Call Center Costs a Mystery for Many IT Service Desks

In these days of shrinking bottom lines and the absolute imperative that is profit, it's surprising to hear any report that suggests that anyone doesn't at least have some idea of where the money goes. But recent research from Pink Elephant and The Service Desk Institute suggests that not only are a large number of IT desks unclear about their costs, but that additional call center training may be a big step toward fixing that problem.

The survey reveals that 78 percent of IT service desks don't know how much each call they handle actually costs, and worse yet, only eight percent of surveyed respondents even measure the cost of calls transferred to second line support. Even Pink Elephant, who in part conducted the survey of 10,000 IT service management professionals, was astonished at the results, saying they may well even be higher than indicated due to the expense of bringing in the necessary expertise to measure such costs.

But, as Pink Elephant elaborated, knowing such costs is absolutely vital in terms of future planning, investment, winning future business, and several other factors that directly affect the company bottom line. Justifying additional call center training for first-line responders, meanwhile, may be much easier when the costs of transferring to second-line support are revealed. After all, the less transferring that's done, the lower need of a second-line support team, and then possibilities for scaling back second-line support become possible and potentially even beneficial.

Moreover, competing businesses, like managed service providers and outsourcers, already have an idea of cost per call, as it's a primary tool used by these types of business to win new clients. Thus, understanding a business' own cost per call will allow for improved ability to compete in the marketplace.