Cost per contact is more useful than agent wage when comparing internal operations, outsourcing and automation.
Inputs can include frontline labor, management, QA/WFM, payroll/benefits, facilities, software, telecom, outsourcing fees, AI and other operating cost.
Cost Per Contact = Total Contact Center Cost / Handled Contacts
Example: $120,000 monthly cost and 40,000 contacts equals $3.00 per contact.
Where possible, calculate voice, chat, email and AI-resolved contacts separately. Also calculate Cost Per Resolved Contact = Total Cost / Resolved Contacts so a low-cost operation with poor resolution does not look artificially efficient.
INTERACTIVE PLANNING MODEL
Run your scenario
Change the assumptions to see the result. Decimal rates use 0.80 for 80%.
PLANNING OUTPUT
$5.00Cost per contact- Cost per resolved contact
- $6.25
Allocate shared overhead explicitly when comparing channels.