Escalation metrics have a big impact on CSAT and the overall customer experience with a company. So, what is escalation? And why is it important to track ticket escalation metrics?
Ticket escalation is just one piece of the customer service resolution puzzle. Metrics give you valuable insight into how your escalation process is working and how many tickets are typically entering that phase. However, if you’re not tracking the right information and don’t fully understand what you should be tracking, your processes and customer experience won’t improve.
Ticket escalation metrics can affect your customer satisfaction score (CSAT) and improve the customer experience. But how? In this article, we’ll look at:
- What ticket escalation is
- How it impacts your CSAT
- How to use the right metrics and what they tell you
- An important best practice
- Using Crewhu
What is ticket escalation?
Ticket escalation occurs when the responder or customer service representative can’t solve an issue, whether it’s not in their wheelhouse or they just don’t have the necessary resources. They then must escalate the ticket to someone else within the company for assistance.
While sometimes escalation is impossible to avoid, it means that ticket resolution is delayed and the issue is stalled.
How escalation is related to CSAT
Escalation leads to a longer ticket completion process. Sometimes teams won’t properly communicate what’s causing a delay with an issue, which causes confusion. When tickets aren’t resolved in a timely manner, customers can quickly become frustrated and impatient.
These situations can quickly impact the CSAT. Customers want fast responses and help with their problems right away. When that doesn’t happen, they don’t feel like they’re valued or that their issue is seen as important.
By implementing a better escalation management system alongside the right metrics, you can focus more on improving CSAT.
How to use the right escalation metrics
So, what escalation metrics should you be tracking and analyzing? The key measures to be aware of are:
- Number of escalation tickets resolved. Tickets with a different “resolved by” employee ID than “responded by” ID are escalated tickets.
- Number of tickets resolved without escalation. Tickets that have the same ID for both “responded by” and “resolved by.”
- Percent of tickets resolved without escalation. Percent of tickets that were resolved with the matching employee IDs.
These metrics help you keep track of your escalated tickets versus non-escalated tickets so you can see where your customer services processes stand. You can directly link these metrics to your CSAT score for answers to questions like how many different escalation levels are actually required for each issue and how many tickets have to be escalated regularly.
It’s also important to track how many different employees are involved in each case of escalation. This helps you identify gaps or areas that need to be addressed further for faster resolution. And, always track how long these escalated tickets are taking to be fully resolved.
Also, by keeping tabs on those employee IDs, you can see which workers need the most assistance and could require additional training to keep improving their numbers. You will also see which employees are the consistent problem-solvers who end escalations. Always make sure these employees are being recognized for their contributions. Try setting up a rewards and recognition program so that certain metrics trigger an award, like a gift or milestone.
An important best practice for escalation
A common way that an escalation metric could be invalid is as follows: If the first responder to a ticket is different than the person who resolved the issue, it will show up as an escalation, even if it wasn’t.
For example, if a ground-level service coordinator (who assigns the tickets) is the first responder instead of the tech who is assigned, it will look escalated if the tech then resolves the ticket. To combat this issue, always make sure the person assigned to the ticket responds first, not the assignor.
That being said, another best practice is to have a service coordinator or similar position assign tickets so your customer service representatives aren’t cherry-picking the tickets they want.
Using Crewhu’s platform and the Connectwise Integration
When you’re ready to implement a rewards and recognition program for your employees, Crewhu gives you all the tools you need to get started, including feedback collection, goal-based contests, and dashboards and leaderboards.
We’ve recently added an integration with Connectwise that helps you track metrics for your help desk, including ticket escalation. You can now automatically bring tickets into Crewhu to set up contests for the key metrics you’re tracking. These steps help you improve the CSAT and customer experience.
Download Crewhu’s CSAT guide now, The 7 Elements of a Successful CSAT Program. Or, reach out to our team with questions about our platform.
Topics: Customer Service, Customer Service Metrics, Ticket Escalation Metrics
