Depending on the nature of your business, you could be operating an inbound or an outbound call centre or both. Inbound centres primarily deal with customer queries, complaints, and grievances, providing support services and resolution. While the support performed function performed by inbound centres could lead to sales indirectly, the top priority is to serve and not to sell.
Outbound centres, on the other hand, are primarily sales-focused (although there are other use cases as well, like follow-ups or debt collection). Outbound agents could even be compensated based on the sales volume they generate, apart from their hourly/monthly wages.
Both these contact centre types measure call duration as a core agent performance KPI.
What is the Difference Between the Definition of Sales vs. Service Call Duration?
In a sales-focused outbound contact centre, call duration will be measured very differently from an inbound, service-focused one.
Call duration for sales interactions is defined as the interval between the moment the customer or prospect picks up the phone to the moment when either party disconnects the call. The initiation of the call depends on the prospect/customer, but the agent can choose to terminate it and shorten the call duration as per their discretion.
Call duration for service interactions is the opposite, as it refers to the interval between the moment the agent picks up the phone to the moment when the customer chooses to disconnect.
Is There a Difference Between the Length of Sales vs. Service Calls?
The short answer is YES.
The duration of sales calls can vary wildly depending on the prospect’s unique circumstances, the nature of the product, and the agent’s selling skills. Industry estimates suggest that an outbound call can last anywhere between two and ten minutes.
Service calls, on the other hand, tend to be more homogenous, barring the occasional outlier. As agents handle similar queries/complaints day in and day out, they form a tried-and-tested calling pattern, leading to more consistency.
According to estimates, the average duration for inbound calls in the first half of 2020 was 228 seconds or 3.8 minutes.
What is the Difference Between the “Perfect” Sales Call Duration vs. Service?
Service calls typically try to achieve the perfect balance between speed and per call efficacy. Shorter call durations, while solving the customer issue, can help agents process more calls in a short period of time and drive up profitability for the business.
That’s why most inbound contact centres have a call duration threshold, beyond which it would be inefficient for the agent to stay on with the same call. If the issue isn’t resolved, calls are typically handed over to a differently skilled agent or a supervisor.
In contrast, longer sales calls aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it means that the agent has successfully engaged with the prospect, captured their attention, and started a dialogue. Outbound contact centres are more likely to set a call volume and conversion threshold instead of focusing on call duration.
Apart from this, you can use contact centre software to measure both call types, and call duration continues to be a popular indicator of performance for both sales and support services.
