Scaling Support Part 1 - Get Your Metrics Right

Scaling is an exciting phase for any startup but it can quickly turn into a nightmare if customer operations aren’t aligned.

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This is every founder’s worst fear.

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You’ll find countless blogs about scaling businesses, but very few talk about how to set up customer support from scratch. In this series, we’ll explore the key components of scaling customer support starting with the most important one:

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Customer Support Metrics

Most founders and Customer Success Managers find measuring and analysing metrics painful, especially as teams grow. To make this simpler, we’ll cover the foundational customer support metrics that help you get started without over-complicating things.

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Principles for Getting Started with Customer Support Metrics

When you’re early-stage, keep it simple and intentional:

• Start with essential metrics and expand as you grow
• Focus on metrics that directly impact growth
• Monitor trends, not just absolute numbers
• Use metrics to inform product development
• Balance quality with efficiency

The Three Types of Metrics You Should Track Early On

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1. Operational Flow Metrics

These metrics help you plan and scale your support operations. Start here.

• Daily inbound
  Measure the number of customer messages you receive each day.
• Resolution time
  Track the average time it takes to fully resolve a customer issue.
• Agent-to-inbound ratio
  How many inbound conversations can one agent handle on average?
  This is typically based on average resolution time.
• First response time
  Measure how many minutes it takes for an agent to send the first response.
  This should reflect agent responses not bot replies.
• Resolution rate
  Number of customer conversations resolved over a given period.
  Review this daily, weekly, and monthly to spot trends.

2. Agent Performance Metrics

These metrics help you understand individual and team performance.

• Resolution rate by agent
• Number of conversations handled per agent over a set period
• Number of escalations and SLA breaches (if applicable)
• Hours spent online
  Measure this against resolution rates to identify optimal performance levels.

Using these metrics, you can:

• Monitor performance more effectively
• Forecast hiring needs
• Set clear, measurable goals for your team

3. Customer Experience Metrics

These are learning-focused metrics designed to improve the overall customer experience.

• Common issue types
• Recurring customer complaints
• Frequency of repeat complaints
• Customer feedback scores (CSAT, NPS, etc.)

Since these metrics are more qualitative, it’s best to:

• Use 2–3 metrics together
• Create a weighted score to get a holistic view of customer experience

Turning Metrics Into Action

To do this well, you need a tool that can:

• Track live data
• Provide retrospective analysis
• Surface insights quickly for decision-making

That’s exactly why we built the “War Room” dashboard in KNOCCS to give teams real-time visibility into customer support performance as they scale.

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Want to Go Deeper?

If you’d like more detailed insights on scaling customer support, share your email below and we’ll send you a free guide to help you build a strong foundation from day one.