Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

Doesn't it depend on whether there's an auto-dialer and what the objective of the calls might be? How complex is the message? How well tested is the script? What's the answer rate? Etc. Etc.

mgoodman asks some very pertinent questions.

As for "how many calls", it's not how many times a phone number is entered, it's how many and the quality of the conversations that occur. In this sense, the longer high quality conversations could actually reduce your call count.

Best to use some other measurement, such as offer acceptance.

Steve

Agreed with Michael and Steve. I believe you should first go into more detail on what each talk with the existing customer is trying to accomplish, then work out the likely steps in such talk, and then assign an average number of minutes to each step.

For each call, how much time does the caller need to prepare (e.g. going over the company's business and past history with you) and to insert the call insights (not just the actual new business generated, but also possible complaints and opportunities for follow-up)?

Counting up the above gives you an average number you can use for staff planning purposes. However, as Steve said, I would not use the number of calls to judge individual employees, but instead the amount of new business generated (either through the call of through leads for follow-up). There is a rich literature in organizational behavior of "The folly of rewarding A while hoping for B" (title of a great paper). The basic insight is that, if you can not get hard measures on employee effort towards the actual goal (eg new business), you should not reward them on some other measure (eg number of calls), because that will focus them on optimizing whatever you measure.

Hope this helps

koen

it also depends on whether you are calling individuals or businesses.

And I'm curious, why eight hours shifts?

Why not 5 1/2 hour shifts?