20 Min
Updated October 2026
To reduce repeat calls, fix the contact that causes the second one: resolve the issue on the first contact, route it to an agent who can answer it, and never make the customer repeat themselves. The seven fixes below cover routing, a single source of knowledge, self-service, feedback, first call resolution, callbacks and last agent routing.
Customers expect fast and accurate resolutions for their problems. If you fail to deliver this, they will likely call back multiple times, more annoyed with each call. Here enters the vicious cycle of repeat calls.
Repeat callers are already disappointed in your product and customer service. The anger they vent on calls demoralizes the agents and impedes their ability to address customer problems quickly.
This, in turn, hampers the call center’s overall productivity and diminishes the quality of the customer experience. This blog will discuss a few practical steps you can implement to minimize repeat calls at your contact center.
Table of contents
Who are Repeat Callers, and What is repeat call analysis?
The term “repeat callers” refers to individuals who contact or call customer service multiple times to find solutions related to the product/service.
In customer service, repeat calls indicate unresolved issues, dissatisfaction with customer service, or a need for additional assistance.
Understanding the reasons behind repeat calls will help call centers:
- Improve customer satisfaction
- Reduce operational cost
- Enhance agent productivity
- Increase first call resolution
- Facilitate internal training and process improvement
Dialpad analyzed 30 days of data from more than 5,000 call centers across 28 industries and found that, on average, 32% of inbound calls come from repeat callers. Those repeat callers dial 3.4 times within 30 days and talk to agents at least 3.16 times in a month, which is just over three conversations a month.
This is where repeat call analysis plays a crucial role. Repeat call analysis in a call center is the process of analyzing data and identifying the reasons behind these calls.
The analysis provides valuable insights that help you uncover and resolve the core problems causing repeat calls.
Reduce Call Volume By 46% With Knowmax
What are the top 7 ways to reduce repeat calls?
Your strategy to address the increasing number of repeat calls should be as per your repeat call analysis report. The problems and solutions you devise can differ from those of other call centers. What works for one call center cannot be the foundation for others.
The table lists each fix against the cause of repeat calls it addresses.
| Fix | Cause of repeat calls it addresses |
|---|---|
| 1. Skill-based call routing | The call reaches an agent without the expertise to resolve it |
| 2. A single source of knowledge | Agents give inconsistent or incomplete answers |
| 3. A self-service directory | Simple issues that customers could solve without an agent |
| 4. Customer feedback | The triggers behind repeat calls stay unknown |
| 5. Accurate answers to improve FCR | The issue is not resolved on the first call |
| 6. The callback technique | Customers abandon long queues and call again |
| 7. Last agent routing | Customers repeat their story to a new agent each time |
1. Implement Skill-Based Call Routing
The expertise of agents varies. So, it becomes crucial to connect the customer with the right service agent to resolve their issues quickly.
The focus should be on accurately identifying customer issues and diverting the call to the suitable agent with the knowledge and expertise to resolve them.
Correct call routing leads to faster problem resolution, which ensures customer satisfaction and increases call center productivity.
To achieve this, call centers should focus on implementing skill-based call routing strategies.
2. Create a Single Source of Knowledge
A centralized knowledge base (see what a knowledge base is) consolidates all relevant information in a unified place. The knowledge base acts as a single source of truth for agents, where they get access to consistent and actionable knowledge.
This enables them to quickly find the correct contextual information and resolve customer queries with accuracy. Mistake-proof faster resolution of customer complaints results in higher CSAT scores, productivity, and fewer repeat calls.
Watch How Jupiter Nailed its CX with a Robust Knowledge Base:
3. Build a Comprehensive Self-Service Directory
Self-service only reduces repeat calls when customers can actually solve the problem there, because a customer who fails online usually calls in next.
A self-service directory helps customers find the right solution for their problem with just a few clicks. It enables them to resolve their issues without the need to contact a service agent.
Further, customers find self-service far more convenient than explaining the issues to an agent on call, which takes time and effort.
However, a seamless and successful self-service experience needs the backing of a relevant and consistent knowledge base.
An effective knowledge base software converges all information through FAQs, articles, and next best action workflows. This makes it easy for customers to browse and find the correct solution quickly.
Here’s How You Can Build Your Own Self-Service Portal
4. Utilize Customer Feedback to Improve Agent Performance
A customer feedback system lets you determine what triggers the repeat calls. Whether it’s inaccurate solutions, delays, or any other inefficiency, you will know the problems compelling customers to call repeatedly.
Later, you can analyze this data to modify your customer service strategies and training resources. You can use the insights to train agents on how to solve customer issues promptly and avoid repeat calls.
5. Offer Accurate Answers to Improve FCR
SQM Group puts the industry standard for a good FCR rate at 70% to 79%, and world-class at 80% or higher. At 70%, three in ten customers must call back about the same problem, so a call center below that level needs improvement. Our guide to first contact resolution covers the metric in detail.
Solving customer queries promptly on the first call equals high customer satisfaction, lower repeat calls, and support costs.
To bolster FCR (this guide to improving first call resolution with knowledge management goes deeper), employ strategies such as presenting customer details to agents beforehand, refining call routing, and empowering agents with the right knowledge and training to handle diverse scenarios.
Find Out How This Fintech Unicorn Increased Its FCR By 12%
6. Use the Callback Technique
Customers dislike waiting in line, and a callback option lets them skip the queue without losing their place.
You can set up a system on your website, customer chatbot, or on-call, enabling them to schedule the call at a preferred time.
The callback technique does two things.
Firstly, it avoids customers’ frustration and displeasure with the support services.
Secondly, the callback system tracks customer contact details and creates a streamlined virtual call queue with estimated wait times.
7. Implement Last Agent Routing Systems
The most frustrating thing for a customer is to explain the same thing to every new agent repeatedly.
The customer gets annoyed and ends up venting their anger on agents. This puts a hold on their complaint resolution. Plus, the business suffers due to poor customer experience.
The last agent routing system sends the customer back to the agent who handled them previously. This way, customers don’t have to share the same information again. Instead, they can continue the complaint resolution process from where they left off.
This saves time, increases service quality, and enables agents and customers to find the right solution quickly.
Improve FCR By 21% With Knowmax
How do you calculate the repeat call rate?
The repeat call rate, sometimes written RCR, is the share of contacts that come from a customer who already contacted you about the same issue within a set window. The formula is simple: repeat contacts in the period divided by total contacts in the period, multiplied by 100.
Here is an illustration with made-up numbers. A contact center takes 10,000 calls in a month. Of those, 1,800 are from customers who called about the same issue within the previous 7 days. The repeat call rate is 1,800 divided by 10,000, which is 18%. Your own figure will differ, so treat the 18% as a worked example and not a benchmark.
Three choices change the answer, so write them down before comparing months or teams.
| Choice | Common options | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Window | 7 days, 14 days or 30 days | A short window catches failed fixes; a long one also catches new problems and inflates the rate |
| Match key | Phone number, customer ID or ticket reference | Phone number misses customers who call from a second line; customer ID needs reliable identification at the start of the call |
| Issue match | Same reason code, or any contact | Same-reason is more accurate but depends on agents coding calls consistently |
| Channels | Phone only, or phone plus chat, email and social | Phone only misses customers who switch channel after a failed contact |
Which three fixes do teams add to the seven above?
The seven fixes cover routing, knowledge and process. Three more show up in most programs once the analysis is done.
- Proactive status updates. Many repeat calls are chasers about an order, a refund or a repair. A text or email at each stage removes the reason to call back.
- Coaching on the top repeat reasons. Once you know the three reasons that drive most repeat calls, coach every agent on those three, using call examples, instead of running general training.
- Context passed with every transfer. When a call moves to another agent or team, the summary and what was already tried travel with it, so the customer does not start again.
Be careful with call deflection. A contact that never reaches an agent counts as deflected, but if the customer’s problem was not solved they will return by another channel. Judge deflection by whether repeat contacts across all channels fall, not by the deflected count alone.
How can Knowmax Help you Reduce Repeat Calls?
Knowmax is a CX-first Knowledge Management System. It delivers instant answers to customer service agents via digestible content formats like next best action workflows, visual how-to guides, articles & FAQs.
Powered by Gen AI, agents can simply turn their information search into interactive question-answering, which reduces the time and effort needed to locate information.
Knowmax also integrates with your everyday CX tools and communication channels so agents can access relevant knowledge within their workflow. This empowers agents to resolve customer issues in the first interaction, minimizing repeat calls, customer effort, and eventually support costs.
Frequently asked questions about repeat calls
A repeat call is a contact from a customer who has already called about the same issue. It usually signals an unresolved problem, dissatisfaction with the answer given, or a need for further help. Counting them by customer and issue shows how often the first contact fails to resolve things.
Dialpad’s analysis of 30 days of data from more than 5,000 call centers across 28 industries found that, on average, 32% of inbound calls came from repeat callers. The share varies by industry and type of contact center, so measure your own rate before setting a target.
SQM Group puts the industry standard for a good first call resolution rate at 70% to 79%, and world-class at 80% or higher. A rate below 70% means three in ten customers or more need to contact the company again about the same problem.
Resolve the issue on the first contact. Route each call to an agent with the right skills, give agents one source of accurate answers, offer self-service that actually solves the problem, and use callbacks and last agent routing so customers do not wait or repeat themselves.
RCR usually stands for repeat call rate, the share of contacts that come from customers who already contacted you about the same issue within a set window. In some operations it is used for repeat contact rate, which includes chat and email. Always state the window and the matching rule next to the figure.
Divide the number of repeat contacts in the period by the total contacts in the period and multiply by 100. For example, 1,800 repeat calls out of 10,000 calls is 18%. Fix the window, such as 7 or 30 days, and the match key, such as customer ID, before you compare results.
The common causes are an unresolved first contact, an inaccurate or incomplete answer, a promised callback that did not happen, a long wait that made the customer hang up, and a need for a status update. Grouping repeat calls by first-call reason shows which cause dominates in your operation.
Only when the customer’s problem is solved in the deflected channel. Deflection counts contacts that did not reach an agent, but a customer who failed in self-service often calls back later. Measure repeat contacts across all channels to see whether deflection is working.
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