Service managers are the unsung heroes of any organization. They know their customers and their needs — and can leverage this knowledge.
Are you a service manager? Then you’re an unsung hero. Truly! You possess a superpower: an in-depth understanding of your customers and their needs. Your department doesn’t just address daily issues, large and small; it also offers immense revenue potential in after-sales. From modern spare parts shops and field service management to multi-channel customer support and trending topics like AI and the metaverse, service managers face a barrage of new demands. Many wonder: How will the service landscape evolve to be both efficient and future-proof?
A data-driven perspective on customers and their interactions (whether through employee interactions or other digital touchpoints) across systems provides a powerful solution. Each organization is unique, of course, but based on experience, the following seven KPIs are crucial for many B2B companies:
1. First Time Fix Rate (Remote and On-Site)
The First Time Fix Rate measures the effectiveness of service personnel by calculating the percentage of support issues successfully resolved at the first customer interaction. This metric serves as a key indicator of customer satisfaction: a high rate suggests most issues are resolved immediately, while a lower rate may signal repeated contacts or unresolved issues. To calculate, service managers track the number of first-contact resolutions relative to the total number of service requests.
2. Total Processing Times for Tickets Across Involved Teams:
This KPI measures the total time taken by various teams to complete a ticket or service request. Tracking this duration helps identify bottlenecks or inefficient workflows, ultimately aiming to improve service quality. Service managers can collect and add up processing times for each team involved to determine the overall completion time.
3. Service Requests by Category
This KPI categorizes and quantifies the types of service requests or issues customers encounter. By analyzing this data, service managers can spot patterns and trends and implement targeted improvements. Requests may be classified by categories such as technical issues, product information, or complaints. Service managers can track and assess the volume of requests in each category.
4. Anzahl der Serviceanfragen (pro Tag/Woche/Monat/Jahr)
Tracking the total number of incoming service requests over a set period reveals insights into service volume and staff workload. Service managers can monitor request volumes by day, week, month, or year to better allocate resources and prevent bottlenecks.
5. Employee Utilization Rates
- Technicians: Travel Time vs. Work Time / Job-Related Time vs. Non-Job-Related Time
This metric measures technicians’ workload by examining effective work time relative to other activities, such as travel or administrative tasks. By tracking and analyzing work and travel times, service managers can optimize technician productivity, identify bottlenecks, and improve efficiency.
- Support Staff Utilization
This KPI evaluates support staff utilization by comparing available customer support time against actual time spent. It allows service managers to assess support team capacity and plan resources accordingly. By distinguishing between job-related and non-job-related times, support staff utilization can be optimized.
6. Erfüllung der SLA-Zeiten
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) define contractual expectations for response or resolution times. This KPI measures how well the service team meets these SLA standards, helping ensure quality and achieve agreed-upon service goals. Service managers can track SLA compliance across various service requests to monitor performance and improve where necessary.
7. Up- and Cross-Selling Success
This metric tracks the effectiveness of up-selling and cross-selling efforts by service personnel. It assesses the success of selling additional products or services — such as maintenance contracts or upgrades — to existing customers. Service managers can monitor the volume of successful up-selling and cross-selling transactions to evaluate sales performance and identify improvement opportunities.
Additional KPIs Worth Tracking Include:
- Average ticket turnaround time
- Average cost per request
- Top 5 most used spare parts
- Escalated tickets
- Percentage of support costs relative to revenue