Done-First Customer Service: How to Achieve First-Contact Resolution Consistently

What “Done-First” Means and Why It Matters

“Done-first” customer service is the operational goal of resolving a customer’s issue on the first interaction — whether that interaction is a phone call, chat session, email, or self-service transaction — with no repeat contacts required. In practice this is measured as First-Contact Resolution (FCR), typically expressed as a percentage of contacts resolved on first touch. Typical benchmarks vary by industry: expect 70–85% for simple retail inquiries, 60–75% for financial services, and 50–65% for complex technical support environments as of 2024.

The business impact is tangible. Repeat contacts drive cost and churn: a single repeat contact can cost an organization anywhere from $6–$12 when handled by a live agent and $0.25–$1 when handled via effective self-service. Improving FCR by 5–10 percentage points often reduces overall contact volumes by the same margin and can lift Net Promoter Score (NPS) by several points. For a contact center handling 100,000 contacts per year, a 10% reduction in repeat contacts can save roughly $60,000–$120,000 annually in variable costs alone.

Key Metrics and Benchmarks

Measure and report a core set of metrics weekly: FCR (%), Average Handle Time (AHT) in seconds, Average Speed of Answer (ASA) in seconds, Contact Volume by channel, and Customer Effort Score (CES). Aim for these targets as starting points: FCR 75% (company-wide), AHT 300–600 seconds for complex issues, ASA less than 60 seconds for priority queues. Track trends quarterly and drill into issue-level FCR (by product and by agent).

Use a combination of objective and subjective measures. Objective FCR is measured by whether a ticket reopened within a defined window (commonly 7 or 14 days). Subjective FCR comes from post-interaction surveys asking “Was your issue resolved today?” Combine both to avoid false positives. Implement dashboards with daily refresh and automated alerts when FCR dips more than 3 percentage points versus baseline.

Operational Playbook: People, Process, Technology

People: Recruit for problem-solving skills and product knowledge rather than script reading. Expect onboarding of 6–8 weeks for front-line agents in moderate-complexity businesses and 12+ weeks for technical support roles. Invest 16–24 hours of classroom and 40 hours of supervised side-by-side coaching per new agent in the first 90 days. Compensation should reward first-contact outcomes: include a modest 5–15% variable component tied to FCR and quality scores.

Process: Standardize triage and escalation flows. Create an “own and finish” policy where the initial agent is accountable to closure or to hand off with a documented plan within 24 hours. Define root-cause categories and hold weekly 60-minute RCA (root-cause analysis) sessions for the top 10 repeat reasons. Maintain a living knowledge base with versioned articles and a monthly review cadence.

Technology Stack and Typical Costs

• Core ticketing and CRM: Zendesk (Support Suite) $49–$199 per agent/month, Salesforce Service Cloud $75–$300 per user/month — choose based on integration needs (order management, billing).
• Telephony and omnichannel: Cloud telephony platforms (e.g., Twilio, Amazon Connect) typically $0.01–$0.05 per minute + per-user fees; expect $20–$60 per agent/month software add-on.
• Self-service and automation: Chatbots and FAQ platforms $500–$5,000/month depending on traffic; AI-assist tools for agents (real-time suggested replies) $30–$120 per agent/month.
• Analytics and QA: Speech-to-text and interaction analytics $1,000–$10,000/month depending on volume; workforce management (WFM) tools $2–$10 per agent/month.
• Integration and implementation: One-time professional services typically $10,000–$150,000 depending on complexity (ERP/OMS integrations, single sign-on, custom APIs).

Tactical Actions to Improve FCR (Checklist)

• Audit top 5 repeat reasons and publish a one-page remediation plan with owners and deadlines (7–14 days).
• Deploy focused micro-training: 90-minute weekly sessions on top 3 issue types for 8 weeks and measure agent improvement.
• Ensure knowledge base coverage: 95% of top-20 customer queries must have a validated KB article with step-by-step resolution and average resolution time noted.
• Implement “swarm” escalation: if unresolved after 10 minutes escalate to a 2nd-level SME within 30 minutes during business hours.
• Introduce post-contact surveys with a single FCR question and target a 30% survey response rate within 14 days.

Implementation Roadmap and Sample 12-Week Budget

12-week phased rollout: Weeks 1–2: baseline measurement (collect 90 days of contact data), define top 10 repeat reasons, and prioritize fixes. Weeks 3–6: implement quick wins (KB publishing, micro-training, routing rules). Weeks 7–10: deploy technology changes (CRM fields, automation, bot rework). Weeks 11–12: pilot measurement, adjust SLAs, and scale changes center-wide.

Sample budget for a 50-agent mid-market contact center (12-month amortized): software licenses $60–$150 per agent/month = $36,000–$90,000/year; implementation services $25,000 one-time; coaching/training $12,000/year; analytics + QA $18,000/year. Total first-year investment typically $91,000–$145,000. With conservative savings from 8% fewer repeat contacts at $8 average repeat cost, the annual operating savings for 100,000 contacts is $64,000 — payback often within 12–18 months when factoring improved retention and NPS.

Monitoring, Continuous Improvement, and ROI

Set a formal governance cadence: daily operations huddles, weekly RCA and trend meetings, and a monthly steering committee that reviews FCR, CES, agent attrition, and financial impact. Use A/B testing for process changes (e.g., different escalation thresholds or knowledge-base formats) and require statistically significant lift (p<0.05) before full rollout.

ROI is measured with a blended lens: direct contact-cost savings, churn reduction, and lifetime value (LTV) gains from better experiences. Example: reducing churn by 0.5 percentage points on a customer base of 50,000 with average LTV $1,200 yields a revenue preservation of $300,000 annually — far exceeding contact-center-only cost savings. Report both short-term operational KPIs and the longer-term revenue impacts in quarterly business reviews.

Getting Started

Begin with a 6–12 week pilot: pick a single product line or customer segment responsible for 20–25% of volume, measure baseline FCR and costs, implement the playbook above, and target a 10-point FCR improvement. Document every change, the owner, and the measured impact. If you want a checklist to hand your operations team, save the two lists above as milestone-driven tasks and assign them to owners with deadlines.

For vendor research start pages, visit supplier sites: https://www.zendesk.com, https://www.salesforce.com, https://www.twilio.com. For template artifacts (KB article templates, RCA forms, training agendas) create a single shared drive and require version control; expect to spend 40–80 hours of internal time to assemble and validate the first set of artifacts.

How do I cancel my done first membership?

However, you may cancel your Subscription at any time by logging into your account [donefirst.com](http://donefirst.com) We reserve the right to issue refunds or credits at our sole discretion.

Can ADHD online prescribe Adderall?

Healthcare professionals authorized to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth can provide a prescription for Adderall online after a detailed health assessment. Adderall has specific side effects and risks. Remember to discuss them with your physician before starting treatment.

Is Doneadhd legit?

Done is an online ADHD platform that provides medication management for individuals 18+. Initial evaluations with Done cost $299 and ongoing membership costs $79 monthly. Insurance is not accepted. Done earned 2.5 stars out of 5 overall during our independent review of their services.

What is the refund policy for done first?

What is your refund policy? You may request a refund up to 48 hours before your appointment by emailing us at [email protected] to cancel your appointment. There are no refunds issued for appointments that are canceled or rescheduled within 48 hours of an appointment time.

How long does Adderall stay in your system?

While most of the drug is eliminated within 36-70 hours of use, urine could test positive for up to 4 days. Hair testing involves collecting a hair sample from an individual and testing the hair follicles for Adderall’s metabolites. Hair testing allows for the longest window of time to detect drug use, up to 3 months.

How do I contact DoneFirst?

Please email: [email protected] if further assistance is needed.