Inbound Tickets per Agent per Month
Definition
Inbound Tickets per Agent per Month refers to the average number of inbound tickets or interactions handled by an agent within a month. This includes all inbound contacts from multiple channels, such as voice calls, live chats, emails, social media messages, and any other customer service platforms. The metric is calculated by dividing the total inbound ticket volume by the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) agents available during the month.
Formula
Inbound Tickets per Agent per overall inbound Tickets/Total Number of Agents FTE
Why it’s Important
Inbound Tickets per Agent per Month are vital for evaluating agent productivity and overall operational efficiency.
Low Inbound Ticket Volume:
A low value may highlight inefficiencies such as:Poor Agent Utilization: Agents may have excessive idle time.
Poor Scheduling Efficiency: The workforce might be overstaffed relative to the contact volume.
High Handle Time: A higher-than-average Contact Handle Time could indicate inefficiencies in agent workflows or overly complex customer issues.
High Inbound Ticket Volume:
A high value can indicate:Good Agent Utilization: Agents are spending most of their time actively addressing customer concerns.
Efficient Scheduling and Adherence: Schedules are well-aligned with peak volumes.
Low Handle Time: Agents are resolving tickets quickly while maintaining quality.
Tracking this metric monthly helps maintain balance between productivity and agent well-being, avoiding risks of underutilization or burnout.
Key Correlations
Agent Utilization
Correlation: Higher Inbound Tickets per Agent generally result in higher Agent Utilization since agents are actively engaged.
Example: If Agent A handles 400 inbound tickets per month and has 160 work hours available, their utilization increases proportionally to the ticket volume.
Inbound Ticket Handle Time
Correlation: A lower Handle Time allows agents to process more tickets per month, increasing this metric. Conversely, a higher Handle Time may reduce the total number of tickets handled.
Example:
Agent A handles 500 tickets/month, with an average Handle Time of 8 minutes per ticket, resulting in 4,000 minutes of ticket handling time.
Agent B handles only 300 tickets/month, with a Handle Time of 12 minutes per ticket, resulting in 3,600 minutes. Even with less time spent, Agent A handles more tickets, boosting productivity.
Cost per Inbound Contact
Correlation: If agents handle more tickets, the cost per contact decreases, as fixed costs (e.g., salaries, overhead) are spread over more tickets.
Example:
Total monthly cost: $50,000.
If the center handles 5,000 tickets, the cost per ticket is $10.
If ticket volume increases to 6,000, the cost per ticket drops to $8.33, improving operational efficiency.
Cost per Minute of Inbound Handle Time
Correlation: More tickets per agent usually mean more efficient handling time, reducing the overall cost per minute of contact.
Example:
If the contact center handles 50,000 minutes of inbound tickets at a cost of $50,000, the cost per minute is $1.
Handling more tickets with the same budget improves this metric.
Agent Occupancy
Correlation: Higher Inbound Tickets per Agent often indicate higher Agent Occupancy (the percentage of time agents spend actively handling tickets).
Example:
An agent available for 8 hours (480 minutes) daily spends 6.5 hours (390 minutes) on tickets, resulting in an occupancy of 390/480 =81.25%.
Increased ticket handling pushes occupancy higher, though overly high occupancy can lead to burnout.
Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
Correlation: Efficient ticket handling can reduce ASA, as agents clear queues faster, improving customer satisfaction.
Example:
If 1,000 tickets are answered in a month and the total wait time is 5,000 seconds, the ASA is 5 seconds.
Handling more tickets with the same number of agents requires quick responses to maintain a low ASA.
Example of Inbound Tickets per Agent per Month
Scenario: A customer service team handles 12,000 tickets/month with 30 agents.
Step 1: Calculate Inbound Tickets per Agent: 120,000 ticket / 30 Agent = 400
Step 2: Analyze Correlations:
Average Handle Time: Tickets are resolved in 10 minutes on average, requiring 4,000 minutes per agent monthly.
Agent Utilization: Each agent works 160 hours (9,600 minutes) monthly, making utilization: 4000 minutes work / 9600 minutes agent login = 41.67% Utilization.
By monitoring these metrics, the contact center can fine-tune its operations, ensuring agents remain productive without being overburdened.
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