Step #1 Establish a corporate service objective 23
A delayed call is a call placed in the ACD queue because it cannot be answered immediately by an agent. The
probability of delay statistic relates the number of agents or extensions to the level of traffic carried by the
trunks and indicates the likelihood and amount of delay experienced. The GOS, probability of delay, and
Quality of Service rendered by agents provide vital information about the callers’ experience. (See Figure 3-
2.)
Figure 3-2 Service criteria
The GOS and probability of delay contribute to our understanding of what happens to the calls not answered
in Y seconds, and give meaning to Service Level. Service Level is the primary statistic used in planning and
budgeting because it is the most stable measurement of queue activity.
The following statistics are also meaningful contact center indicators:
ASA
The Average Speed of Answer (ASA) is an ACD statistic that measures how long the average caller waits on
hold before the call is picked up by an agent. ASA is a valuable measure of service quality, but is often
misinterpreted. The average does not represent what is typically experienced by individual callers. Most calls
are answered by agents more quickly than the average, but a small percentage of callers wait several minutes
in queue. ASA is a useful parameter, but Service Level is a more reliable indicator of what callers experience.
Abandonment
ACDs collect statistics on how long callers wait before abandoning calls, and what percentage of calls are
abandoned. Unfortunately, abandonment is difficult to forecast because it is impossible to predict caller
behavior with any reliability. Sometimes when the Service Level is high more callers abandon than expected.
There are no industry standards for abandonment. It is a somewhat unreliable measure of contact center
performance. However, abandonment statistics assist in planning Service Levels, and provide valuable
information used to create in-queue and message-on-hold announcements.