Metrics that matter: Speed of answer vs.callbacks and customer satisfaction

I have some news for the frustrated customer. The reason that you are told that you cannot be called back is NOT a technical limitation. It is because the call center manager needs to maintain service levels and average handling times.

It is quite upsetting because what they are failing to think about the potential fallout of the overall relatonship based on a single part of the the overall picture that is a metric . Contact resolution versus multiple callbacks is at the centre of the storm. Managers are not measured as easily on contact resolution as average speed of answer or hold times.

When you fail to help a customer for the sake of some stat, the ripple effect begins. The paradigm of removing parts from the sum total of the experience is never a good idea. Your added-value service is anything but if that is your approach. I ask you, would the Company be better off calling a customer back if it meant keeping the customer happy?