List of Customer Service Metrics to Track in Dynamics 365
Introduction
Most support teams don’t have a service problem – they have a visibility problem.
Customers complain about “slow service,” but internally, teams don’t know where the delay happens. Is it response time? Escalations? Backlog? Reopened cases? Or agents stuck waiting on approvals?
That’s why customer service metrics matter. Not for reporting. Not for “monthly reviews.”
But because the right metrics in Dynamics 365 tell you exactly what’s breaking your customer experience-before it turns into churn, bad reviews, or lost renewals.
This newsletter is for support managers, team leads, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service users who want a clear list of what to track and why. I’m not going to throw 30 KPIs at you. I’ll share the metrics that actually help you make decisions & how to interpret them in a real support environment.
Let’s get into the list.
1) First Response Time (FRT)
What it tells you: How fast customers get acknowledged after raising a case.
Why I track it: A fast response reduces customer anxiety even if resolution takes time.
Use it for: Fixing routing, queue handling, and agent availability.
Example: If email cases take 6 hours but chat takes 2 minutes, you know where the bottleneck is.
2) SLA Compliance Rate
What it tells you: How often your team meets agreed service timelines.
Why I track it: SLA breaches don’t just break targets-they break trust.
Use it for: Identifying workload imbalance and high-risk case categories.
Pro tip: Track SLA compliance by priority + case type, not just overall.
3) Average Resolution Time (ART)
What it tells you: How long it takes to fully close a case.
Why I track it: It’s the clearest indicator of process efficiency.
Use it for: Spotting slow categories, poor documentation, or excessive handoffs.
Example: If “Billing Issues” take 2 days while “Password Reset” takes 10 minutes, your improvement plan becomes obvious.
4) Case Volume Trend (Daily/Weekly)
What it tells you: Whether demand is increasing, stable, or spiking.
Why I track it: Volume spikes are usually a product issue, not a support issue.
Use it for: Workforce planning and identifying recurring customer pain points.
My opinion: If case volume is rising every month, dashboards won’t save you-root cause fixes will.
5) Case Volume by Channel
What it tells you: Where customers are contacting you from (email, phone, portal, chat).
Why I track it: Channel overload silently kills response time.
Use it for: Improving self-service, shifting traffic, and staffing correctly.
Example: Too many calls = customers can’t find answers online.
6) Backlog Count (Open Cases)
What it tells you: How many cases are pending right now.
Why I track it: Backlog is future churn waiting to happen.
Use it for: Understanding capacity vs demand.
Quick insight: A stable backlog is okay. A growing backlog means you’re losing control.
7) Aging Cases (Cases Stuck Too Long)
What it tells you: How many cases are sitting open beyond a healthy timeframe.
Why I track it: Aging cases create angry customers and stressed agents.
Use it for: Prioritization and escalation discipline.
Example: “High priority cases older than 48 hours” should be visible every single day.
8) Reopen Rate
What it tells you: How often customers come back after a case is marked resolved.
Why I track it: Reopens are a quality score in disguise.
Use it for: Fixing rushed closures, unclear resolutions, or wrong categorization.
My opinion: If reopen rate is high, don’t push agents to close faster-improve resolution quality.
9) First Contact Resolution (FCR)
What it tells you: How many cases get solved without follow-ups or escalations.
Why I track it: High FCR = strong knowledge + strong tools.
Use it for: Measuring support maturity and training impact.
Example: If Tier 1 FCR is low, your knowledge base or scripts need work.
10) Escalation Rate
What it tells you: How often cases move from Tier 1 → Tier 2/Tier 3.
Why I track it: Escalations show where agents lack authority, training, or clarity.
Use it for: Improving SOPs, approval flows, and ownership mapping.
Pro tip: Track escalations by category + agent to spot coaching opportunities.
11) Agent Workload (Active Cases per Agent)
What it tells you: Whether workload is evenly distributed.
Why I track it: Uneven workload = burnout + missed SLAs.
Use it for: Smarter queue assignment and staffing decisions.
Example: If 2 agents hold 60% of open cases, your routing logic needs attention.
12) CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)
What it tells you: How customers feel after support is delivered.
Why I track it: You can meet SLAs and still disappoint customers.
Use it for: Measuring experience, not just speed.
My take: Don’t obsess over the average CSAT-review the lowest scores weekly. That’s where the real truth is.
My “Top 5” Metrics If You Want Fast Improvement
If you track nothing else, start here:
- First Response Time
- SLA Compliance
- Average Resolution Time
- Aging Cases
- Reopen Rate
This combo gives you speed + quality + control in one snapshot.
Conclusion
Dynamics 365 gives you access to a lot of service data-but the goal isn’t tracking more metrics.
The goal is tracking the right metrics that lead to action.
Start with response time, SLA health, resolution speed, backlog aging, and reopen rate.
Once these are stable, you can expand into deeper insights like channel strategy and CSAT trends.
Which one metric do you think your support team should start tracking immediately-and why?