Why “Agent Call Resolution” Is a KPI That Really Matters
For years, Issue Resolution has been one of the most critical KPIs in contact centres — it tells us if customers felt their issue was resolved. But as contact centres evolve, that single measure no longer tells the full story. Agents may complete every step, log every note, and follow every rule — yet the customer’s issue still remains open due to upstream processes or system delays.
To bridge this gap, we’ve introduced Agent Call Resolution (ACR) — a new operational lens within AutoInsights that measures how effectively agents manage, contain, and close calls within their control.
- A New Way to View Resolution
ACR shifts the focus from customer sentiment to operational performance, linking three critical dimensions:
- Agent Call Resolution (ACR %) — how often calls are closed by agents within their scope.
- Issue Resolution (IR %) — whether the customer ultimately felt their issue was resolved.
- Net Sentiment — the emotional tone and empathy conveyed during the call.
The result is a complete, layered understanding of both process quality and customer experience, visualised through the new ACR Overview Dashboard.
- A Dashboard Designed for Clarity
The Agent Call Resolution Dashboard follows a logical, top-down structure that helps operations teams understand resolution performance at every level:
- Headline KPIs – See total calls analysed, active listeners, and key metrics like ACR %, IR %, Resolution Gap % and Net Customer Sentiment.
- Agent Call Resolution Section – Measure how effectively agents manage and contain calls. Identify gaps by final agent outcomes such as Escalated, Follow-Up Scheduled, or Self-Resolved.
- Why Customers Called – Understand where customer intent and agent actions diverge, highlighting which categories drive the most unresolved outcomes.
- ACR vs Issue Resolution – Diagnose whether resolution gaps stem from agent behaviour or process design.
- ACR vs Sentiment – Explore how empathy and tone influence closure success.
- Worksheet View – Drill into call-level detail, playback recordings, and export filtered data for QA validation.
- Key Performance Metrics
The ACR framework introduces new operational metrics that redefine efficiency and alignment:
| KPI | Definition | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| ACR % | % of calls fully managed and closed by the agent. | Measures operational control. |
| Issue Resolution % | % of calls where customers felt their issue was resolved. | Measures customer outcome. |
| Resolution Gap % | ACR % − IR %. | Highlights process or policy-driven friction. |
- From Data to Action
ACR makes it easier to see where performance gaps originate:
- High ACR but low IR → Process or policy issues.
- Low ACR and low IR → Coaching or workflow opportunity.
- High ACR and high IR → Operational excellence.
This balanced approach allows teams to manage containment, handover load, and sentiment in one view — giving operational leaders the clarity they need to improve both agent performance and end-to-end resolution outcomes.
Final Takeaway
Agent Call Resolution (ACR) helps organisations move beyond customer satisfaction metrics into operational truth. It’s about understanding not just if calls were resolved — but how they were managed, where they broke down, and why customers might still feel unresolved.
With ACR, every call tells a story — and every story can drive improvement.
