Metrics — Glossary

What is Abandonment Rate?

Call Abandonment Rate

Definition

Call Abandonment Rate is the percentage of inbound calls where the caller hangs up before reaching an agent. It is calculated as: Abandonment Rate = (Abandoned Calls / Total Inbound Calls) x 100. For outbound predictive dialing, abandonment rate refers to calls answered by a person but not connected to an agent within 2 seconds.

Why Abandonment Rate Matters for Insurance

High abandonment rates directly translate to lost revenue. For inbound insurance call centers, every abandoned call is a potential lost sale or dissatisfied customer. For outbound predictive dialing, the TCPA mandates a maximum 3% abandonment rate—exceeding this can result in significant fines. Industry benchmarks target 5-8% for inbound and under 3% for outbound.

Key Points

Inbound benchmark: 5-8% (lower is better)
Outbound predictive dialing: must stay under 3% per TCPA
Affected by staffing levels, call routing efficiency, and queue management
High abandonment = lost revenue and potential TCPA violations
Can be reduced with callback options, better staffing, and improved routing

How AgentTech Handles Abandonment Rate

AgentTech monitors abandonment rates in real-time with automatic alerts when approaching thresholds. For predictive dialing, the pacing algorithm maintains abandonment under 3%. For inbound calls, intelligent queue management, estimated wait time announcements, and callback options keep abandonment rates low.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The TCPA requires that no more than 3% of answered outbound calls be abandoned (not connected to a live agent within 2 seconds). Exceeding this limit can result in fines of $500-$1,500 per call.

Reduce abandonment rate by improving staffing levels, implementing callback queues, optimizing call routing, providing estimated wait times, and using skills-based routing to reduce transfers.

See Abandonment Rate in Action

AgentTech Dialer puts these concepts to work. Try AgentTech Dialer today.