33 call center statistics

Gathering data on your call center can be revolutionary for improving performance - whether you measure that through employee performance, answer rates, or customer satisfaction. Managers and leaders that collect and utilize data are able to make better, more strategic decisions when it comes to the future of their organization. We’ve collected a variety of helpful call center statistics that will help you navigate the environment that your organization is existing in, as well as assist you in communicating the business value of your call center.

Purposes served by call centers

So, why are call centers beneficial to an organization?

First, call centers allow businesses to use their time efficiently. Agents with jobs dedicated to customer service repeatedly address similar concerns and are able to quickly identify the solution to the customer’s question. This means that concerns are resolved faster and more efficiently. Plus, agents are better supported by call-center specific technologies like analytics and metrics that help guide them to improve performance.

Having a dedicated call center also allows employees in other departments to perform better as they don’t spend time answering simple customer concerns or searching for answers that could be quickly resolved in a call center scenario.

Why you need to track call center statistics

While discussing these benefits of a call center can be influential, sometimes you need data to back up the value of a call center to your organization. In addition to helping you present the impact your call center has, call center statistics can also help you make future decisions. Understanding how call centers are performing around the world and staying on top of industry trends will allow you to make informed decisions and strategic moves. You also may learn new angles or problem-solving methods that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

33 call center statistics to guide decision making

Call center industry

1. In 2020, US call centers accounted for 29.49% of the global call center market (
   Smallbizgenius).
2. The global market value of call centers is estimated to reach $496 billion by 2027 (Smallbizgenius).
3. In 2020, US call center businesses employed 2.83 million people (Smallbizgenius).

Customer experience

1. 78% of customers don’t like support agents that sound like they are reading from a script (Smallbizgenius). 
2. 50% of the customers feel that there is a major need for improvements in the customer service and support offered by most companies (Biz30.timedoctor).  
3. 96% of customers say that customer service is an essential factor that affects their choices (Zippa).
4. 68% of customers expect the customer service team to demonstrate empathy (Biz30.timedoctor). 
5. 88% of the customers are more likely to share their online feedback about customer service experiences they’ve had (Biz30.timedoctor).
6. A customer is 4X more likely to buy from a competitor if they have a problem with something service-related as opposed to an issue with the price or product (Zippa).
7. 79% of the consumers believe that the experience a company provides is as important as its product or services. It reflects the growing demand for customer engagement (Biz30.timedoctor). 
8. Nearly 58% of consumers will end ties with a brand or business due to poor customer service (Biz30.timedoctor). 
9. Customers are likely to spend 140% more after a positive experience rather than a negative one (Zippa).
10. In 2021, over 65% of all customers said they had much higher customer service expectations than they did only a year ago (Zippa).  
11. 77% of customers view a business more positively if they’re proactive with customer service (Zippa).  
12. 88% of customers prefer voice calls with a live agent instead of navigating an automated phone menu (Zippa).
13. 61% of callers feel that an interactive voice response (IVR) system has a bad effect on the customer experience (Financesonline).
14. According to a 2017 survey, 27% of customers say that their #1 frustration with poor customer service is lack of effectiveness (Zippa).  
15. 90% of customers worldwide consider issue resolution as their top customer service concern (Zippa).  
16. 48% of service teams ranked ‘creating excellent customer service as their top priority (Zippa).  

Omni-channel

1. 49% of consumers, on average, use three to five different communication channels to contact customer service (Financesonline).
2. The pandemic has changed consumers’ preference for communicating with businesses: 51% still preferred to use voice call to contact companies for customer service, 18% through email, and 11% via other means such as letters, social media posts, and push notifications (Financesonline). 
3. The use of Instagram to message businesses increased by 75% during the pandemic. Likewise, Facebook Messenger experienced a 20% increase while the app Line gained 20% (Financesonline).
4. 9 out of 10 consumers want an omni-channel experience with seamless service between communication channels (Financesonline).

Technology

1. 8% of customers expect companies to accelerate digital initiatives due to the COVID pandemic (Biz30.timedoctor). 
2. 44% of the customers feel that businesses need to incorporate technological solutions to make the customer’s life easier (Biz30.timedoctor). 
3. 36% of call centers use cloud technology (Zippa).  
4. Cloud-based call centers report having 27% less downtime (Zippa).  
5. 29% of all businesses have installed live chat software (Zippa).  
6. 61% of B2B companies have a live chat feature (Zippa). 
7. The adoption rate of cloud-based contact centers was 2.2% in 2008. As of 2017, 62% of organizations have moved to a cloud-hosted call center software solution (Financesonline).

Agent experience

1. 87% of employees in call centers report high stress levels at their job (Smallbizgenius).  
2. 95.7% of contact center professionals view customer satisfaction as the most important call center metric (Financesonline.)
3. Turnover in the call center industry averages 30-45%
   (Quality Assurance and Training Connection).

Conclusion

Call center statistics are helpful metrics for comparing your organization to others, and for understanding trends in the industry. Paired with your call center’s internal KPIs, the data-based insights you gain from learning about call center statistics will help you make decisions that will benefit your customers, as well as your agents and your organization as a whole. 

Want more information on the latest industry trends? Download our 2023 State of the Call Report to uncover insights that guide your voice strategy.