Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the specific, measurable metrics a support team tracks to judge how well it’s performing. In customer support, common KPIs include CSAT, First Response Time, First Call Resolution, Average Handle Time, and Net Promoter Score — each capturing a different angle of quality, speed, or efficiency.
No single KPI tells the whole story on its own. Support teams typically track a small set together, since optimizing for one in isolation, like speed, can quietly hurt another, like resolution quality.
Common Customer Support KPIs
- CSAT — satisfaction with a specific interaction
- First Response Time (FRT) — how fast the first reply goes out
- First Call Resolution (FCR) — whether the issue was solved on the first contact
- Average Handle Time (AHT) — how long interactions take on average
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) — overall customer loyalty to the brand
Why KPIs Matter
- Give an objective way to evaluate an internal or outsourced support team
- Make it possible to spot trends before they become bigger problems
- Provide a shared language between a business and its outsourcing partner
- Form the basis for most service level agreements (SLAs)
KPIs vs SLA
A KPI is simply a metric being measured. An SLA is a contractual commitment built around specific KPI targets — for example, an SLA might require a first response time KPI to stay under two hours. Not every KPI a team tracks is written into an SLA, but every SLA is built from KPIs.
When Businesses Define Support KPIs
- Setting up a new internal or outsourced support team
- Negotiating a contract or SLA with an outsourcing provider
- Diagnosing where a support operation is underperforming
- Reporting support performance to leadership or the broader business
Track the Metrics That Matter
Helplama reports on the KPIs that matter most to your business, with regular reviews built into every engagement. See how we measure performance.