You may be using several customer support metrics to measure and improve the performance of your customer service team. However, buried beneath popular agent performance metrics like first contact resolution (FCR) or average response time (ART) is one underrated performance indicator— the number of interactions per ticket.

We analyzed 107 million customer interactions and identified how the number of interactions to close a ticket impacts customer satisfaction scores. For better clarity, the total number of interactions per ticket refers to the number of customer responses and the number of agent replies taken to resolve an issue successfully.

Our data shows that when the number of interactions per ticket is below 3, it significantly improves a business’ CSAT score.

Read on to find out the results and learn the steps you can take to maintain the ideal ratio between customer responses and agent replies for greater customer satisfaction.

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The magic number:  2+1

Customers love low-effort resolutions in service interactions. So a perfect and effortless customer service exchange between your agent and customer should look like this,

- 1 message from the customer, stating the problem

- 1 reply from the agent, resolving the problem

- 1 (optional) response from the customer, usually acknowledging resolution or thanking the agent. 

There is a direct correlation between the number of responses and CSAT scores

Our research found that businesses that received high customer satisfaction scores on average maintained a response ratio of two customer responses to one agent response.

We get a clearer idea of the true impact that the number of customer responses has on CSAT when we dive into the performance of companies that regularly get low CSAT scores (< 50).

When we focused on companies with low CSAT scores, we found that the average number of agent responses dipped to below 1 while the average number of customer messages increased.

This ratio remains fairly the same across small businesses and mid-market and enterprise accounts. On average, agent replies were at 1.2 for SMBs and 1 for mid-market and enterprise accounts, while customer replies were at 1.7 for SMBs and 1.6 for the latter.

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How is the number of customer responses related to a low CSAT?

If we dig deeper into why customer responses grew out of proportion in scenarios with low CSAT scores, there could be two possible reasons.

1. The issue might've been complex and required many steps, hence the back-and-forth interactions. 

2. There could have been a lack of proper communication and clarity in the customer service interaction. The customer is left feeling anxious and helpless, leading to frequent follow-ups to know if any steps are being taken to resolve the query.

But how do you identify if it’s the first or second situation so you can take appropriate actions to fix it?

Check your response times. Even in tickets with several interactions, as long as the customer and agent response count and response times are in sync, you can rest assured that your customers are being heard and not neglected. 

Poor communication - The #1 reason for low CSAT

Now poor communication doesn't necessarily mean that your agents didn’t listen to the customer and solve their problem.

Sometimes, agents might’ve taken steps to fix the issue and marked a ticket as resolved without responding to the customer. The agents would’ve done simple, immediate fixes, which they assumed didn’t warrant a response. 

The customer’s issue is resolved, but the customer is not happy with the process. Ample training in support etiquette would reveal that a simple ‘fixed it’ response would’ve done wonders to the CSAT score.

Another upsetting scenario in the case of low scores could be agents finding ‘hacks’ to bypass looming SLAs. They could be raising duplicate tickets for the same query and then closing the original, often to hit internal SLA and query goals. 

And the worst part is that your organization might assume that it’s providing excellent customer service with low-resolution times and a high percentage of resolved cases. However, in reality, your customers are frustrated with your clogged and slow communication.

Two ways to achieve this perfect number

Now that we know what the number of interactions per ticket looks like for both high and low CSAT scores, let’s see what can help you reach it. Here are two best practices to guide your customer service team toward the golden 2+1 ratio. 

1. Context, context, context.

Remember that the perfect customer service interaction requires your agent to solve the issue in one shot. 

Though this is not always possible, you can set your agents up for success by giving them access to all the tools and info they’ll need quickly. Equip your agents with easy-to-access systems that provide them with complete customer context, including customer contact information and purchase history, plus an internal knowledge base that helps them find effective solutions quickly.

Agents should require minimal follow-ups with customers, focusing more on problem-solving.

2. Ease of collaboration. 

While resolving an issue, agents may have to collect information from other teams or departments in your company, such as the finance, billing, or legal functions. Setting up tools and processes to help your agents get clear and quick responses internally will allow them to deliver fast and effective customer service.

Both these needs—context and collaboration—can be solved by adding internal systems and processes that scale with your business. Training your agents on basic support etiquettes and mandating sign-off responses for ticket closures as a routine process facilitates proper communication between customers and service reps.

Perhaps, this is why mid-market and enterprise organizations have these processes and tools set up to maintain a good agent response rate.

 

Metrics matter, but may not tell the full story. 

A word of caution before we sign off.

KPI and metric-driven systems keep your customer service agents motivated and focused in the right direction. But promoting just one metric as a leading indicator of delighted customers may have adverse results (such as the SLA hack mentioned above).

While the number of interactions in your support ticket speaks volumes about how satisfied (or not) your customers are with the support you extend, only framing robust internal support processes and giving your agents access to the right set of tools will empower them to craft positive customer service experiences.

If you enjoyed this article, we've got more coming your way. The Support Insider series is a collection of insights we've arrived at after analyzing over 107 million customer interactions and observing patterns that lead to higher CSAT scores and efficient customer service.

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