Which metric is most directly associated with reducing contact center costs by improving first contact resolution?

• A. Average Handle Time
• B. First Call Resolution
• C. Time to Answer
• D. Service-Level Agreements

Answer: (B)

Resolving customer issues on the first contact reduces the need for follow-ups, callbacks, or escalations, which directly cuts the workload the center must handle for each problem. When issues are solved in one interaction, agents spend less time handling repeat contacts, and overall support costs go down because there are fewer cases to reopen, fewer handoffs, and less queue volume to manage. Other metrics don’t track this direct cost impact: average handle time measures how long an interaction takes but doesn’t guarantee the issue is fixed the first time; time to answer focuses on how quickly customers are answered but not on resolution success; and service-level agreements set targets for response and service quality rather than measuring cost savings from first-contact fixes. So the metric that most directly links to reducing costs through higher first-contact resolution is the rate of issues resolved on the first contact.