Not all calls should be answered at the same speed.
Treating them the same will inflate your staffing costs.
Here’s how I segment service levels across the 3 main call types:
New customers and new patients: 20 seconds
First impressions are everything. A long wait on a first call sends one message: we don’t want your business. Route these to a dedicated queue and answer them fast.
Existing customer service: 45 seconds
Once someone is already a customer, they’ll wait a little longer. The window is 30-60 seconds, with 45 seconds being the sweet spot between customer expectations and cost.
Tech support: 3-6 minutes
Customers have been conditioned to wait longer for technical help. That patience gives you significantly more scheduling flexibility. Which matters because tech support agents are usually your most expensive.
Most contact centers apply one standard to every call.
But every call type has a tolerance threshold
And your staffing should reflect that.
Staff above it and you’re overspending. Staff below it and you’re losing customers.
Get it right and cost and quality improve at the same time.
I’m Mark Danielson, and I help healthcare leaders reduce support costs while improving patient satisfaction.
Follow me for practical insights on cutting contact center costs, improving service quality, and modernizing operations without the tradeoffs.
