How to calculate service level? 7 tips for efficient call handling monitoring

Service Level is one of the key tools for assessing the efficiency of call center and telephone helpline operations. Effective call handling in customer service departments not only impacts customer satisfaction but also directly influences a company's financial performance. Process optimization enables the achievement of a 100% call answer rate, which is a critical foundation for successful customer relationship management.

Why is Service Level so important?

Handling calls might seem like a simple process — the customer calls, the agent answers, the issue is resolved. However, in reality, the situation can be more complex. Long waiting times, insufficient staffing, or the lack of automated call center tools can lead to missed or dropped calls. This directly affects both sales performance and customer satisfaction.

According to ASAPCARE research, phone hotlines remain one of the most preferred communication channels with companies — used by as many as 44% of respondents. Therefore, optimizing telephone customer service by implementing effective call center systems and closely monitoring the Service Level indicator is well worth the investment.

Measure call answer rates

When evaluating call answer rates, the Service Level indicator is the most effective metric.

Service Level assesses call handling from the customer’s perspective. Customers expect a certain standard from companies — meet those expectations, and you’ll keep them satisfied; fail to do so, and they are likely to take their business elsewhere.

Typically, Service Level is understood as the percentage of calls answered out of all inbound calls made to the customer service department. However, this can be analyzed in two ways: as the total percentage of customer calls answered, or as the percentage of calls answered within a specific timeframe.

Service Level formula

Calculating the Service Level involves dividing the number of calls answered within the threshold by the total number of calls offered, and then multiplying the result by 100.

Here is a simple formula: SL (%) = (Total calls answered within the threshold / Total calls offered) × 100

Implementing appropriate measures in the call center system—such as reducing wait times or routing customers directly to the right agent—can help improve the Service Level and increase service efficiency

7 tips on how to use service level in your organization?

Tip 1: 20 seconds of attention

The market standard for call response time is <20 seconds (especially for hotlines that support sales processes). If you're unsure about your customers’ tolerance for waiting time, it's safe to adopt this benchmark.

Customers expect a quick response, and a call center system integrated with analytical tools will help you monitor and improve this metric. You can learn how by scheduling a presentation of the Thulium system.

Tip 2: Analyze data from at least one month

To gain a comprehensive understanding of your call center's performance, you need to analyze data from a minimum of one month. A shorter time frame may not reveal complete trends, which could lead to misleading conclusions.

Tip 3: 100% of all calls

Aim for 100% of calls to be answered. A key goal for any call center should be to achieve as close to 100% of calls answered as possible. Every call represents an opportunity for conversion or resolving a customer issue.

Tip 4: 80% of calls answered within 20 seconds

An optimal metric is answering 80% of calls within 20 seconds. This result indicates that your agents are handling calls well even during peak times, and the remaining calls are managed within a slightly longer timeframe.

Why should the target be 80%?

A rate lower than 80% means that many customers (more than 20% of all callers) are waiting more than 20 seconds to speak with an agent. We know that 20 seconds is usually an acceptable waiting time for customers. Longer wait times could cause them to abandon their call.

Tip 5: Schedule working hours

Check if phone calls are distributed evenly throughout the day. By analyzing peak hours and quiet periods, you can better align your team’s schedule to increase efficiency. With this knowledge, you can, for example, "shift" agents between hours to quickly achieve good results.

Tip 6: All hands on deck during the busiest days of the week

Identify fluctuations in the volume of calls to the helpline on different days of the week. This will help you understand the average call answer rate (SL) for each day. You might find patterns, such as lower traffic and better SL results on Mondays, but significantly worse performance on Fridays. This insight will help you organize your team’s work to avoid bottlenecks during critical moments.

Tip 7: Improve results with call-backs

If, despite your best efforts, not all calls are being answered, consider implementing a callback module. This way, customers who didn’t receive a response will be able to expect a quick follow-up contact, which will improve both satisfaction and the overall call-answer rate.

How does a Call Center System impact Service Level?

The implementation of modern solutions, such as a Call Center System, enables the automation of many processes related to call handling. These systems allow customers to be instantly connected to the appropriate agent, significantly reducing wait times and improving the overall efficiency of the helpline. They are crucial in ensuring 100% call answer rates and in monitoring key metrics such as Service Level. These systems also enable more advanced analytics, which allow for prioritizing calls and resolving customer issues more quickly.

2024 Helpline trends

The trends for 2024 concerning Service Level and call answer rates in call center helplines reflect growing customer expectations and technological advancements designed to meet these demands. Here are the main areas of development:

Service Level optimization through automation

The implementation of AI-based solutions, such as chatbots or virtual assistants, allows for reducing wait times and improving the Service Level metric. According to forecasts, by the end of 2024, up to 80% of customer inquiries will be handled automatically, directly impacting a higher call answer rate.

Standardization of Service Level at 80/20

The global standard still dominates, which states that 80% of calls should be answered within 20 seconds. Failure to meet this standard can lead to increased customer abandonment rates and reduced satisfaction with service.

Improved analysis and management of helpline capacity

Modern call centers use advanced traffic analysis tools to dynamically adjust the number of agents based on time of day and call volume. This helps optimize response times and increase call answer rates.

Implementation of tntelligent call routing

Companies are increasingly adopting intelligent call routing technology, which allows for immediate transfer of calls to the appropriate agent. This reduces the number of transfers, boosting customer satisfaction and improving Service Level.

Focus on multichannel customer support

Customers expect the ability to contact companies through various channels – phone, chat, email. However, phone remains the most preferred communication method, which means companies must invest in technologies and systems that enable effective management of the helpline, integrated with support for other communication channels. Research confirms this is one of the fastest-growing trends, and Thulium fits perfectly into this scope as a tool for multichannel customer service.

Summary

As you can see, call answer rates can be analyzed in various ways. However, it's important not to rush into drawing conclusions. It may turn out that calls are not being answered, but all of them are returned. Alternatively, the issue might be that call-backs are clogging the phone channel. It could also be that agents are performing other tasks that prevent them from answering calls. There are many possibilities, so remember that analyzing traffic in the customer service department requires a holistic approach.

Remember, phone support is a key element in building relationships with customers, and every missed call is potentially a lost opportunity for success.