Industry Knowledge12% of the exam
Contact center KPIs and what drives them
The eleven contact center KPIs the exam names, their formulas, what pushes each one up or down, how single-metric targets backfire, and how AI agents shift the KPI mix toward deflection and escalation.
Explain the factors that influence key Contact Center metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs).
~8 min read · 23 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Name the KPI that answers a stakeholder's question (loyalty, one interaction, effort, wait, cost, shift compliance, productive time).
- Calculate CSAT, NPS, AHT, abandonment rate and cost per call from their formulas.
- Identify what drives each KPI up or down and recommend the lever that fixes a symptom.
- Warn about trade-offs and gaming: AHT-only targets, survey response bias, FCR that ignores transfers.
- Set expectations for how AI agents and self-service change the KPI mix, and how to prove their impact.
Key terms: AHT (talk + hold + wrap-up per interaction); FCR (share of issues resolved on the first contact, no follow-up or transfer); CSAT (positive scores over responses); CES (customer effort score); deflection rate (AI agent sessions ended without escalation).
Key facts
AHT formula
- Detail
- (talk + hold + wrap-up) / total calls; queue wait is not included
CSAT formula
- Detail
- Positive scores / total responses × 100
NPS formula
- Detail
- % promoters − % detractors; measures brand loyalty
Abandonment formula
- Detail
- Abandoned calls / total inbound calls × 100
Cost per call formula
- Detail
- Total operating costs / total calls; includes salary, technology, overhead
FCR excludes transfers
- Detail
- Resolved on the first interaction with no follow-up or transfer
Abandonment causes
- Detail
- Usually poor staffing or an inefficient IVR
Queued Callback
- Detail
- Keeps the caller's queue spot; lowers abandonment without more staff
AI agent value
- Detail
- High deflection and 24/7 availability translate into cost savings
Deflection rate
- Detail
- Agent sessions ended without escalation to a rep or another agent
Command Center for Service
- Detail
- Real-time view of reps, queues, wait times and open work
Sources for this section (4)
- Why can schedule adherence be 96% while utilization shows long idle stretches?
- When does an FCR figure overstate performance?
- Which KPI quantifies customers being bounced between chat and phone?
- What does an AI agent's deflection rate count?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Agentforce Service Consultant pack
- Core concepts
- Exam traps
- Worked scenario
The pack includes:
- All 21 lessons of the Agentforce Service Consultant guide, with reading progress
- Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
- Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (23 questions for this lesson)
- An official source cited for every claim
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