Repeat Contact Rate
What is Repeat Contact Rate?
Repeat Contact Rate measures the percentage of support contacts that are follow-ups from customers who already contacted support about the same issue within a defined window (typically 7–30 days). It is a quality signal: high repeat contact rate means issues are not being resolved the first time, costing time on both sides and increasing churn risk. FCR and repeat contact rate are inverses, so improving one naturally improves the other.
How is Repeat Contact Rate calculated?
Repeat Contact Rate = (Contacts from customers who reached out about the same issue within 30 days ÷ Total contacts) × 100
"Same issue" identification requires either customer self-report, agent tagging, or topic modeling. The simplest proxy: any second contact from the same customer within 7 days, regardless of stated issue. Define your window before tracking.
What is a good Repeat Contact Rate?
B2B SaaS, all channels
Calculate repeat contact rate
What are the most common Repeat Contact Rate mistakes?
- 1Relying on agent-tagged categories to identify repeats. Agents consistently under-tag repeat contacts because flagging them reflects on resolution quality.
- 2Setting the window too short. 24-hour windows miss most repeats. 7 days is a minimum; 30 days is more realistic for complex technical issues.
- 3Treating all repeat contacts as agent failures. Many are caused by product bugs, unclear documentation, or policies the agent cannot change.
- 4Not cross-referencing with CSAT. A customer who contacts repeatedly and gives low CSAT each time is a high churn risk, not just a metric anomaly.