Operational Effectiveness & Real-Time Modules

Develop a deep understanding of Real-Time and establish key operating principles to be better prepared prior to the day, more effective on-the-day and capture understanding and learning.

Published on 25 July 2025

Beyond the Benchmark

When The Forum first started 25-years ago, in March 2000, the industry standard service level was often discussed with many organisations using 80% of calls in 20 seconds. 25-years later we unfortunately, still hear and see 80%/20-seconds being quoted as “industry standard”. However, our latest research confirms what many of us have been thinking. The 80/20 is still the most common but we can see that it is now only used by a small percentage of our members. People are now finding the right service level to balance the needs of their customers and their organisations. Many organisations aren’t using a service level measure. They instead focus on ASA, (average speed of answer), or PCR (Percentage of Calls Answered).