The 4 metrics every contact centre should measure (but probably doesn’t)
Contact centres run on metrics. First contact resolution (FCR), customer satisfaction (CSAT), and average handle time (AHT) dominate dashboards, shaping how leaders set goals and measure success. These metrics offer valuable insights into outcomes, but they don’t always tell the full story.
What’s missing? A way to measure the behaviours and leadership rhythms that drive those results. Without understanding the inputs—what leaders and agents are doing day to day—it’s easy to fall into a reactive cycle of chasing numbers without solving the underlying issues.
In this blog, we’ll explore four critical metrics every contact centre leader should measure to unlock performance improvements: leadership operating rhythm (Yaktivity), goal quality, goal completion rate, and coaching quality. These often-overlooked metrics reveal the actionable steps leaders can take to influence performance, helping to drive meaningful improvements across key outcomes.
Why the right metrics matter
Metrics like FCR, CSAT, and AHT are essential for understanding results, but they often stop short of explaining how those results are achieved. For example:
A dip in CSAT might trigger customer service retraining, but what behaviours need reinforcement?
An increase in AHT might lead to stricter scripting, but are leaders addressing the root cause?
These output-focused metrics often lead to reactive measures, which may improve numbers in the short term but fail to create lasting change. Behavioural and operating rhythm metrics, such as those highlighted in YakTrak, address this gap by focusing on inputs—the actions and behaviours that drive performance.
The four metrics every contact centre needs to measure
Let’s explore the four behavioural and operating rhythm metrics that can transform contact centre performance.
1. Leadership operating rhythm
What it measures:
This metric tracks leadership activities like team meetings, coaching sessions, and follow-ups.
Why it matters:
Leaders who consistently engage their teams through structured rhythms create stability, foster accountability, and improve alignment with goals. These rhythms also ensure agents feel supported, driving engagement and performance.
How to measure it:
Establish a cadence for leadership activities and track adherence. Tools like YakTrak can simplify this process by providing visibility into whether these rhythms are being maintained.
2. Goal quality
What it measures:
The clarity and alignment of goals set for agents and teams. High-quality goals are SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—and focused on behaviours rather than just outcomes.
Why it matters:
Behaviour-focused goals empower agents by giving them clear, actionable direction. For instance, a goal like “reduce AHT by 10 seconds” offers limited guidance, while “ask clarifying questions to reduce repeat calls” aligns actions with outcomes.
How to measure it:
Evaluate goals for alignment with SMART criteria. YakTrak’s goal-setting tools can help leaders document and refine goals, ensuring they are actionable and tied to measurable behaviours.
3. Goal completion rate
What it measures:
The percentage of goals successfully achieved by individuals, teams, or leaders.
Why it matters:
Tracking goal completion helps identify whether goals are realistic, supported, and driving desired outcomes. Low completion rates may indicate a need for better coaching or adjustments to the goals themselves.
How to measure it:
Monitor completion rates regularly and analyse trends to identify barriers. YakTrak’s reporting features provide real-time insights into goal progress across teams.
4. Coaching quality
What it measures:
The effectiveness and depth of coaching conversations, ensuring they reinforce key behaviours and provide meaningful development opportunities for agents.
Why it matters:
High-quality coaching builds confidence, engagement, and capability in agents. It also directly impacts outcomes like FCR and CSAT by reinforcing the behaviours that drive great customer experiences.
How to measure it:
Develop criteria for assessing coaching quality, such as the relevance of feedback and the alignment of discussions with team goals. YakTrak can support this by enabling leaders to structure and document coaching sessions effectively.
Connecting metrics to results
These four metrics bridge the gap between leadership behaviours and performance outcomes. When leaders focus on these inputs, they gain actionable insights into how to influence results like FCR, CSAT, and AHT. For example:
Leadership operating rhythm: Drives team alignment and accountability, directly impacting customer satisfaction and efficiency metrics.
Goal quality: Encourages agent behaviours that reduce AHT and improve FCR.
Goal completion rate: Highlights progress and pinpoints areas needing support.
Coaching quality: Reinforces behaviours that lead to great customer experiences, boosting both CSAT and agent engagement.
Practical steps to implement these metrics
Whether you’re a YakTrak client or not, these metrics are within reach. Here’s how to start:
Define your leadership rhythm:
Establish a consistent cadence for team meetings, coaching sessions, and performance reviews.Focus on behaviour-based goals:
Replace outcome-only targets with SMART goals tied to specific, observable actions.Track progress:
Use tools like spreadsheets, CRM systems, or YakTrak to monitor leadership rhythms, goal quality, and completion rates.Evaluate coaching effectiveness:
Regularly review the depth and impact of coaching conversations to ensure they align with broader goals.
YakTrak: your partner in measuring what matters
YakTrak simplifies the process of tracking these metrics, offering a platform that supports leaders in maintaining operating rhythms, setting and achieving high-quality goals, and delivering effective coaching. For YakTrak clients, these metrics aren’t just concepts—they’re actionable insights, captured and visualised on a single dashboard.
Want to see YakTrak in action? Watch the video below to learn how it’s helping contact centres drive meaningful, measurable improvements.
From metrics to meaningful improvement
Contact centres thrive on metrics, but focusing solely on outputs limits long-term success. By measuring leadership rhythms, goal quality, goal completion rates, and coaching quality, leaders can move beyond chasing numbers to creating sustainable, meaningful improvements.
Whether you’re striving to boost FCR, enhance CSAT, or reduce AHT, the key lies in understanding the inputs that drive those outcomes. For YakTrak clients, these insights are just a dashboard away. For everyone else, the journey starts with committing to measure what matters most.
Read more about how new behavioural metrics are driving contact centre performance here.
