First Contact Resolution (FCR) measures a support team's ability to fully resolve a customer's issue in a single interaction, regardless of channel. It is consistently cited in industry research as one of the strongest drivers of both CSAT and cost efficiency.
Common measurement approaches:
- Agent-flagged: the agent marks the case as resolved at close
- Customer-confirmed: a post-contact survey asks "Was your issue resolved today?"
- Repeat contact proxy: tracking whether the same customer reopens or contacts again within a defined window (e.g., 7 days)
Why it matters: Every contact that requires a follow-up doubles (or more) the cost of that interaction and frustrates the customer. A 1% improvement in FCR typically produces measurable drops in repeat contact volume.
FCR should be segmented by channel, issue type, and team to surface where process or knowledge gaps are causing unnecessary repeat contacts.