How to improve call center customer service: A guide

Customers want it all — and they want it now. Gone are the days when a simple phone line and a cheery "How may I help you?" were enough. Today's customers are tech-savvy, informed, and have sky-high expectations. They're looking for lightning-fast responses, personalized interactions, seamless experiences across all channels, and solutions that anticipate their needs. 

It's no longer just about having a great product or competitive prices — it's about how you make your customers feel at every touchpoint.

Think about it: when was the last time you raved about a company to your friends? Chances are, it wasn't just because of what they sold, but how they treated you. That's the power of a customer-centric experience.

How to improve call center customer service

Your call center is often the front line of your customer experience. It's where the rubber meets the road, and it can make or break a customer relationship. So, how do you take your call center from good to great?

Understand your customers

First things first: you need to know who you're talking to. Find out their preferred channels — some folks love a good old-fashioned phone call, while others would rather chat online. Then, get a feel for their biggest pain points. What keeps them up at night? What are they really looking for when they reach out? 

To get a better understanding of your customers, you can: 

• Survey your most loyal customers. Ask them what makes them tick and what good customer service looks like. 
• Analyze your tickets. Scan previous customer service tickets and identify common customer issues and FAQs. 
• Monitor channels. Keep a close eye on which channels get the most incoming calls and customer interactions — your phone number, your online chatbot, or social media. 

Incorporate customer feedback

Feedback is the best way to get a real insight into how your customers think and feel. Create multiple feedback channels, including surveys, social media, and direct calls so customers have plenty of ways to speak up.

Don’t forget to close the loop. When callers share feedback, let them know you’ve heard them. Better yet, show them how you’re using their input. And, to avoid creating feedback silos, make it a team sport. Share valuable feedback across your organization — who knows, your product team might learn something valuable from a customer support interaction. 

Improve agent training and resources

Your agents are often the first port of call for customers, so it’s important they have the knowledge, tools, and resources to perform well. Start by investing in ongoing training to keep your team up-to-speed on the latest customer service trends. 

Experiment with tools, too — your team needs access to customer service software that helps them succeed — and encourage knowledge sharing. Create a culture where call center agents can learn from each other, whether that’s through one-to-one peer training or a group knowledge base.

Use data to improve call center staffing 

Data is the beating heart of your call center operations. It shows you what’s working and what’s not, and helps you assign the right number of team members at the right time. Here’s how you can make the most of it: 

• Track peak times. Know when your call volume tends to spike and staff accordingly. 
• Monitor average handle time. This can help you predict how many agents you need on deck during both busy and slow times. 
• Keep an eye on customer satisfaction. If it dips during certain times, you might need to adjust your staffing levels

Use a workforce management tool

Ever wonder how call centers make sure they have enough people to answer phones without having too many folks sitting around? That's where a workforce management (WFM) tool comes in handy. 

You don't want customers waiting forever to talk to someone, but you also don't want to pay a bunch of agents to twiddle their thumbs. A WFM tool helps you find that sweet spot.

These tools look at how many calls come in at different times of day, how long calls usually last, and even when people tend to call in sick. Then, they use all this data to figure out how many agents you need working at any given time.

But it's not just about call center scheduling. A good WFM tool can also:

• Help predict busy periods so you can plan ahead
• Track how well agents are doing their jobs
• Make it easier for agents to swap shifts or request time off

For companies trying to step up their contact center, a WFM tool takes a lot of the guesswork out of staffing, which means happier customers (because they're not waiting forever) and happier agents (because they're not overworked or bored). 

Key call center metrics to evaluate performance

Let's talk numbers. If you're running a call center, you need to know what's working and what's not — here’s how you can figure that out through key customer service analytics, also known as key performance indicators (KPIs).

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

This is the big one. It tells you if customers are walking away happy or ready to take their business elsewhere. Here's how to make the most of it:

• Ask customers to rate their experience right after a call, when it's fresh in their mind.
• Use a simple scale, like 1–5 or 1–10. Make it easy for them to respond.
• Don't just look at the average. Pay attention to trends and any sudden drops.
• Follow up on low scores ASAP. There might be a quick fix you're missing.

💡Tip: Compare CSAT scores across different times of day, types of issues, and agents. You might spot patterns that help you make targeted improvements.

First-Call Resolution (FCR)

The first call resolution rate measures how often you solve a customer's problem in one go. To boost your FCR:

• Train your agents to ask the right questions. They need to dig deep to understand the real issue.
• Give them the tools and authority to solve customer needs on the spot. Nothing's worse than being told "I'll have to transfer you."
• Keep good notes. If a customer does have to call back or routing diverts them to a different department, make sure the next agent knows what's already been tried.
• Look for common issues that lead to repeat customer inquiries. Can you create better self-service options for these?

A high FCR usually leads to higher customer satisfaction and lower costs.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

This is a great way to gauge long-term customer loyalty because it tells you if your service is good enough that customers would actually recommend you. 

Ask the standard question: "On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend us?" But don't stop there. Always ask why they gave that score. You can then group responses into Promoters (9–10), Passives (7–8), and Detractors (0–6) and calculate your NPS by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.

Don't obsess over the number. The real gold is in the reasons behind the scores — that's where you'll find actionable insights.

Average Handle Time (AHT)

This measures how long it takes to deal with a customer, including talk time, hold time, and after-call work. It's tricky because you want it low, but not at the expense of quality. To optimize AHT:

• Break it down. Look at talk time, hold time, and wrap-up time separately.
• Identify what's causing long calls. Is it system slowdowns? Lack of agent knowledge? Complicated processes?
• Use call recording and speech analytics to find where customer service agents might be stumbling or over-explaining.
• Create scripts or talking points for common issues to help agents be more efficient.

Cross-reference AHT with other customer service metrics like CSAT and FCR. If you're seeing high AHT but also high satisfaction and resolution rates, you’re probably doing something right.

Use workforce management to improve your customer experience 

Running a call center can feel a bit like herding cats. You've got unpredictable call volumes, reps calling in sick, and customers who expect instant answers and zero wait times. It's enough to give anyone a headache. 

Assembled's WFM platform is built to tackle the real-world chaos of modern customer service. Here's how it can transform your operation:

• Say goodbye to staffing headaches. Assembled uses your historical data to predict when you’ll be swamped and when things will be quiet. It spots patterns you might miss, like spikes after marketing campaigns or seasonal trends so you can have the right number of people on hand. 
• Keep your team happy and productive. Assembled makes sure shifts are distributed evenly, factoring in skills, preferences, and time-off requests. When life happens and someone needs to swap a shift, the system helps find a qualified replacement fast. 
• Real-time adjustments on the fly. Stuff happens — maybe there’s a surprise product issue causing a flood of calls. Assembled gives you a real-time view of what’s going on so you can quickly pull in extra help or shift resources around. 
• Get smart about your channels. Customers reach out via chat, email, social media — you name it. Assembled helps you staff each channel appropriately, so you’re not overloaded on phones while your chat queue sits empty. 
• Turn data into action. Assembled doesn’t just show you numbers; it gives you actionable insights. It spots trends, identifies top performers, and pinpoints areas for improvement all in one place. 
• Empower your team leaders. Give supervisors the call center software they need to make smart decisions on the spot. With clear visibility into agent performance and upcoming demand, they can coach more effectively and adjust strategies in real time. 
• Boost your bottom line. Efficient staffing means lower costs and higher productivity. By reducing overstaffing and minimizing idle time, you can do more with less. 

Good customer service isn't just about being nice on the phone. It's about being there when your customers need you, across all channels, without breaking the bank. That's a tall order without the right tools.

Assembled's WFM platform takes the guesswork out of staffing, helps you make data-driven decisions, and frees up your team to focus on what really matters: taking care of your customers.

Ready to take your customer service from reactive to proactive? Want to stop putting out fires and start preventing them? It's time to get serious about workforce management if you want to improve your call center performance. 

Improve your overall customer experience through omnichannel customer service solutions at scale with Assembled. Book a demo today.