Benchmark scale for the average response time by industry in 2018

The average response time is one of the criteria that allows managers to evaluate the efficiency and ability of agents to meet customers' needs. Although it is one of the most common criteria, many people find it difficult to pinpoint. We offer industry-standard benchmarks to help you reevaluate the call center's performance level.

Average answering speed is the average time that telemarketers answer calls within the country. These criteria are calculated from the moment the call center phone rings until it is answered. This does not include the time the caller is in the queue or in the call of the IVR system. KPI is calculated based on work efficiency, customer accessibility and effectivity to contribute to customer satisfaction.

In Stringee, this metric is easily accessible in the [Reports & Statistics] / [Agent] / [Agent's Performance] tab, as well as on the Dashboard.

Here are the figures for each industry:

Business typeAverage missed calls rateAverage wait time in queue (seconds)Average response time
Total9.07%17,288,97
Software & Internet11,12%14,329,24
Financial Services11,62%14,329,24
Consumer goods & Retail9,02%17,868,93
Others7,46%9,808,53
Consumer services7,21%13,328,94
Health Care, Medicine and Bio-technology8,21%11,387,99
Manufacturing6,71%15,537,61
Tourism & Entertainment7,17%45,3810,73
Computer & Electronic Devices5,03%40,4010,34

Once you've determined your industry's average response time, it's important that you understand how that number will affect your business.

The high average response time shows:

  • Poor call quality forecast
  • The ability to predict if the call volume is incorrect
  • Processing time after call takes too long
  • Staff are not fully trained

###The average response time is low and shows:

  • Good call quality forecast
  • Ability to predict the exact call volume
  • Processing time after the call is appropriate
  • Staff are fully trained

A high average response time may not always benefit the business. At first it will greatly affect your customer satisfaction, but often the pressure is on the work quality of the agent. Call costs will also increase due to reduced customer satisfaction, increased processing time leading to a need for closer management from supervisors.

In order to reduce the average call response time, it is necessary to optimize the processing of information after calls so that employees will have a faster time to process work related to the previous call.

By using Stringee, you can automate many common tasks after the call which helps boost productivity. You can also train and instruct agents to know more about the importance of the average response time criteria.

Finally, the manager needs to make sure the operator's workflow is optimal.