employees.

However, the common theme across such programs is measurable touchpoints where managers guide agents toward better communication skills, problem-solving, and adherence to workflows. 

Be it improving first call resolution (FCR), reducing average handle time (AHT), or boosting customer satisfaction (CSAT), a strong coaching program empowers agents with the knowledge and confidence to succeed in high-pressure contact center environments.

How call center coaching improves customer satisfaction

Effective coaching encourages a customer-centric approach to work. Consistent, focused, and data-driven training improves customer satisfaction by accomplishing the following:

Enhances agent communication skills

Coaching helps agents develop key soft skills like tone, empathy, and active listening. With regular guidance, agents learn how to connect with customers in a more human and thoughtful manner. Call center coaching techniques like role playing, feedback sessions, and real-time call reviews help agents recognize emotional cues and confidently interact with customers.

For example, instead of rushing through a script, a well-coached agent knows when to pause, acknowledge the customer’s concern, and adjust their tone to reflect empathy. These moments help transform a standard call into a trust-building interaction, supporting brand reputation management efforts.

Improves problem-solving and efficiency

When you guide your agents through real customer scenarios and instill problem-solving techniques, they gain the confidence to handle complex issues quickly and effectively.

Instead of placing a customer on hold to find answers or escalating the call, a well-coached agent knows how to navigate systems, pull the right information from their knowledge base, and offer a solution in one smooth interaction. This kind of efficiency saves time on the clock and reduces frustration for everyone involved.

The ripple effects from agents consistently solving problems are clear: shorter call times, less repeat contact, and a considerable boost in customer satisfaction scores.

Boosts First Contact Resolution (FCR)

According to InMoment’s 2025 Conversational Intelligence Trends Report, 61% of the 1200+ surveyed consumers expect brands to resolve their issues on first contact. If this expectation is not met, they are willing to consider competitors. 

As a result, first contact resolution (FCR) is one of the most crucial call center metrics for businesses looking to improve satisfaction and retention. Managers can push the needle on improving FCR by training agents to ask the right questions, troubleshoot thoroughly, and follow smart escalation protocols.

Call center coaching, especially when supported by data-driven insights, also surfaces underlying issues in customer service. Once agents understand these root causes, they are able to effectively solve problems and prevent the need for repeat calls.

Reduces agent errors and inconsistencies

It’s human to make mistakes, with call center agents across all levels capable of errors. However, the problem arises when these mistakes occur repeatedly, eroding trust and eventually resulting in churn.

Regular coaching helps minimize these errors by showing agents exactly where they went off track and how to correct it. Reviewing call summaries and QA evaluations allows call center managers to highlight specific missteps, like forgetting to verify a customer’s identity or missing a cross-sell opportunity. The leadership can then replace these slip-ups with best practices, creating a baseline for consistent service across the entire team.

Aligns agent behavior with customer expectations

Today’s customers expect fast, empathetic, and accurate service. Call center coaching that incorporates conversational analytics and real-time customer feedback bridges the gap between company goals and customer realities. 

This approach analyzes tone, sentiment, and common friction points across customer interactions to guide agents on adjusting their behavior accordingly. Whether it’s slowing down for confused callers or mirroring the customer’s communication style, these small shifts can make a big difference for customer loyalty.

Common coaching challenges in call centers

Even with the best intentions, many contact centers struggle to implement coaching sessions that make a difference. High-pressure environments, constant call queues, and varying team dynamics can all get in the way of impactful training. Here are some of the most common roadblocks that managers and supervisors face:

Limited time or resources for coaching

Call centers are fast-paced, and every minute counts. Between managing high call volumes and meeting performance targets, finding dedicated time for coaching can feel nearly impossible. When coaching is deprioritized, agents miss out on the regular feedback and development they need to grow. This results in stagnant agent performance and preventable mistakes that negatively affect call center management and productivity.

Inconsistent coaching approaches across teams

Without a unified coaching framework, each supervisor may take a different approach. For example, some will obsess over planning out a group session while others might feel more comfortable with an off-the-cuff one-on-one interaction.

This lack of consistency creates confusion among agents, who may receive mixed messages about expectations, goals, or best practices. It also makes it harder for leadership to evaluate coaching effectiveness across the organization or scale what’s working.

Lack of visibility into agent performance or behavior

You can’t coach what you can’t see. When managers don’t have access to detailed call recordings, QA scores, or behavioral insights, they’re forced to rely on assumptions or secondhand reports. This makes it harder to pinpoint specific issues or track progress over time. Without the right data, coaching becomes less targeted and, subsequently, less impactful.

7 steps and practices to coach call center agents effectively

The best call center coaching programs aren’t limited to one-off feedback or generic training videos. They feature a repeatable and personalized process that unlocks every agent’s true potential. Whether you’re working with new hires or experienced team members, these seven steps can help you create a program that drives measurable CX improvements.

1. Set clear, personalized coaching goals

Start every coaching journey with specific and achievable goals tailored to each agent. Tie these goals to relevant KPIs like CSAT, first call resolution (FCR), or average handle time (AHT). 

For example, if an agent struggles with long call times, you can set a goal to “reduce AHT by x% within a month”. Personalized goals create clarity, boost motivation, and ensure everyone is working toward outcomes that move the business forward.

2. Use conversational intelligence to surface coaching opportunities

Instead of guessing what agents need help with, use conversational intelligence (CI) to analyze 100% of customer interactions.

For instance, InMoment’s CI tool leverages sentiment analysis to help you spot trends in tone and emotion for empathetic decision-making. It also automates contact center quality assurance to give coaches more transparency and agents more context. As a result, call centers achieve scalable insights without sacrificing depth.

3. Focus on one or two behaviors at a time

It’s tempting to cover everything in one session, but information overload rarely leads to lasting change. Instead, zero in on the one or two behaviors that will have the biggest impact, such as improving call openings or reducing hold time. Once agents make progress on those skills, move to the next set of opportunities. This incremental approach builds confidence and drives consistent improvement.

4. Deliver feedback that’s specific and balanced

Generic comments like “do better on calls” aren’t helpful. Use call recordings and QA data to provide real examples of what went well and what needs improvement. 

A good example of nuanced feedback: “When the customer expressed frustration, you acknowledged their concern, which is great! But, you missed the opportunity to explain the resolution clearly, which would have avoided the need for a follow-up call.” 

Balanced and constructive feedback builds trust and makes coaching sessions more actionable.

5. Make coaching collaborative

Top-down feedback only goes so far. Great coaching involves the agent in the process so that they feel heard and valued. Ask how they felt about the call, what they think went well, and what they’d change. Encourage them to self-assess, set their own improvement goals, and brainstorm solutions. This approach to coaching not only boosts engagement but helps agents take ownership of their growth.

6. Create an action plan and follow through

At the end of every coaching session, document clear next steps. Whether it’s practicing a new script, shadowing a top performer, or completing a training module, agents should leave each session with a plan. Don’t stop there: follow up regularly to track progress, celebrate wins, and adjust goals as needed.

7. Build a consistent coaching rhythm

Your goal should be to evolve coaching from a reactive process to a natural element of workplace culture. A consistent coaching rhythm encourages agents to look forward to sessions and mentally prepare for them. 

Establish a regular cadence of one-on-one coaching, be it weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on team size and call volume. Use each session to check in on previous goals and motivate agents to continue putting their best foot forward. Consistency builds trust, keeps development top-of-mind, and makes it easier to reinforce positive behaviors before issues snowball.

How do you measure the impact of call center coaching?

If you want your call center coaching to drive real results, you need to track progress using the right metrics. Start by investing in a call center dashboard to visualize agent performance and CX quality. The real-time insights help both managers and agents identify opportunities for improvement and set measurable goals.

The next step is to track the right metrics with an insight-led mindset. For example, CSAT is a clear indicator of how well agents are meeting customer expectations. If it decreases despite improvements in your AHT, you might be missing a key piece of the puzzle. It’s possible that agents have been rushing calls (leading to low handle times) without adequately resolving the customer’s pain points (leading to low satisfaction). 

Speaking of metrics, FCR is yet another important KPI for measuring coaching effectiveness. Well-coached agents are confident enough in their knowledge, systems, and tools to resolve most of their tickets on the first try. As a result, there are fewer repeat calls and customers are less likely to consider switching to a competitor.

Look at agent performance trends over time. Are individuals hitting their targets more consistently? Are they making fewer mistakes? Pair these insights with QA scores, which offer a detailed look at how well agents are applying what they’ve learned.

When you track metrics consistently, you get a measurable view of coaching impact. This process helps you optimize your coaching strategy to boost call center productivity and customer loyalty.

Streamline your call center coaching efforts with InMoment

Effective call center coaching is no longer about guesswork or gut instinct. It’s about using real customer data to drive measurable improvements.

With InMoment’s AI-powered conversational intelligence, you can summarize and analyze 100% of customer interactions to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. This comprehensive analysis helps identify coaching opportunities and provide personalized feedback to agents at scale.

The conversational insights make it easier to track performance trends across teams, surface common pain points, and align agent development with what matters most to your customers. Whether your goal is higher CSAT, better FCR, or stronger employee engagement, InMoment’s tool empowers you without adding manual overhead.

Request a demo today to see how analytics and automation can elevate your coaching program to bring the best out of your frontline support agents!

Retail customers today expect more than transactions; they demand experiences that seamlessly connect every touchpoint of their journey. Whether browsing on mobile during their commute, researching products online at home, or visiting your physical store, customers want consistency, convenience, and personalization at every step. The brands that master this integrated approach don’t just satisfy customers; they build loyalty that drives sustainable growth.

It used to be that retailers considered the four “P’s” of marketing when pushing their wares to consumers: product, price, promotion and place. Today, however, not many brands can rely on a single “P” to differentiate, but are instead dependent on one big “E:” experience. Building an omnichannel customer experience in retail isn’t just a competitive advantage; it’s essential for survival in today’s market where customers have unlimited options and sky-high expectations.

What Is an Omnichannel Retail Experience?

An omnichannel retail experience integrates all customer touchpoints (online, mobile, in-store, social media, and customer service) into one cohesive, seamless journey. Unlike multichannel approaches that operate touchpoints in silos, omnichannel creates a unified ecosystem where customers can move fluidly between channels without friction or inconsistency.

This means a customer can research a product on your mobile app, add it to their cart, visit your store to try it on, complete the purchase online, and return it at a physical location (all while receiving consistent messaging, pricing, and service quality). The experience feels effortless because behind the scenes, all systems, data, and teams work together to support the customer’s preferred way of shopping.

Why Is Omnichannel Retail Important for the Customer Experience?

Omnichannel retail transforms convenience from a nice-to-have into a foundational expectation. According to recent research, 73% of customers use multiple channels during their shopping journey, and companies with strong omnichannel strategies retain 89% of their customers compared to 33% for those with weak strategies. Additionally, omnichannel shoppers deliver 30% higher lifetime value than single-channel customers.

The approach improves customer experience by meeting customers wherever they are in their buying journey. Instead of forcing customers to adapt to your preferred channels, omnichannel customer experience lets them choose how, when, and where they want to engage. This flexibility creates deeper personalization opportunities, as each interaction across channels provides data that enhances the overall experience.

Customers also value the reduced effort that comes with omnichannel experiences. When inventory, preferences, and purchase history are synchronized across all touchpoints, customers spend less time repeating information and more time enjoying seamless, efficient interactions that respect their time and preferences. Research shows that omnichannel marketing campaigns achieve 287% higher purchase rates than single-channel campaigns.

Who Should Own Omnichannel Customer Experience Within the Business?

Creating effective omnichannel experiences requires cross-functional ownership that breaks down traditional organizational silos. While customer experience (CX) teams often lead the strategic vision and measurement, successful implementation demands collaboration across marketing, product, operations, IT, and customer service departments. Retail customer experience success depends on this unified approach.

The most effective approach establishes a dedicated omnichannel team with representatives from each key function, led by a senior executive who can drive alignment and remove barriers. This team should include CX managers who understand customer journey mapping, marketing leaders who control messaging and brand consistency, operations managers who handle inventory and fulfillment, and IT specialists who ensure technical integration.

Customer Experience and Insights Managers typically own the measurement and optimization of the experience, using feedback tools and analytics to identify improvement opportunities. However, without buy-in and active participation from every department that touches the customer, even the best CX strategy will fail to deliver the seamless experience customers expect.

What Makes an Effective Omnichannel Customer Experience?

Effective omnichannel experiences share five critical elements that work together to create seamless customer journeys. First, channel integration ensures all touchpoints communicate with each other in real-time, sharing customer data, inventory levels, and interaction history to prevent frustrating disconnects. Studies indicate that 74% of consumers research online before visiting physical stores, making this integration essential.

Unified customer data forms the foundation, creating a single source of truth about each customer’s preferences, behaviors, and history that every channel can access and update. This eliminates the need for customers to repeat information and enables personalized experiences regardless of how they choose to engage.

Consistency across all touchpoints—from visual branding to pricing to service quality—builds trust and reinforces brand recognition. Customers should feel they’re interacting with the same company whether they’re on your website, in your store, or speaking with customer service.

Personalization leverages unified data to tailor experiences based on individual customer preferences, purchase history, and behavior patterns. This might include personalized product recommendations, relevant offers, or customized communication preferences. Research demonstrates that 80% of customers are more likely to purchase when they receive personalized choices.

Finally, seamless handoffs between touchpoints ensure customers can start an interaction in one channel and continue it in another without losing context or momentum. Whether moving from online browsing to in-store purchase or from chat support to phone support, the transition should feel natural and effortless.

How to Build an Omnichannel Retail Experience Step by Step

Building a successful omnichannel retail experience requires a systematic approach that prioritizes customer needs while ensuring operational efficiency. The following steps provide a roadmap for creating experiences that truly connect every touchpoint in your customer’s journey.

1. Segment Your Customers and Build Personas

Understanding your customers forms the foundation of every effective omnichannel strategy. Start by analyzing customer data to identify distinct segments based on demographics, shopping behaviors, channel preferences, and purchase patterns. Look beyond basic information to understand motivations, pain points, and decision-making processes.

Create detailed personas for each key segment, including their preferred channels, typical journey paths, and specific needs at different stages. For example, busy professionals might prioritize mobile-first experiences with quick checkout options, while product enthusiasts may prefer detailed online research followed by in-store consultations. These personas will guide channel prioritization, messaging strategies, and experience design decisions.

2. Select and Prioritize Your Channels

Not every channel deserves equal investment. Analyze where your target customers actually spend their time and prefer to engage, then focus resources on optimizing these high-impact touchpoints. Consider both current usage patterns and emerging trends that might affect future preferences.

Prioritize channels based on customer preference, business impact, and your ability to deliver excellent experiences. A boutique retailer might focus on Instagram, email, and in-store experiences, while a large electronics retailer might prioritize mobile apps, physical stores, and customer service chat. The key is doing fewer channels exceptionally well rather than spreading resources too thin across every possible touchpoint.

3. Map and Analyze the Full Customer Journey

Create comprehensive journey maps that trace every interaction customers have with your brand, from initial awareness through post-purchase support. Include all touchpoints—paid advertising, social media, website visits, store interactions, customer service contacts, and follow-up communications.

Identify pain points, friction, and opportunities at each stage. Pay special attention to moments when customers transition between channels, as these handoffs often create the most frustration. Use this analysis to prioritize improvements that will have the biggest impact on customer satisfaction and business results.

4. Unify and Integrate Customer Data Across Channels

Create a single, real-time view of each customer by connecting data from all sources—online behavior, in-store purchases, mobile app usage, customer service interactions, and beyond. This requires integrating your technology stack, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems, point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory management, and customer service platforms.

Invest in customer data platforms (CDPs) or similar technologies that can consolidate information from multiple sources and make it accessible across all channels. Ensure data flows in real-time so that a customer’s online cart is visible to in-store associates, purchase history informs customer service interactions, and preferences gathered in one channel enhance experiences in others.

5. Ensure Consistent Branding and Messaging

Maintain a unified brand voice, visual identity, and messaging strategy across every channel and touchpoint. This consistency builds trust and reinforces brand recognition, making customers feel confident they’re receiving the same quality experience regardless of how they choose to engage.

Develop comprehensive brand guidelines that cover visual elements, tone of voice, key messaging, and service standards. Train all customer-facing teams on these standards and implement approval processes to ensure consistency. Regular audits across all channels help identify and correct inconsistencies before they impact customer perception.

6. Offer Seamless Cross-Channel Experiences

Implement features that make it easy for customers to move between channels without losing momentum. Buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) services let customers combine the convenience of online shopping with the immediacy of in-store pickup. Over 80% of retailers plan to implement BOPIS services by 2025, and 67% of customers make additional purchases during pickup visits. Easy returns across any channel reduce friction and build confidence in the purchase decision.

Ensure pricing consistency across all channels to prevent customer confusion and maintain trust. Reserve online, try in store programs let customers secure products online before visiting to make final decisions. These cross-channel capabilities should feel natural and effortless from the customer’s perspective.

7. Provide Real-Time Inventory Visibility and Consistency

Enable customers and staff to see accurate, up-to-date inventory across all channels to prevent disappointment and build confidence in your brand. Nothing frustrates customers more than finding a product online only to discover it’s unavailable for their preferred pickup or delivery method.

Implement inventory management systems that sync across all channels in real-time. Train staff to access and communicate inventory information accurately, and ensure your website and mobile app reflect true availability. Consider offering alternatives when preferred items are unavailable, such as suggesting similar products or different fulfillment options.

8. Invest in Omnichannel Customer Support

Deliver knowledgeable, consistent support across all channels (phone, chat, email, social media, and in-store) to resolve issues quickly and maintain satisfaction. Customers shouldn’t have to explain their situation repeatedly when moving between support channels. Omnichannel contact center strategies ensure seamless support experiences.

Implement unified customer service platforms that give agents access to complete customer histories and previous interactions regardless of channel. Train support teams on all products and services, and establish clear escalation procedures. Consider offering self-service options through FAQs, chatbots, and knowledge bases for customers who prefer to resolve issues independently.

9. Leverage Mobile and In-Store Technology

Enhance experiences with mobile apps, QR codes, digital kiosks, and other technologies that bridge the gap between digital and physical shopping. Mobile apps can provide personalized experiences, store locators, inventory checking, and exclusive offers that complement in-store visits.

In-store technology like digital kiosks can provide access to extended inventory, product information, and customer reviews. QR codes can link physical products to online reviews, detailed specifications, or how-to videos. The goal is using technology to enhance rather than complicate the shopping experience.

10. Create a Unified Loyalty Program

Design a rewards system that works seamlessly across all channels, encouraging engagement and repeat business wherever customers shop. Points earned online should be redeemable in-store, and vice versa. Loyalty program benefits should enhance rather than complicate the omnichannel experience.

Ensure loyalty data integrates with your customer data platform to enable personalized offers and communications. Consider tiered programs that reward different types of engagement, from social media sharing to product reviews to referrals. The program should feel valuable and relevant to customers’ actual shopping behaviors.

11. Prioritize Security and Data Privacy

Protect customer data and ensure compliance with privacy regulations as you unify and leverage information across platforms. Customers need to trust that their personal information, purchase history, and preferences are secure regardless of how they choose to engage with your brand.

Implement robust security measures across all systems and touchpoints. Be transparent about data collection and usage, and give customers control over their privacy preferences. Regular security audits and staff training help prevent breaches that could damage customer trust and business reputation.

12. Gather and Act on Customer Feedback

Collect feedback at every touchpoint and use it to continuously improve your omnichannel experience. This includes post-purchase surveys, in-store feedback, social media monitoring, and customer service interaction analysis.

Implement systems that can aggregate feedback from all channels to identify patterns and improvement opportunities. Share insights across teams and establish processes for acting on customer suggestions. Close the loop by communicating improvements back to customers, showing that their feedback creates real change.

13. Automate, Test, and Optimize

Use automation like chatbots, triggered email communications, and personalized recommendations to enhance efficiency while maintaining personal touches. AI-powered solutions are transforming retail operations, with 69% of retailers reporting increased annual revenue from AI adoption. Implement ongoing testing through A/B testing, analytics, and customer journey analysis to refine every aspect of your strategy.

Set up measurement frameworks that track key performance indicators across all channels, including customer satisfaction scores, conversion rates, average order values, and customer lifetime value. Regular optimization based on data and testing ensures your omnichannel experience continues improving over time.

How Can Technology Enhance the Omnichannel Retail Experience?

Technology serves as the backbone that makes seamless omnichannel experiences possible. Integrated customer feedback tools provide real-time insights into satisfaction levels across all touchpoints, enabling quick responses to issues before they escalate. These platforms can automatically collect feedback through email surveys, in-app prompts, and post-interaction questionnaires while providing unified reporting across all channels.

Sentiment analysis technology monitors customer conversations across social media, reviews, and customer service interactions to identify trends and emerging issues. This proactive approach lets retailers address problems before they impact the broader customer base and identify opportunities for experience improvements. Recent industry data shows that 86% of retailers want to use generative AI to enhance customer experiences.

Cross-channel experience management platforms tie together customer data, interaction history, and feedback to create comprehensive views of each customer’s journey. These solutions enable personalized experiences by predicting customer needs, identifying the best channels for engagement, and ensuring consistent treatment regardless of touchpoint.

Advanced analytics and artificial intelligence can predict customer behavior, optimize inventory placement, and personalize marketing messages based on individual preferences and past interactions. The AI in retail market is projected to grow from $9.36 billion in 2024 to $85.07 billion by 2032, demonstrating the technology’s critical role in retail transformation. Machine learning algorithms continuously improve recommendations and experiences as they process more customer data.

Create an Omnichannel Experience for Retail Customers With InMoment

Building a truly seamless omnichannel retail experience requires more than good intentions and disconnected tools—it demands an integrated approach that unifies customer data, feedback, and insights across every touchpoint. The retailers that succeed understand that omnichannel isn’t just about having multiple channels; it’s about creating connected experiences that anticipate customer needs and deliver consistent value wherever customers choose to engage.

InMoment’s integrated CX platform helps retailers achieve this vision by connecting customer feedback, sentiment analysis, and experience management across all channels. Instead of managing separate tools for surveys, reviews, and customer service insights, retailers can access a unified view of customer sentiment and behavior that drives better decisions and more personalized experiences.

Ready to transform your retail customer experience with a truly integrated omnichannel approach? Discover how InMoment can help you build seamless experiences that drive loyalty and growth.

Everything slows down when call volumes rise. Agents struggle to keep up, call queues grow longer, and customers waste little time looking for alternatives to your business.

Unless you’re expecting a seasonal spike, a high inbound call volume is far from good news. It’s usually indicative of operational issues, with negative consequences for agent wellbeing and customer satisfaction.

But the solution isn’t to throw more agents at the problem. It’s to eliminate unnecessary calls altogether. A strategic approach leveraging self-service technology and call analysis is key to lowering call volumes and achieving customer experience (CX) improvements.

What Constitutes a High Call Volume?

While there’s no universal benchmark for high call volume, every call center knows when it’s receiving more inbound calls than its staff can reasonably handle. In general, industry standards tell us that high call volume is 10% higher than the expected level for the team.

It’s also important to note that this surge in calls must persist for more than a week to qualify as high call volume. However, this figure (and the threshold mentioned above) can vary depending on the size and scale of your business.

When the volume of inbound calls continues to overwhelm agents for a sustained period, teams are vulnerable to burnout and struggle to lower wait times for customers. The result is poor agent and customer experiences that hinder business growth.

Why Reducing Support Call Volume Should Be a Priority

Businesses must reduce inbound calls as a strategic imperative to boost operations and provide better customer experiences at a lower cost. Here are three key benefits to consider:

Lower Operational Costs

Each call has a cost, since it requires time, staffing, infrastructure, and training for effective handling. Reducing unnecessary calls through automation or self-service options allows teams to redirect budget toward long-term improvements.

Increased Agent Productivity

Fewer calls mean fewer interruptions, better focus, and more time to solve complex issues. When agents are no longer dealing with repeat questions or avoidable contacts, they have enough breathing room to handle the calls that do come in with greater care and attention. This enhanced productivity leads to faster issue resolution and higher job satisfaction.

Improved Focus on High-Value Interactions

Not all incoming calls are created equal. When you reduce call volume, you give agents the bandwidth to invest their resources and emotional energy into impactful conversations. These interactions could include retaining frustrated customers or guiding someone through a critical decision.

Factors That Contribute to High Call Volumes

High call volumes are the result of customers running into roadblocks as they try to resolve their issues. While you can handle more calls by hiring more agents, you won’t be able to address the root cause of the problem if you neglect the customer’s perspective. The following factors explain why customers usually have no choice but to reach for the phone:

• Ineffective self-service options make it difficult for customers to address their problems themselves. If your interactive voice response (IVR) systems, chatbots, and FAQs aren’t up-to-date and helpful, your agents will be scrambling to resolve calls all day.
  
• Lack of proactive communication keeps customers in the dark and compels them to pick up the phone. A single timely update regarding issues or key changes can save many hours’ worth of call handling.
  
• Complex or confusing processes, such as unclear policies and vague instructions, will leave most customers scratching their heads. They will naturally follow up with your contact center for clarification and guidance.
  
• System outages or technical issues lead even the calmest customers to your frontline agents. Even if your services go down temporarily, it won’t be long before potentially upset customers start reaching out for updates and solutions.
  
• Product or service changes like new features and pricing updates can cause confusion (and inbound calls) if you don’t communicate them clearly.
  
• Lack of channel diversification means customers often can’t find the right answers through chat, email, or self-service options. A phone call to customer support becomes the only path forward.
  
• Seasonal spikes or campaigns are busy periods that bring a wave of new and existing customers with questions and complaints.
  
• Incomplete customer experiences in other channels are the result of an inadequate omnichannel system. Customers often escalate their issues through phone calls when questions are left unanswered on other channels.

10 Strategies to Reduce Call Volume in a Call Center

It’s easy to think that you can address high call volume through staffing changes. However, hiring more people is a temporary fix that fails to address the underlying inefficiencies responsible for recurring calls. Here are ten powerful strategies to implement for contact center optimization and customer retention.

1. Enhance Self-Service Options

Customers don’t want to wait on hold for information they can easily find themselves. But too often, help centers are either poorly organized, outdated, or buried in navigation menus. It’s no wonder, then, that 81% of the customers surveyed for InMoment’s 2025 Conversational Intelligence Report preferred brand interactions over self-service channels.

A well-built self-service experience gives customers fast and frictionless access to answers. For example, maintaining an up-to-date knowledge base ensures customers are in the loop regarding new product updates or better troubleshooting techniques. 

Similarly, tap into your support tickets and call summaries to identify frequently asked questions (FAQs) around your product or service. Organize these FAQs in a user-friendly page, allowing customers to immediately find helpful answers.

Good self-service works because it empowers customers to independently resolve their issues. This ability has a positive impact on agent productivity as well, since they can spend more time and effort addressing complex tickets.

2. Implement Chatbots and Virtual Assistants

Some types of customer issues involve a few simple steps that one can perform without relying on live agents. For example, checking the status of an online product delivery or confirming if a restaurant is open.

Chatbots and virtual assistants offer a scalable way to automate these types of interactions. They’re available 24/7 and offer instant responses to FAQs and other basic customer inquiries, which is key for call center cost reduction and customer satisfaction. According to IBM’s Digital Customer Care in the Age of AI report, businesses can resolve up to 80% of routine questions using chatbots, which helps cut customer support costs by 30%.

As a result, agents are better able to focus on complex tasks requiring human judgment and emotional energy. On the other hand, customers get quick answers, avoiding the need to wait in call queues for a standard question.

3. Improve First Call Resolution (FCR)

When customers have to call back more than once to solve a problem, it creates unnecessary volume and damages trust. The negative impact of repeat calls makes First Call Resolution (FCR) one of the focal call center metrics for customer loyalty.

The first step is to analyze call center performance to identify your agents’ strengths and weaknesses. Use the insights to develop tailored coaching programs that empower each frontline support team member to put their best foot forward. Guide them toward actionable strategies that avoid unnecessary escalations and incomplete responses in favor of swift and comprehensive resolutions.

Besides the right training, agents also require access to tools, data, and documentation for this purpose. An easy-to-navigate knowledge base, along with a unified view of customer data, empowers agents to solve issues with confidence.

The payoff of FCR improvements is clear: fewer repeat customer calls, higher CSAT, and stronger feelings of brand loyalty. It also gives teams more time to handle new inquiries without falling behind or burning out.

4. Conduct a Repeat Call Analysis

Repeat calls from the same customer or regarding the same issue are indicative of flaws in the call resolution process. These calls account for a significant chunk of the total call volume, with a Dialpad case study discovering that 32% of inbound calls are from repeat callers. 

As a result, managing repeat calls is crucial for lowering overall call volume. Repeat call analysis is the first step here, as it helps uncover areas for improvement in the call resolution process.

Start by analyzing your call data to identify repeat callers and recurring complaints within a specific timeframe. Dive into the insights to understand the root cause of these repeat calls. Use post-call surveys to understand specific customer needs and pain points.

Therefore, repeat call analysis helps flag training gaps and system limitations responsible for unnecessary volume. These insights enable teams to improve their scripts and agent coaching, which helps prevent similar follow-ups from piling up in the future.

5. Address Product or Service Friction

If your agents receive repeat calls about the same issue, you might want to take a closer look at your product or service. Maybe a feature isn’t working as intended, or it’s just confusing to use. Either way, every support ticket tied to a recurring issue is a signal that something upstream needs fixing.

Businesses should try to zoom out and identify the root cause of product or service friction, instead of troubleshooting the same problems. Are unclear instructions leading to setup questions? Is a billing process triggering complaints each month? Are customers struggling to complete an online task without support?

A cross-departmental effort involving product and marketing is also valuable here. It enables CX leaders to smoothly identify, fix, and communicate product issues and updates. As a result, customers stay in the loop, making it less likely that they will follow up about the same issue.

6. Monitor and Act on Feedback

Customer feedback is one of the most direct signals for a contact center to reduce inbound volume. When you keep your finger on the pulse of customer sentiment, you quickly spot the pain points leading to unnecessary calls.

Start by capturing feedback through surveys or post-interaction ratings. Layer that data with call summaries to identify trends. Identify the recurring issues that leave customers with no choice but to contact support agents. These issues could range from inadequate self-service to unclear product updates.

Act on the repeat call drivers once you understand them. Update your knowledge base, improve navigation, and implement better call center coaching techniques. Close the feedback loop with customers to ensure satisfaction and prevent further frustration.

7. Proactively Communicate with Customers

Proactive communication keeps customers in the loop, making it less likely that they reach out for clarification. If there’s an expected delay, a system outage, or a billing change, a well-timed message can stop hundreds of calls in their tracks. It also shows customers that your brand is transparent and reliable.

Create automated alerts for common service interruptions and updates. Ensure the messaging is clear, timely, and sent through the right channels. Don’t bury important notices in lengthy newsletters or inaccessible dashboards.

When you keep your customers informed, they are less likely to panic and reach out to the contact center. Proactive communication also supports online reputation management efforts, as customers are more likely to rate and recommend your business.

8. Streamline Onboarding and Product Education

One way to lower the number of repeat calls is to just improve your product onboarding process. The better your customers understand your product, the less likely they are to call the support team for answers.

As a result, it pays off to make product education part of your CX strategy. Offer guided tutorials, interactive walkthroughs, and bite-sized content that answers common questions. Video demos and setup wizards are also helpful resources for reducing confusion for new customers.

9. Use Conversational Intelligence to Spot Patterns

High call volumes provide opportunities to better understand your customers’ struggles and sources of frustration. This is where conversational intelligence comes in.

When you summarize and analyze call transcripts at scale, you can immediately identify common pain points. With the help of artificial intelligence, you can dig into the interactions further to surface agent performance gaps and shifts in customer sentiment. This information provides a valuable starting point for reducing call volume.

InMoment’s conversational intelligence software makes this process faster and smarter. It automatically summarizes call content, categorizes interactions by topic, and uses sentiment analysis to reveal instances of friction. These insights help teams prioritize what to fix, from digital experience issues to agent coaching opportunities.

10. Optimize Website and Mobile App UX

Your website and mobile app are often the first places customers visit when they are learning about your brand. Therefore, if essential information is difficult to find, they are more likely to reach for the phone.

With 56% of customers preferring to visit the website when researching a brand’s offering, optimizing the digital experience should be a strategic priority. Ensure that account information, order status, billing details, and support options are easy to locate and clearly explained. Work with your developers and UX designers to include a well-placed knowledge base or chatbot prompt. Improve your FAQ page to make it readable and easy to understand.

Regular usability testing can help you spot where real users struggle. The feedback helps you create a smoother customer journey that doesn’t rely on frequent calls for support.

Reduce call volumes and improve CX with InMoment

High call volumes are the result of inefficient workflows, poor agent performance, and little to no reliance on self-service technology. While it’s a pressing challenge for businesses looking to lower costs, it can be managed through a customer-centric approach. Enhanced self-service, root cause analysis of customer dissatisfaction, and proactive communication are key strategies for call volume reduction.

InMoment helps you take this one step further. Our AI-powered conversational intelligence software gives you real-time visibility into what’s driving calls, where friction exists, and how to fix it. From summarizing interactions to uncovering emotional insights, the tool transforms everyday conversations into clear and actionable opportunities for improvement.

Ready to reduce call volume without compromising the customer experience? Schedule a demo today and see how InMoment helps contact centers work smarter towards customer satisfaction!

Your call center has the power to shape how customers feel about your brand. Every interaction, whether it’s handling customer inquiries, resolving complaints, or acknowledging compliments, is a moment that can build trust or break it. And in a fast-paced environment, it’s not just about speed. It’s about delivering a contact center experience that balances efficiency and empathy.

If you’re seeing low customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), rising call abandonment, or more negative feedback than usual, it’s time to reset. The strategies below offer practical ways to improve customer satisfaction, reduce inefficiencies, and deliver a better customer experience without overloading your support team.

1. Use Conversational Intelligence To Uncover CX Gaps

The surest way to improve customer experience (CX) is to solve real customer problems. Conversational intelligence (CI), powered by artificial intelligence (AI), helps you do just that by analyzing interactions to uncover pain points, friction, and customer frustration.

It also highlights where your team may be missing the mark, giving you the insight you need to coach agents more effectively and improve future conversations. 

2. Train Agents for Empathy and Active Listening

There’s more to delivering good customer service than solving problems quickly. Agents also need to know how to build trust and connect with customers, and that starts with soft skills. 

Focus your training on empathy, active listening, and patience, even during tough conversations. Encourage help agents to acknowledge frustrations or concerns, paraphrase what they hear, and respond with clear, helpful solutions. 

Empathetic communication can turn a difficult moment into a trust-building experience that brings customers back.

3. Personalize the Customer Experience

81% of consumers prefer brands that offer personalized experiences. And 88% say the experience itself matters just as much as the product. In other words, personalization has a direct impact on how people choose where to spend their money.

Ditch rigid, generic scripts in favor of conversations that reflect each customer’s history and preferences. One way to make this easier is by connecting your customer relationship management (CRM) system with your CX software, giving agents instant access to relevant details during every interaction. 

Personalization shows customers they’re seen and valued, which goes a long way toward building trust and improving customer retention. 

4. Reduce Hold Times With Smarter Call Routing

With 70% of Americans choosing a phone call as their go-to for customer support, your call center is often the first and most important touchpoint. 

Long wait times and multiple transfers are quick ways to frustrate callers. Instead, use intelligent routing systems that connect people to the right department based on their needs and your agents’ skills. If there’s a delay, set clear hold-time expectations or offer a callback option. 

Respecting callers’ time helps reduce friction and leaves a stronger impression of your brand.

5. Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR)

Customers don’t want to call back multiple times to solve the same issue. That kind of back-and-forth quickly leads to frustration and can make your call center customer service team seem unprepared. 

Start with thorough training to ensure agents know your products inside and out. Give them access to internal knowledge bases during calls and encourage confident, real-time problem-solving to reduce transfers. 

When agents resolve issues on the first try, it leads to positive experiences, stronger customer satisfaction, and fewer repeat contacts. 

6. Offer and Optimize Self-Service Options

Not everyone likes to speak to a live agent. In fact, 67% of consumers say they prefer self-service over direct interactions. 

Build out helpful resources like knowledge bases, FAQ pages, and online help centers. Make sure they’re easy to navigate, address common pain points, and actually help customers solve problems without needing to call in. 

The easier it is for people to help themselves, the better their overall experience and the lighter the load on your support team.

7. Monitor and Act on Customer Feedback

Customers can be your greatest asset in the effort to improve your organization’s CX, but only if you’re listening. 

Use post-call surveys to gather feedback on what’s working and what needs improvement. Then, take action. Use those insights to adjust policies, refine training, and close the gaps that impact customer experience.

Turning feedback into meaningful change shows customers you’re paying attention—and that builds long-term trust.

8. Automate QA Scoring 

Automating quality assurance (QA) scoring with a tool like InMoment gives you a clearer, more consistent view of customer interactions.

It helps surface inconsistencies, uncover agent training opportunities, and optimize how your team shows up on every call. Automated scoring also allows you to review a much larger volume of conversations and removes human bias from the equation, making your customer insights more reliable.

With the right system in place, you can track sentiment, spot trends, and make smarter CX decisions at scale.

9. Provide Ongoing Coaching and Quality Assurance

Consumer needs, preferences, and pain points are constantly evolving, so your training shouldn’t stop after agent onboarding. 

Use surveys, call recordings, emails, and other touchpoints to identify where agents are thriving and where they’re struggling. Then, tailor your coaching to match your findings. If agents are having trouble with difficult conversations, prioritize soft skills like empathy and de-escalation.

Ongoing coaching can help keep skills sharp, build agent confidence, and help your team deliver stronger experiences across every customer interaction, potentially improving CSAT scores. 

10. Make Your Support Channels Work Together

Customers don’t always start with a phone call. They might reach out to your brand through email, social media, or even SMS before connecting with a live agent.

To give them a better experience, focus on omnichannel consistency. If someone starts a conversation with a chatbot and later calls in to speak with a human, your agents should have access to that earlier conversation for context. This helps you avoid redundant back-and-forth, reduces frustration, and helps your team deliver faster support.

Aligning your channels leads to smoother interactions and smarter CX optimization. 

11. Equip Agents With Integrated Tools

Disconnected systems slow customer service agents down and make it harder to streamline support. When they have to jump between platforms just to answer a question, it creates delays and unnecessary friction.

Integrating your CX software with tools like CRMs and feedback platforms gives agents a holistic view of each customer’s journey and sentiment. That context improves service quality and makes it easier to address customer issues quickly and effectively.

With the right tools in place, reps can spend less time switching tabs and more time solving problems.

12. Set Clear, Customer-Centric KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) help you track whether your CX optimization efforts are working and where to adjust. 

Balance efficiency metrics like average handle time with customer-focused indicators like customer effort score (CES), net promoter score (NPS), CSAT, and first contact resolution. These numbers give you a clearer view of how customers actually feel about their experience.

If the data points to positive progress, keep going. If not, adjust your strategy using insights from conversational intelligence and direct customer feedback. 

13. Communicate Proactively With Customers

When issues come up—like service disruptions or product delays—don’t wait for the complaints to roll in. Proactively reach out to let customers know you’re aware of the problem and working toward a resolution. 

This kind of communication can ease concerns, reduce your call center’s inbound call volume, and help lower wait times for other customer support tickets. More importantly, it builds trust by showing customers you’re in control and paying attention.

14. Celebrate Agent Wins and Promote Engagement

While it’s important to address areas where call center agents may be struggling, focusing only on what’s going wrong can hurt morale and lead to burnout. Recognition matters.

Make space to celebrate wins. Reward agent performance with incentives like gift cards, team shout-outs, or spotlight features for those who go above and beyond. Recognize the reps who consistently exceed customer expectations, and let others see what great service looks like in action.

A culture of appreciation improves the agent experience, supports retention, and motivates the entire team to keep raising the bar.

15. Address Systemic Issues That Drive Negative CX

Not all negative CX stems from call center agents. Broader issues, like faulty products, unclear company policies, shipping delays, or complicated purchasing processes can just as easily erode customer trust. 

Use conversational intelligence software to identify recurring pain points and understand what’s really driving customer dissatisfaction. Then, take direct action to fix the root causes. For example, if shipping delays are a frequent complaint, work with your logistics provider to improve delivery timelines or explore other partners.

Fixing these systemic issues improves future experiences and shows customers that your business listens and follows through.

16. Continuously Iterate Based on Data

As customers’ needs and expectations evolve, your CX optimization efforts should evolve with them. Regularly review customer data from surveys, agent-customer interactions, and KPIs to spot what’s working and where you can improve. 

Small, consistent changes based on real insights can help your customer service team stay responsive and aligned with what your audience values. Ongoing CX reviews and experimentation not only improve satisfaction but also strengthen retention over time. 

Improve Your Call Center’s Customer Experience With InMoment

Excellent customer service experiences can increase customer satisfaction, strengthen loyalty, and reduce churn. To enhance CX, use conversational intelligence to identify experience gaps, offer regular agent training focused on both hard and soft skills, act on customer feedback, ensure consistent support across communication channels, and recognize standout agent performance to keep motivation high.

InMoment’s integrated CX intelligence platform helps improve the call center experience by delivering rich customer insights. It captures customer feedback, surfaces common challenges and CX trends through conversational intelligence, and supports data-driven action plans to strengthen your overall strategy. 

Schedule a demo with InMoment today to see how our platform can power your next stage of CX optimization!

Sometimes, even the most skillful contact center agents have no choice but to escalate a call to their supervisors. However, it’s not an ideal scenario by any means, especially when it happens often. Escalated calls are time-consuming, costly, and stressful. They also lower agent confidence and increase the likelihood of customer churn.

Therefore, reducing call escalations is a mission-critical priority for contact center leaders. The good news is that with the right tools and strategies, you can definitely resolve more issues on first contact to lower costs and improve customer retention.

What is a call escalation in a call center?

Call escalation, also known as supervisor escalation, is the process of transferring a customer issue from the frontline agent to the supervisor. This typically happens when the agent lacks the authority, access, or expertise to resolve the concern on their own. Escalations can be triggered by complex issues, unresolved complaints, or an angry customer who requests to speak to someone in a higher position.

While this process is necessary in some cases, frequent escalations often signal gaps in agent training, knowledge base access, or outdated call center workflows. These gaps can lead to longer wait times, higher average handle time, and lower customer satisfaction.

With the right tools and processes, like intelligent routing and automation, call centers can take a confident step towards reducing unnecessary escalations. It also empowers agents to resolve more issues on first contact by handling routine tasks and surfacing key customer insights.

The different types of call escalation

Not all call escalations are the same. For example, an agent escalating a call because of a product malfunction outside their scope is different from an angry customer requesting to speak to the agent’s supervisor.

Therefore, effective call center management requires a structured approach to de-escalation. This is the idea behind an escalation matrix, a framework that applies the right role, responsibility, and skill set to each escalation type.

Instead of letting agents fret over who to contact, the matrix ensures that each escalation category is handled by the individuals and processes best suited for it.

Speaking of which, here’s a quick look at the three common types of escalation:

1. Technical escalations
   These occur when a customer issue is beyond the frontline agent’s expertise. If an issue involves complex systems or integrations requiring an advanced technical profile, it’s transferred to a higher-level technician or specialized team.
   
2. Procedural escalations
   When agents encounter unclear or inflexible policies, such as refund guidelines, service limits, or contractual terms, they may need to involve a higher authority to make a decision. These types of escalation are common in regulated industries where strict workflows apply.
   
3. Emotional escalations
   Sometimes, the issue is less about complexity and more about emotion. A customer who feels unheard by the agent, for instance, may demand to speak with a supervisor. Without proper de-escalation, these emotionally charged moments can spiral into conflict. Agents trained in active listening and problem-solving are better equipped to handle such interactions calmly.

Common Reasons for Call Escalations in Contact Centers

In many contact centers, escalations stem from breakdowns in training, tools, or communication. Some of the most common causes include:

• Limited agent authority or knowledge for providing support, resolving the ticket, or making decisions. The lack of access to the right information prolongs the escalation process, frustrating both the customer and the agent.
  
• Inadequate training or support resources for frontline agents makes it difficult to handle complex issues with confidence. Without the right knowledge base or support tools, even experienced agents will struggle with first contact resolution (FCR).
  
• Poor call routing or misalignment of skill sets means customer calls often go to agents ill-equipped to resolve them. This wastes time, effort, and results in escalations. Intelligent routing based on issue type and agent skill level is key to reducing this kind of friction.
  
• Complex or unclear company policies like refund rules, hidden fees, or rigid processes can make it difficult for agents to offer solutions without escalating to supervisors.
  
• Emotionally charged interactions without de-escalation tactics result in immediate customer dissatisfaction. Without proper training in active listening and emotional intelligence, agents may unintentionally escalate a situation by failing to meet an increasingly disgruntled customer’s needs.

Benefits of Reducing Call Escalations

Frequent call escalations increase operational costs and discourage customer loyalty. A strategic approach to reducing escalations enables call center leaders to create a more efficient and customer-centric operation. Here are four powerful benefits of improving your escalation management process:

Improved customer experience

When agents resolve customer issues within the first interaction, they significantly reduce wait times and feelings of frustration. The result is a more positive customer experience, greater customer satisfaction, and stronger loyalty.

Increased agent confidence and efficiency

The right training, knowledge base, and decision-making authority allow agents to handle complex issues independently. This builds confidence, boosts morale, and reduces average handle times, enabling more effective problem-solving.

Better use of supervisor time

When fewer calls are escalated, supervisors can shift their focus from constant firefighting to team development and process improvement. As a result, they spend more time on strategy without having to worry about handling multiple customer issues.

Lower operational costs

Each escalation increases handling time and touches multiple resources. Reducing escalations drives down repeat contacts, optimizes staffing, and helps streamline call center workflows. These results are key for lowering operational costs and encouraging better use of existing tools and talent.

Strategies to Reduce Call Escalations in a Call Center

A strategic approach is required for creating a smarter and more responsive contact center to reduce call escalations. From optimizing call routing to equipping frontline agents with better resources, these strategies can help call center management streamline operations, improve the customer experience, and build lasting customer trust.

1. Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR)

One of the most effective ways to reduce escalations is by focusing on First Contact Resolution (FCR). As one of the most crucial call center metrics, FCR measures the percentage of calls an agent resolves during the initial interaction without any follow-ups.

A high FCR suggests that calls are mostly routed to the right agents who have the necessary tools and knowledge to resolve them. This prevents additional strain on supervisors and senior staff.

Improve FCR by implementing skills-based routing to ensure each call reaches the agent best equipped to address it. Use targeted training to improve agent performance and empathy during stressful situations. Re-evaluate your policies to see if anything prevents agents from confidently resolving issues on their own.

2. Use Conversational Intelligence Software

Many call escalations stem from a lack of visibility into what’s really happening during customer interactions. With tools like InMoment’s conversational intelligence software, you can analyze 100% of customer interactions to unlock valuable insights into customer behavior. The tool uses AI-powered capabilities such as call summarization and sentiment analysis to reveal early signs of frustration, spot patterns, and surface root causes behind escalations.

These insights empower agents to proactively address concerns before they intensify. Managers, on the other hand, are able to make data-driven decisions on agent training, call center workflows, and escalation management.

As a result, conversational intelligence helps you reduce supervisor escalations and improve your team’s ability to deliver swift and empathetic support.

3. Empower Agents with Better Training and Knowledge Bases

When agents feel confident, they resolve more customer issues without needing to escalate. The best way to encourage confidence is to provide targeted training to each frontline team member. Focus on aspects like problem-solving, communication skills, and de-escalation techniques. Give them tools to recognize emotional cues and respond with empathy and clarity.

Support this training with an easy-to-navigate knowledge base providing quick access to accurate answers, process updates, and product details. The faster agents can find information, the more efficiently they can resolve complex questions.

With the right resources and training, your agents stay in control and deliver better support, without having to involve supervisors.

4. Implement Call Routing Based on Issue Complexity

Not every customer concern requires the same level of expertise. When your call routing system sends complex issues to agents without the right skills, it increases frustration and triggers unnecessary escalations.

Use intelligent routing to match calls with agents based on issue complexity, topic, or urgency. For example, product specialists are better suited to handle technical support questions, while billing concerns should be routed to agents trained in finance workflows. This alignment helps customers reach the right person faster, reducing average handle time and improving first call resolution.

5. Analyze Escalation Trends to Fix Root Causes

If you look closely at call escalations, you’re likely to see a pattern. Perhaps agents lack the right knowledge in most of the cases. Maybe a lack of empathy tends to be the main culprit. Analyzing escalation trends helps you pinpoint the root causes behind repeat problems and friction in the support experience.

Start by reviewing escalation data across all customer channels, including calls, messaging, and chat. Look for patterns to understand which product areas, topics, or workflows trigger the most supervisor involvement. See if you can identify the agents escalating more frequently due to limited training or knowledge.

Use your findings to revise policies, update workflows, and improve knowledge base content. When you address the real source of customer pain, you transform your call center into a revenue generator for the business.

6. Offer Self-Service and Omnichannel Options

Customers expect to have multiple options for issue resolution, including taking care of it themselves. This expectation is stronger in the age of artificial intelligence, where chatbots and virtual assistants are capable of addressing common queries. 

According to a 2024 Zendesk report, 83% of CX leaders expect to see a five-fold increase in customer self-service interactions. Therefore, businesses must be ready to meet this expectation with self-service tools and a seamless omnichannel support experience.

Ensure your help center, FAQs, and automated chatbots are equipped to handle common queries like policy updates or order status. These tools empower customers to resolve issues without needing to speak with a live agent.

At the same time, make it easy for customers to move between messaging, email, social media, and phone calls without losing context. Consistency across channels improves customer satisfaction and lowers the likelihood of call escalations.

When combined with real-time customer insights, self-service options help reduce call volume, shorten wait times, and allow supervisors to focus on other aspects of the business.

Reduce Call Escalations Efficiently with InMoment

Call escalations pose a significant challenge for call center management. They lower agent confidence, require extra effort from supervisors, and damage brand reputation in the long run. A clear and structured approach involving the right tools, processes, and insights is required for reducing escalations.

InMoment’s conversational intelligence tool helps you implement this approach. By analyzing every interaction in real time, it uncovers friction points, highlights coaching opportunities, and pinpoints exactly why escalations are happening. As a result, you gain a connected view of customer feedback across surveys, support channels, and call transcripts, allowing you to act on rich insights.

Schedule a demo today to see how you can reduce escalations and transform your contact center into a revenue driver!

Contact center quality assurance (QA) has become a critical driver of customer satisfaction. As expectations for personalized, efficient, and empathetic service continue to rise, businesses must ensure that every agent interaction meets a high standard. A well-executed QA program empowers teams to maintain consistency, uncover coaching opportunities, and build long-term trust with customers.

What is quality assurance in a contact center?

Quality assurance in a contact center is the structured process of monitoring, evaluating, and improving customer interactions to ensure agents consistently meet company standards. QA programs typically assess calls, chats, and emails against criteria such as communication clarity, adherence to protocols, professionalism, and issue resolution effectiveness. The goal is to foster consistent, high-quality support that reflects the brand and enhances the customer experience.

What are important call center QA metrics?

Several key QA metrics help contact centers evaluate agent performance and service quality:

• Call Quality Score: A composite score that assesses adherence to internal standards, such as tone, compliance, and problem resolution.
• Script Adherence: Measures whether agents follow the prescribed language and flow, especially in regulated industries.
• Compliance Rate: Evaluates how well agents meet legal or procedural requirements during interactions.
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Based on post-interaction surveys, this metric reflects how customers feel about their experience.
• First Contact Resolution (FCR): Tracks whether the customer’s issue was resolved in the first interaction, reducing repeat calls and frustration.

These metrics give QA managers a clear view of what’s working and where to focus improvement efforts.

How can contact center QA improve customer satisfaction?

A robust QA program doesn’t just monitor performance—it actively enhances the customer experience. Here’s how:

Ensures consistent service across agents

QA establishes clear benchmarks for tone, professionalism, and solution accuracy. By holding all agents to the same standards, businesses ensure customers receive reliable service—regardless of who picks up the phone.

Identifies and corrects performance gaps

By regularly reviewing interactions and scoring them against standardized criteria, QA reveals areas where agents need coaching. These insights help contact centers implement targeted training that leads to faster, more accurate resolutions.

Reinforces empathy and active listening

QA reviews often highlight the importance of soft skills. Coaching agents on empathy, tone, and active listening creates more human-centered interactions that increase trust and loyalty.

Drives First Contact Resolution (FCR)

QA processes surface common causes of inefficiencies and missed resolutions. Addressing these patterns enables teams to reduce escalations, shorten handle time, and improve FCR—all key to customer satisfaction.

What skills are needed for call center quality assurance?

QA professionals play a vital role in maintaining service standards. The most effective QA analysts bring:

• Attention to Detail: Essential for accurately reviewing complex interactions.
• Analytical Thinking: Helps identify patterns and root causes of performance issues.
• Clear Communication: Needed to provide actionable, supportive feedback.
• Knowledge of Brand Standards: Ensures agents represent the company accurately.
• Coaching Mindset: Helps turn evaluations into growth opportunities for agents.

Contact center QA best practices

Implementing QA effectively requires more than monitoring. These best practices help ensure success:

1. Establish clear and measurable QA standards and metrics

Define specific criteria tied to business goals—like tone, issue resolution, and compliance—so every evaluation is consistent and impactful.

2. Evaluate a representative sample of interactions

Randomly reviewing a wide range of calls and chats paints a more accurate picture of performance. Modern QA programs leverage conversational intelligence to analyze 100% of interactions, uncovering trends and ensuring fairness. With full coverage, agents are less likely to feel singled out by isolated negative reviews.

3. Leverage conversational intelligence for scalable QA

Conversational intelligence is the practice of using AI to analyze large volumes of customer conversations. These tools enable automated QA reviews, identifying key phrases, emotional tone, and outcome success. The result? Scalable insights without sacrificing depth.

4. Deliver feedback that’s timely and actionable

Feedback has the most impact when it’s prompt and specific. Use QA results to deliver targeted coaching shortly after an interaction, while the context is fresh and the agent can apply changes right away.

5. Involve agents in the QA process

Transparency builds trust. Invite agents to review their scores, ask questions, and reflect on their own performance. This collaborative approach leads to stronger engagement and faster growth.

6. Calibrate QA scores for consistency

Human reviewers must regularly align their scoring criteria to ensure fairness. However, conversational intelligence-based scoring ensures consistency across all evaluations and only requires periodic audits to maintain accuracy.

7. Connect QA metrics to business outcomes

Tie QA insights directly to KPIs like CSAT, FCR, and retention. When leadership sees a clear link between QA performance and business success, QA becomes a strategic asset.

8. Use QA trends to inform coaching and training

Don’t just evaluate—act. Use recurring QA patterns to tailor team-wide training and personalize coaching plans. This helps improve weak spots before they impact more customer experiences.

Elevate your contact center processes with InMoment

When done right, contact center QA drives more than internal efficiency. It transforms every customer conversation into an opportunity to build trust, deliver value, and deepen relationships. From setting standards to leveraging AI-powered conversation analysis, effective QA is key to sustainable growth.

InMoment’s conversational intelligence tools help enterprise brands evaluate interactions at scale, reduce costs, and improve agent performance. Combined with survey insights and reputation management tools, they form a powerful, integrated CX platform that reveals the full picture of customer experience.

Ready to take your QA strategy to the next level? See how InMoment can help.

Customer surveys are a mainstay in most consumer-facing industries for good reason. They provide powerful insights into customer sentiment, buying behavior, and much more, all for a relatively small investment.

One frequent topic of debate among multi-location businesses is how to set up a customer survey program. Should you use one survey across the entire business, or should you customize surveys to each location? And if you choose to customize, how much is too much?

Do Customer Surveys Need To Be Tailored to Location?

The short version is yes, customer surveys should be tailored to location. This is true for most multi-location businesses and certainly all businesses with consumer-facing units, like restaurant and retail chains. 

Why? The biggest reason is because users’ experiences with your brand aren’t universal; they’re tailored to whichever location or locations the user interacted with. Whether you get a glowing review or a scathing one, most of the time those emotions aren’t directed at your brand in general as much as at the physical location where the customer had the experience. 

By tailoring customer surveys to individual locations, large brands can more easily zoom into challenges at the location level.

Why Customer Surveys Should Be Location-Specific

We’ve already gone on the record here: We believe customer surveys should nearly always be location-specific. Let’s drill deeper into the reasons why.

Regional Preferences and Market Differences

First, customer expectations, purchasing behaviors, and service preferences vary by region. 

There are countless examples of this, but let’s go with regional consumer trends. “Winter clothes” means one thing in Miami, Florida, and something entirely different in New England. The term may even have different connotations in Denver than in Seattle. 

In this scenario, lumping all survey data from different regions and demographics into one giant vat of data obscures what’s really happening. 

When a business doesn’t break up survey results by region, the data may suggest a product has mediocre performance when the reality is it’s massively popular in one region but less so elsewhere. 

Improved Personalization 

Location-specific surveys also allow businesses to customize and personalize at the location level. A brand may want to adjust its offerings, promotions, and messaging to align with regional customer needs or regional sales realities (such as an item that’s only available to U.S. customers or only those on the East Coast).  

National businesses also frequently test new offerings in one or two distinct markets before rolling out nationally. Producing localized surveys allows brands to capture specific feedback on that new item or service without confusing customers who’ve never seen or heard of it.

By producing a more personalized survey, brands can enhance customer engagement and improve customer satisfaction with the survey itself. They can also follow up on localized results by making changes their target audience wants to see.

Actionable Insights and Targeted Improvements

Geographically segmented feedback is a key source of data, too. It enables more informed decision-making based on valuable insights found in region-specific information. 

With this level of granularity, businesses can make strategic choices about how to refine the products, services, and experiences they offer based on the unique needs of different markets. For example, gauging regional performance of a buzzy or viral item can help businesses predict when and where that virality might spread.

Executive leaders, regional managers, and store managers can also benefit in unique ways from location-based survey reporting: With data broken down this way, leaders can quickly see and understand the data that’s most relevant to them.

Enhanced Performance Measurement

Analyzing survey data by location also gives businesses more granular insight into performance at multiple levels, from brand-wide to regional and all the way down to the individual store level. 

This level of analysis gives businesses deeper insight and greater flexibility, enabling them to compare customer satisfaction (CSAT) levels across different regions and customer base segments and identify areas for improvement.

Local Regulations and Compliance

Businesses engaging in different types of surveys in multiple regions have one more reason to customize their customer surveys, and it’s a big one: regulatory compliance. 

Surveys (especially digital surveys) selling to customers in some regions must comply with digital data privacy laws that may limit what kinds of information they can collect. For example, if you sell to customers in California or the European Union, you’re obligated to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

An otherwise effective survey question might be a regulatory violation in those jurisdictions.

Best Practices for Creating Location-Specific Surveys

We hope by this point you’re convinced that location-specific surveys are the right approach for your business. But for most brands, execution may be a challenge. 

Follow these best practices to get the most possible out of your location-specific surveys. 

Analyze and Identify Regional Cohorts

Proper survey methodology requires asking similar questions across all surveys so that you’re confident your metrics are all equivalent or comparable. Asking completely different sets of questions in different regions won’t allow you to (correctly) use all that data in a comparative way. 

So step one in creating effective location-specific surveys is something called cohort analysis: identifying and then grouping audience members that share a specific trait (in this case, region or location).

Once you’ve made this identification, you can start identifying regional differences in responses that can inform what kinds of adjustments you make to questions.

Adapt Survey Content for Each Cohort

It’s essential to keep questions similar, but regional differences do exist. Often you do need to adjust survey questions to fit specific regional cohorts.

This is a balancing act: you want to keep your survey as stable as possible so that you’re still comparing apples to apples, even when wording changes. But sometimes the wording must change if you want to capture regionally accurate responses.

To ensure relevance, accuracy, and positive customer experiences, consider each of these areas.

• Language & cultural sensitivity: Questions (especially when translated) need to reflect local dialects and cultural norms to avoid misinterpretation and offense.
• Regional preferences & trends: Questions may need to be adjusted to fit the most popular or relevant products or services in an area. 
• Regulatory considerations: Questions must comply with local laws and data protection requirements, even if that means weakening some questions or omitting others entirely.
• Product/service availability: Questions need to make sense based on the services, pricing, or customer experiences available in a region or at a location.

Active listening is another way to navigate adapting survey content. InMoment’s new AI-powered Active Listening Agents enable surveys to start with the same question but then (for open-text questions) dynamically prompt respondents for more contextual feedback based on the initial response. This is a powerful way to glean detail-rich insights while keeping the top-level methodology and structure of your survey intact.

One more tip: To avoid skewed response rates, keep the survey delivery method the same across all locations.

Keep Core Metrics Consistent While Adapting Certain Questions

Even though the wording and content of your survey questions changes in different locations, the core data you’re collecting should stay as consistent as possible. 

Keeping a consistent set of key performance indicators (KPIs) across all locations helps you understand performance across the organization. You just might have to use different approaches to get that information, based on regional differences in customer expectations and behaviors.

Leverage AI and Automation To Streamline Survey Customization

AI-driven survey tools can help brands scale their customer survey processes in powerful ways. For example, some tools can automatically translate customer surveys into one or more additional languages. Some tools can even personalize questions based on regional data and optimize survey distribution for different geographic audiences.

InMoment is a powerful solution for customer feedback, market research, conversational surveys that allow for open-ended question types, and much more. Our fully Integrated CX platform helps you understand audiences, gauge customer experience, and understand sentiment in conversational text.

Schedule a demo

Test Localized Versions Before Full-Scale Implementation

AI and automation are key tactics for scaling your customer survey customization. But no matter how human or how cyborg your customizations are, you still need QA, and it’s still a good idea to test them on a small scale before launching widely.

Pilot testing your brand’s localized surveys can help you identify potentially embarrassing, damaging, or just plain confusing issues related to wording, cultural relevance, or semantic clarity. This approach gives you the chance to solve these problems before they roll out to thousands or millions of inboxes.

Analyze Location-Based Survey Data To Refine Strategies Over Time

It will take time and iteration to perfect your customer feedback surveys, and it’s okay if your first crack at survey design isn’t perfect. You’ll still benefit by using the survey responses you’ve collected to keep refining your approach to numerous aspects of your business. For example, you can use survey results to adjust your marketing strategies and how you approach customer support and customer experience. 

You can even use the customer data you’ve collected to identify weak or unclear points in your customer satisfaction surveys, which you can keep refining over time.

Deliver Personalized Surveys and Uncover Meaningful Customer Insights With InMoment

Personalized, location-specific surveys can reveal granular insights that are both powerful and actionable. But it can be a significant technical and logistical challenge to execute the shift from uniform, undifferentiated questionnaires to truly customized location-based surveys.

InMoment is a different kind of survey software, a fully Integrated CX approach that helps brands ask the right questions of the right types of customers. With InMoment, brands can collect and connect feedback across the entire customer journey, then use Conversational Intelligence to understand and extract insights from that feedback.

See what InMoment can do for your brand: Schedule a demo

In any call center or contact center, performance is the engine that powers the entire operation. High-performing call centers do a great job at keeping customers satisfied, and they’re highly efficient, reducing operational costs.

But high performance doesn’t happen by chance. Analyzing call center performance is the path to improvement—but you’ve got to do it right.

Performance tracking is a powerful tool that helps you improve both ends of the call. Your agents become more productive by learning what’s going well and where they could improve, and your customers enjoy a better, more satisfactory experience.

Why Analyzing Call Center Performance Is Important 

Not yet convinced that analyzing call center performance is worth the effort? Here are a few advantages you can gain by taking a closer look under the hood.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Performance analysis helps you identify what’s working in your contact center and what isn’t. When you find the pain points in customer interactions, you know where to focus on your quest to deliver better service, faster resolutions, and improved customer experiences. Improving customer satisfaction is the secret sauce behind a successful business: call center performance can have a massive impact on how customers feel about your brand.

Enhancing Agent Productivity 

Call center analytics give you a clearer picture of how well your agents are performing in terms of productivity and customer satisfaction. You can use this information to refine things like training programs and workload distribution. As you identify processes and tactics from high-performing agents, you can implement those in team workflows and onboarding materials.

Once you know how well your agents are performing, you can double down on the good and problem-solve the rest. The result is better training, a more evenly distributed workload, and efficiency gains everywhere you look.

Reducing Operational Costs

Higher customer satisfaction and better agent productivity both lead to fewer and shorter calls: Happy customers don’t call in with problems as frequently and productive agents can process more calls per shift—so you trim operational costs without lifting a finger!

Call performance data can also reveal inefficiencies in call management, wait times, and workflows to further help you balance available resources (agents) with demand.

Data-Informed Decision-Making

When you work with real data, you can do more than just put out fires—you can make smarter decisions before problems even start. Performance analytics give you a clear picture of the state of operations, including where you need to adjust to keep your call center running at its best.

Data-driven decision-making helps you fine-tune agent workflows and adjust staffing levels based on actual customer needs instead of just gut feelings. For example, if you’re struggling with long wait times, then you either need your agents to process calls more quickly or you need more agents. 

But which is it? Data can show you in real terms how well your agents are doing in terms of call length and first-call resolution (especially compared to historical data), giving you the insight you need to know where to start.

The result? A call center that stays one step ahead, ready to adjust to evolving trends without missing a beat.

What Tool Is Best for Analyzing Call Performance?

There is a wide range of tools and approaches out there for analyzing call performance, but how do you decide which approach is the best?

We believe the answer is obvious: You can’t truly analyze call performance unless you can analyze the content of those calls. That requires conversational intelligence software. 

Conversational intelligence software reads and interprets text-based conversational interactions using artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP). The goal is to better understand the conversation’s intent, participants’ sentiments, and much more. When we say “text-based,” we’re talking about audio calls in your contact center, which are automatically transcribed and processed as text (how cool is that?!).

With conversational intelligence, you can harness the power of speech analytics to group call data by feature, outcome, customer sentiment, and more. You can use this data to measure customer interactions at scale, unlocking actionable insights from call data that go far beyond mere call performance.

How Do You Analyze Call Center Performance? 7 Key Steps

Gaining a clear picture of your call center’s performance is essential in today’s customer-first environment. But you don’t get valuable insights from guessing. You need the right approach to turn data into action.

Use these seven steps to analyze call center performance the right way so you can take performance (and results) to a new level. 

1. Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The first step is defining key performance indicators (KPIs). Specifically, which KPIs are the right targets for your call center and what it’s trying to achieve.

This is key because to learn the right information, businesses have to measure the right metrics. Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean it’s the right metric for what you need to learn.

For example, some call centers may be focused on a certain performance metric like speed or efficiency, while others might be prioritizing positive customer service outcomes in response to a string of unpleasant online reviews. The first center may closely monitor handle time, while the second may focus on customer satisfaction scores instead.

And of course your call center may prioritize something completely different. So start by defining exactly what it is you need to target, then identify the KPIs that correspond to the aspect of performance you want to improve.

Common KPIs for call centers may include:

• Average handle time: Average duration of call handling, working a case from first contact to resolution or conclusion
• First call resolution: Percentage of calls solved at the first point of contact
• Customer satisfaction scores: Measurement of customer sentiment after an interaction with the call center
• Total call volume: The number of calls an agent or team completes during a defined time period.

2. Use a Conversational Intelligence Tool

Some KPIs, like average handle time and first call resolution, are easy to measure with numbers alone. But numbers aren’t enough to paint a full picture. High first-call resolution scores are great, but not if the resolution left most customers angry.

Conversational intelligence tools are a smart way to engage in sentiment analysis to understand customer attitudes without manually reading and categorizing thousands of entries. Results simply feed to your call center dashboard, letting you quickly visualize them and form a plan for improvement. 

3. Gather Data

Once you know which metrics to track, the next step is collecting the right data. This includes both structured data (like call volume, average handle time, and first call resolution rates) and unstructured data from customer feedback and conversation transcripts.

Structured data is straightforward, feeding directly into databases and dashboards in real-time. The real challenge is capturing that unstructured data, which requires tools like conversational intelligence software to process insights from customer interactions.

This data could include:

• Customer call recordings (or transcriptions of those recordings)
• Customer feedback (surveys)
• Written customer interactions (email, chat, helpdesk)

4. Analyze Data

Interpreting call center metrics starts with identifying patterns: what issues surface the most frequently? Are certain customer issues leading to negative customer sentiment? Do some call center agents consistently lag behind average response times, and does the qualitative call center data suggest how that can be addressed?

Essentially, you’re looking for trends to show you what’s working well, where processes break down, and what adjustments you can make to improve both customer satisfaction and call center productivity.

5. Implement a QA Scoring Rubric 

As you dig deeper into the data you’ve collected, it’s a good idea to implement a quality assurance (QA) scoring rubric for even more insights. But how do you do that?

Partnering with a conversational intelligence provider like InMoment allows contact centers to automatically QA 100% of calls rather than the typical 5% most businesses settle for. InMoment rolls performance metrics into a customized QA scoring rubric that aligns with your company’s specific service standards and operational goals, helping you track the individual call center agents’ performance over time.

Our QA Scoring Rubric includes specific QA categories. Our out-of-the-box methodology focuses on:

• Connection to the customer
• Asking probing questions
• Reducing customer effort

Each of these categories has an associated score, which is customized based on relative importance to your business. From there, you can slice and dice the data however you want: individual agents, entire teams, or segments like team level, region, business unit, and more. 

6. Identify Areas for Improvement

Performance data can reveal inefficiencies, agent training gaps, or consistent customer frustrations that need attention. If agents repeatedly struggle with certain issues, it’s a sign they need better training or clearer guidance. If the same customer complaints keep coming up, there may be a bigger problem with your product or service that needs fixing.

The goal is to make interactions easier for both customers and agents. By tackling these pain points, you can make customers happier, reduce call volumes, and cut down on operational costs.

7. Implement Changes and Monitor Results

Once you’ve identified areas for improvement, it’s time to take action. Some fixes will be quick and obvious, but others may require testing different solutions to see what works best.

For example, you might identify a gap in your agent training. Do you send an email? Create a course or module? Post to your knowledge base? 

Treat every change as an opportunity to learn. Roll out updates, track their impact, and keep an eye on performance data to see if they’re moving the needle. If something doesn’t deliver the results you expected, adjust and try again. 

Think of call center performance as an ongoing process of adapting strategies to help both customers and agents have the best possible experience.

Key Call Center Metrics To Measure

As you set up your call center analytics, keep an eye on these mission-critical metrics:

Customer Experience Metrics

First up are the metrics about customer behavior and how they feel after interacting with your call center. These include:

• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• First Call Resolution (FCR)
• Customer Effort Score

Each of these metrics measures the quality of customer interactions, putting qualitative and emotional data into measurable formats.

Agent Performance Metrics

Next are the metrics that show how well your agents are doing. These include:

• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• Call Resolution Rate
• Adherence to Schedule
• Call Duration

You can measure these at both the individual and team levels, either for individual coaching or general improvement purposes.

With InMoment, you can connect agent performance metrics to service standards and QA Scoring. We can also identify the topic, tone, and overall success of a call on a hyper-granular level:

In our default configuration, the portion in the box in the above graphic is what rolls up into the agent’s QA Score.

Operational Efficiency Metrics

Last, consider the metrics that show how efficiently your call center is operating, including:

• Call Abandonment Rate
• Service Level
• Cost Per Call

These metrics likely won’t tell much of a story on day one, and they won’t immediately reveal root causes. But monitoring trends over time can give you and your call center managers clarity about which direction the ship is headed. 

Unlock Call Performance Insights and Improve CX with InMoment

Analyzing call performance is the key to improving CX and operational performance simultaneously, but doing effective analysis work requires the right tools and systems.

InMoment is the AI-driven Experience Improvement platform that turns all of your unstructured CX data into valuable, actionable insights. Our Conversational Intelligence tools can interpret, summarize, and extract data from every source of conversational data, unlocking a level of insight that didn’t seem possible before.

And InMoment doesn’t stop there: Our platform is a fully Integrated CX Intelligence platform built for the enterprise, with a suite of tools and capabilities designed to help you thrive.

Explore how InMoment can unlock call performance insights and help you improve CX with conversation analytics software: Learn More Now

Local listing management is crucial for any business that relies on local foot traffic. That makes it an essential function for supermarkets and grocery stores, whose revenue is almost entirely local.

But keeping listings accurate and up to date across every possible service, directory, and platform isn’t easy to do. For supermarkets with numerous locations, the job becomes nearly impossible without the right local listing management software.

What Is Local Listing Management Software?

Local listing management software is a tool that helps businesses manage their online information (name, address, phone number, and other key details) across multiple directories and platforms. 

It’s an ideal solution for keeping listings consistent and accurate across all the online channels where customers may search for a local physical store. These tools are especially useful for multi-location businesses that need to maintain and update separate pages for each location.

Local Listing Management for Supermarkets vs. Other Businesses

Supermarkets and grocery stores can benefit greatly from local listing management software, as this industry deals with some unique complexities and challenges like:

• Frequent updates to business information: Hours of operation may change with some frequency (holidays, inclement weather), and consumers want confidence the supermarket will be open before they make the trip.
• Real-time inventory and product listings: Supermarkets have massive inventories with thousands of SKUs (the 2023 average was 31,704 unique items). Keeping this information up to date is a huge task.
• Promotions and deals integration: Showcasing deals and promotions in local listings can be a big boost to foot traffic, but watch out for a backlash if these fall out of date.

Why Supermarket Businesses Should Use Local Listing Management Software

Despite the complexities of managing local listings in the grocery industry, supermarkets stand to benefit significantly from using local listing management software. The key is to choose a software platform that understands and effectively solves these industry challenges.

Here are some ways supermarkets benefit from local listing management software:  

Boosting Visibility in Local Search Results

First up, local listing management software is the most efficient way to improve a physical store’s visibility in local search. 

Local business listings are a significant part of optimizing for local search, also called local SEO. The more accurate and consistent these listings are, the better they look to the search engines, which tends to improve rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

This is especially important for supermarkets. In the broader retail industry, some stores and brands rely on local traffic more than others. But for supermarkets, local traffic is pretty much the only traffic! Boosting visibility in local search (including Google and Apple Maps) enables customers searching in a specific geographic area to find your store.

Managing Multiple Locations Efficiently

For supermarket businesses with multiple locations, the challenges of manually managing local listings grow exponentially. Every single change must be made to each listing for every physical location. 

A local business listing management solution streamlines all of this, allowing you to batch update similar information across multiple stores. This is a great way to save time and reduce errors when updating any information that’s similar for all locations.

Enhancing Customer Trust

If a customer (or prospective customer) is taking the time to look up your local listing, it’s because they want to know something before heading to your store. If the information they’re seeking is presented consistently and accurately, you’ll build confidence, trust, and loyalty. 

That’s the positive news, but we need to look at the negative too, because plenty can go wrong here. If that potential customer lands on a listing that’s talking about a holiday from six months ago or features a phone number or URL that doesn’t work, it doesn’t inspire confidence. 

Worse, if they see incorrect information and take action based on it, the negative experience (e.g., driving across town only to find the supermarket doors locked) can damage your brand’s reputation and even sever a customer relationship.

In other words, your local listings can either build or destroy trust—local listing management software helps you tilt the scale toward building trust.

Increasing Foot Traffic and Driving Sales

Improving local listings means better search visibility and stronger customer trust, and both of these support the ultimate goal of getting more people into your stores and selling more products to them. After all, locals can’t become customers if they don’t know you exist.

Best Local Listing Management Services for Supermarkets and Grocery Stores

There are dozens of listing management services available, but not every option out there is a good fit for supermarkets and grocery stores. The seven reviewed below are top contenders in the grocery niche.

1. InMoment

InMoment is a full-service integrated customer experience (CX) platform designed for the needs of multi-location businesses, including supermarkets of all sizes—all the way up to enterprise scale. InMoment’s Integrated CX suite has everything you need, including listings management, competitor analysis, reputation management, and more.

With InMoment, supermarkets can keep business listings full of accurate information and stay consistent across the entire web. The platform also provides the best of both worlds in terms of automation vs. control. Updates can push automatically to any and all listings, or brands can keep granular control, fine-tuning listing updates at the directory level. 

Rich ROI-focused data insights, keyword tracking, and powerful connections to other InMoment tools round out this powerful platform that drives results.

Learn more about InMoment’s local listing management capabilities.

Key Features 

• Unique map ranking view: See where you rank against the competition on the map.
• Auto-fix information: Identify out-of-sync information and automatically fix those inconsistencies.
• Robust ROI-centric analytics: Learn from your Google listings and Google Maps performance with metrics that stay focused on what matters most: ROI.
• Keyword rank tracking: Identify how you’re ranking vs. the competition on specified keywords, then track progress over time.
• Real-time automatic push changes: Change business hours, add photos, and more, then automatically push those changes to all relevant listings.
• Granular directory-level control: Gain full control at the directory level, auto-publishing information as unique as you need it to be for each directory.

2. Yext

Yext focuses on automated listing management, and its thorough citation network helps supermarkets build search authority. With Yext, businesses pay per listing service, enabling an a la carte approach where a business can choose to focus on Google Business, Yelp, Bing, Apple Maps, or a hundred other services—whichever best supports their goals.

Yext is big on AI, with AI insights, an AI-powered Listings Recommendations tool, and AI-search compatibility (meaning generative results on Google and elsewhere can find and pull from your local listings).

Key Features 

• AI-search: Google Gemini and other AI search tools can read and understand Yext-made listings.
• Full automation: Listing management is 100% automated, saving time but limiting your ability to manually intervene.
• Listings Recommendations: AI-powered suggestions based on current performance.
• Data cleansing/duplicate prevention: Avoid headaches associated with duplicate listings and old data hanging around.

3. Moz Local

Moz is one of the longest-standing and biggest names in SEO strategy, and Moz Local is the company’s set of local SEO tools, which includes listing management.

Moz Local centralizes listing management, allowing supermarkets to update business information once and then push that update to more than 70 listing destinations (including online directories, search engines, social media platforms, and more). Like Yext, Moz Local includes tools for identifying and removing duplicate listings, and it will help you refine existing listings so they perform better.

Moz Local works in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., making it an ideal choice for businesses with a presence in multiple countries. Like InMoment, Moz Local enables supermarkets to monitor and interact with reviews and publish Google Posts updates—but only at the higher price tiers.

Key Features 

• Familiar Moz interface: Businesses already using Moz can quickly adapt to Moz Local.
• Search Visibility Score: Moz Local continually monitors search visibility and updates businesses with an easy-to-read score.
• Data-rich reporting and insights: Moz Local’s robust insights outperform many others.

4. Whitespark

Whitespark is a little different from the listing management tools reviewed thus far. It’s a local search service with a big focus on local citations, which are separate instances of name, address, and phone number (collectively known as NAP) across the web. It also allows businesses to manage Google Business Profiles centrally, and you’ll find other tools like review collection and management and local rank tracking.

But what sets Whitespark apart is that it isn’t automated in the way Yext and Moz Local are. Working with Whitespark means working with (and, yes, waiting on) a real team of humans who intelligently refine your listings and help you improve. 

You also own your listings, which means they don’t disappear when you cancel your subscription. So Whitespark is a good choice for businesses that want a more hands-on approach.

Key Features 

• Local Citation Finder: Build a better network of local citations.
• Local Platform: It’s a powerful way to manage Google Business Profiles, including rejecting unwanted automatic updates.
• Listings service: Enjoy a hands-on, nearly bespoke refresh of your business listings.

5. Brightlocal

Brightlocal is a popular and affordable solution for listing management built around three primary tools: Citation Builder, Active Sync, and GBP Post Scheduler.

Like Whitespark, Brightlocal uses a one-time payment structure for building citations and gives businesses ownership of their listings. The other tools (Active Sync and the post scheduler) do carry a monthly cost, but many businesses find BrightLocal to be the most affordable option for the services it provides.

You’ll have to sacrifice some features for cost savings though, as analytics, listing recommendations, and AI capabilities aren’t available here.

Key Features 

• Citation Builder: Build and manage a network of local citations and remove inaccurate information.
• Active Sync: Centralize business listing management and sync changes across multiple sites and services. 
• GBP Post Scheduler: Create, schedule, and post Google Posts to one or more Google Business Profiles simultaneously.

6. Uberall

Uberall is another AI-powered and mostly automated solution, but this platform is designed specifically for multi-location businesses (like restaurant franchises and national brands). The tools may feel geared toward restaurants and banks more than supermarkets, but if you’re a leader at a supermarket chain of any size, then Uberall may be worth a closer look.

The platform helps protect against suggested edits in Google Business Profiles, runs duplication checks, delivers performance insights, and offers suggestions for improving listings—all geared toward businesses with multiple locations. Bulk changes to listings can be extremely helpful, though some businesses may chafe at the lack of customization or flexibility.

Key Features 

• Automated review response: Create prebuilt answers and let Uberall handle the rest.
• Voice assistant integration: Uberall connects to Alexa and others, giving brands greater exposure to audiences using these devices and services.
• Bulk GBP management: Make adjustments to multiple local listings simultaneously.

7. Birdeye

Birdeye is much more than just local listing management software. Its primary features revolve around social media management and online reputation management (both powered by AI). Local listing management is a complementary tool, but it works well. 

Birdeye takes a heavily automated approach to creating and maintaining listings on all major platforms and in many industry-specific directories. Other notable capabilities include image uploads, appointment request links, and a deep scan tool that puts your listings up against relevant benchmarks in your industry. 

Key Features 

• Automated listings management: Create listings at scale with generative AI.
• Reputation management: Automatically respond to reviews across multiple platforms.
• Social media management: Create and schedule social media posts from a central interface.

Manage Your Local Businesses and Drive Revenue With InMoment

Supermarkets face unique barriers when it comes to managing their local listings, so they need a uniquely powerful solution that equips them to solve those challenges, thrive, and scale. 

InMoment combines powerful listings automation, granular control, stellar visibility, ROI-focused analytics, and much more into a feature-packed solution. And for brands that need additional reputation management capabilities and a fully integrated CX, InMoment delivers it all through one comprehensive, intuitive platform.

It’s time to see what InMoment can do for your supermarket brand: Schedule your free demo now.