Discover the top telecom customer service KPIs – churn, NPS, resolution time & more – to improve satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
Telecom companies operate in one of the most competitive sectors of the marketplace. With a compound annual growth rate of 6.5%, the telecom sector is projected to reach $ 2,874 billion. Much of it is due to the boom in the mobile industry, which now empowers the entire lifestyle of its consumers.
This also brings us to the relevant aspect of looking after the ever-increasing bar of customer satisfaction, which is not without its merits. The industry has the fourth-highest churn rate, after cable, financial services, and general retail, standing at 31%.
These scenarios represent both a big challenge and an opportunity. The cost of acquiring new customers is up to 25 times higher than retaining them. Companies that can reduce customer attrition can see a significant impact on their bottom line.
So, how do telecom companies keep satisfied customers and encourage customer loyalty?
Telecom customer service is a critical variable. With reports citing that as many as 63% of users are willing to leave a brand due to poor customer service, it is now more essential than ever for brands to customize their offerings for their users. That may be why 70% of consumers choose companies that deliver excellent customer service.
So, where do you start?
How do you rate good customer service and improve customer satisfaction scores?
How do you track customer satisfaction to see where to take action and measure improvement?
Why Is It Important to Measure Customer Service KPIs and Metrics for Telecom Companies?
Consumers have wide-open social media platforms to share their experiences in today’s marketplace. A negative experience can damage word-of-mouth referrals, but negative social media posts can amplify the issue to an extent that is difficult to fathom.
According to a report by PwC, one in three consumers (32%) will walk away from a brand they love after just one negative experience, which shows that a brand can never take its customers’ presence or the business they bring lightly.
One survey revealed that after a negative customer service experience, a substantial 73% of Telecom customers shared negative opinions about the company with friends, family, or colleagues, and 22% of them shared their experience on social media channels.
And beneath all the unsatisfactory experiences that deter customers, it all boils down to a simple principle of customer service management that needs to be addressed. From shortening wait times to increasing omnichannel integration for faster support, maintaining a lower number of waiting customers, automating processes, and upskilling representatives are a few of the pillars that empower a business for the long run.
And the success mantra starts by keeping track of related KPIs.
Below are five key performance indicators that are part of a unified customer experience and, to some extent, are directly related to one another, forming a perfect framework for customer experience.
7 Top Telecom Customer Service KPIs
While many businesses can track numerous metrics and collect a large amount of data, key performance indicators (KPIs) are the metrics that truly move the needle in the industry. They portray a picture that is directly linked to a company’s upcoming performance and are crucial to achieving business goals. It is “a quantifiable performance measure for a specific objective over time.” The key to that is the “specific objective” part.
KPIs aren’t metrics collected just for the sake of data. KPIs are tied to milestones and targets, providing a common ground for comparison among different stakeholders to track performance metrics.
Once reviewed, KPIs can provide a clear picture of how a company’s plans and current framework are actually effective within the current structure, and if necessary, identify any changes that need to be implemented.
KPI# 1: Customer Churn
We define customer churn as the number of customers that leave a company divided by the total number of customers. It’s arguably an essential service KPI because the company loses out on the lifetime value of that customer. In today’s competitive landscape, acquiring customers has become significantly more expensive, requiring rigorous campaigning, marketing support, and substantial financial investment. Also, having a solid existing customer base represents a significant source of future revenue.
A report from the Harvard Business School claims that a 5% increase in customer retention rates, on average, results in a 25% – 95% increase in profits.
So, what are the top reasons that make a customer leave?
- 51% reported that they had to call more than once to resolve their issue.
- While 37% thought that the agents were unprofessional or hostile, this reiterated the need for customer representatives’ continuous training practices.
- Customers like to help themselves. When forced to wait on hold or for a simple request they could handle themselves, 14% will consider leaving, as they feel that the provided customer support is inferior, or simply put, subpar.
- Lastly, no one likes to dwell on negative feedback, but customer complaint analytics are essential. If a user feels that even after receiving continuous feedback, the process still lags behind industry standards, they’ll switch to better offerings.
KPI #2: Net Promoter Score (NPS)
The net promoter score measures how likely a customer is to recommend your company to family, friends, or colleagues. And, if you’re wondering whether it actually works, you’ll be convinced further to know that two-thirds of the Fortune 1000 companies use this metric.
We calculate the Net Promoter Score by aggregating individual results and measuring the percentage of customers in each group.
Because it predicts referrals and renewals (or the likelihood of customer attrition), it is a valuable KPI that is very simple to collect, and for most companies, it is just a survey away.
The question looks similar to this one:
On a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend [company name] to your friends, family, or business associates?”
The NPS groups customers into different groups based on their scores:
Score value 9 – 10: Promoters are valuable for word-of-mouth referrals.
Score value 7 – 8: Passives who are unlikely to say much either way.
Score value 6 or below – Detractors who are actively upset and share negative opinions about their real and virtual networks.
To improve the NPS score, companies need to focus on transparency and delivering on services as they advertised.
Some of the most common methods to collect data for NPS survey include:
- Personalize emails: Reach out and survey customers at strategic points in the customer journey.
- Include Detailed Question: Try to figure out what your customer likes without sounding invasive.
- Make it human: Customers don’t entertain staple interactions that a chatbot can have. Do give a human touch to the conversation you intend to have with your user base. A human agent connecting for feedback is a more pragmatic approach.
KPI#3: Average Resolution Time
Average Resolution Time is the average time it takes support agents to resolve all open tickets within a defined timeframe. The formula is:
Average Resolution Time = total resolution time for all tickets solved / # of tickets solved.
It’s an improvement process that allows businesses to take corrective measures to ensure that the most efficient method is used to meet customers’ expectations.
This also gives you a nuanced approach to understanding the process beyond just numbers.
Like when measuring on a per-agent basis allows you to see who takes longer to solve tickets, but that doesn’t always mean that agent is less competent. Factors such as the complexity of the issue and the number of agents available in the time frame can influence ART.
Like with NPS, it’s helpful to look at the human context behind the data. Looking at Average Resolution Time in isolation may lead to incorrect assumptions. A faster resolution does not always mean a happier customer.
So, how exactly do these situations unfold?
Sometimes the end result depends on how quickly the follow-up is made. Two customers can have the same outcome, yet one will be much happier because the agent kept them informed about the progress of their case. Even if a customer’s issue took longer to resolve, they have a better opinion of the company simply because there was follow-up throughout the process.
Anyone who has ever waited at the airport for a delayed flight knows that it feels better to be kept updated than to be left wondering. It doesn’t change when the flight arrives, but it does change the mindset of the passengers.
Updates reassure customers and help them feel like they have some control over the situation.
Which brings us to another aspect, a related metric to ART is Average call hold time, which says that putting customers on hold can be injurious to a business’s health.
Email responses, too, are expected under a quick timeline.
Research has found that 62% of businesses didn’t even attempt to respond to customers’ emails, and those who did, took their own sweet time, from 12 hours to 8 days.
Clearly, not the metric you want when you want to make a strong presence in the market.
KPI #4: Number of Tickets Per Channel
The number of tickets per channel is a straightforward metric that measures the volume of support tickets over time. Tracking this KPI enables stakeholders to be mindful of which channel needs proper resource allocation and which ones are performing to the best of their ability.
What it can also help with is letting the company know the average time a user spends on each channel. All this can contribute towards customers who sometimes prefer self-help options (knowledge base, FAQs) over channels with direct interaction, especially when it comes to minor queries. The fact backs this, that to seek faster resolution, 67% prefer self-help options before checking in with customer support.
KPI #5: Number of Resolved Tickets
This KPI refers to the number of tickets an agent or customer service team resolves within a specified time frame. Much like tracking the KPI for the number of tickets per channel, monitoring this KPI over time can help you identify trends in the operations you have in place.
For instance, comparing the number of resolved tickets to the total number of new tickets allows you to compare team performance week over week.
Alternatively, if there is a consistent uptick in unresolved tickets, it may indicate that your customer support team is understaffed or requires additional training. With the industry standard for first-contact resolution being 70%, the KPI helps you stay proactive in achieving customer excellence.
KPI #6: Time to Resolution (TTR)
Time to Resolution measures the total elapsed time from when a customer raises an issue to when it is fully resolved. Unlike Average Resolution Time, which averages across multiple tickets, TTR focuses on the customer’s experience of how long they wait for closure.
Why it matters for telecoms:
In a sector where outages, billing errors, or network disruptions can directly impact a customer’s daily life, a long resolution timeline is one of the fastest ways to trigger churn. Customers may tolerate a delay if they’re updated frequently, but unresolved issues create a perception of incompetence and unreliability.
Key insights:
- Measuring TTR across different issue categories (billing, technical, service outages) helps telecoms prioritize where process improvements are most urgent.
- Reducing TTR often requires AI-driven ticket triage and better integration with engineering/field ops teams to avoid back-and-forth delays.
Improvement levers:
- Automate repetitive queries (e.g., SIM activation, plan changes) to shorten resolution timelines.
- Create priority queues for high-impact tickets (like service outages) so they’re resolved faster than low-priority issues.
- Use predictive analytics to flag tickets likely to escalate, ensuring faster intervention before customer frustration peaks.
KPI #7: First Call Resolution (FCR)
First Call Resolution tracks the percentage of customer queries that are successfully resolved in the very first interaction—without the need for a follow-up call, escalation, or repeat contact.
Why it matters for telecoms:
In telecom, where customers often reach out for urgent issues like dropped connections, billing discrepancies, or SIM/network failures, resolving concerns immediately is a major driver of customer satisfaction. Every additional call or transfer increases frustration and raises the risk of churn.
Key insights:
- Industry studies suggest that 60–75% FCR is considered strong, but best-in-class telecom companies push this above 80%.
- According to SQM Group, for every 1% improvement in FCR, companies see a 1% improvement in CSAT.
- High FCR also reduces operational costs since it lowers repeat call volume and pressure on support teams.
Improvement levers:
- Equip frontline agents with real-time knowledge bases and AI-assist tools to provide instant, accurate answers.
- Reduce transfers by empowering agents with multi-system access (billing, CRM, network monitoring) in a unified interface.
- Track repeat-call analytics to identify recurring issues or gaps in training/product information.
How Can Telecom Customer Service KPIs Be Improved?
While each KPI will respond to tailored strategies, the general advice is to be proactive. It is harder to lure a customer back after cancellation than to convince them to stay or keep them happy in the first place.
With businesses generally missing the mark in capturing customers who have had a bad experience by a substantial 38%, the repercussions go far beyond the revenue.
To course correct, companies can put in extra effort by offering customized plans and services to users, which can elevate customer satisfaction by 20% to 40%. Creating strategies that are more data-driven rather than relying on whimsical gut feelings enables stakeholders to make the most of the presented opportunity efficiently.
Another aspect is to simplify the entire customer journey by making billing cycles transparent and delivering services as promised. This brings us to one of the most essential pillars that should be kept as the foremost principle: paying heed to what customers have to say about your services.
Companies that actively seek out reviews of their services continue to evolve in response to the demands of their user base. Such proactivity helps the business stay ahead of the curve while matching the metrics of peak customer service levels.
For a business to stay relevant, its first and foremost requirement is to look beyond its conversion goals and focus on customer service and retention policies. In the day and age where options are just a click away over the internet, it becomes doubly important to restore faith in a customer service process that values the time of its customers and consistently delivers exceptional services. The KPIs mentioned are core pillars that continue to help a business evolve through changing times, expectations, and its own scalability objectives. These practices help a brand become closer to its customer base, backed by a substantial recall value.
FAQs
- What are the most important KPIs for telecom customer service?
The top KPIs include Customer Churn, Net Promoter Score (NPS), Average Resolution Time (ART), Number of Tickets per Channel, and Number of Resolved Tickets. These metrics help companies track performance and improve customer satisfaction, while also refining internal processes to maintain better efficiency over time. - How do telecom companies measure Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
Companies design surveys seeking responses from users across various categories. These questions are answered on a scale of 1-10, grouped into promoters, passives, and detractors, allowing the final NPS score to be calculated based on averages. - How can telecom companies reduce customer support wait times?
Companies can expand the scale of their customer service process by investing in omnichannel support, automating routine queries, upskilling agents, and providing robust self-help resources, such as a knowledge base. Additionally, introducing a chatbot into customer service can help stakeholders handle routine queries more effectively. - How can customer service become more interactive with its users?Agents can incorporate a more welcoming tone for their users with positive vocabulary. This helps customers feel a sense of empathy, giving them the impression that it’s a conversation happening, rather than a simple feedback call seeking standard responses.
- Can customer service improve brand recall value?
Yes. A customer service process through proactive engagement, transparent billing, regular feedback collection, and personalized communication can improve KPIs like churn, NPS, and resolution time to build a better brand recall.