How to calculate Call Abandonment Rate

Formula

Abandonment rate = abandoned calls ÷ calls offered

SQL query

This example assumes: inbound_calls(id, received_at timestamptz, answered_at timestamptz, abandoned_at timestamptz). It is written in PostgreSQL syntax; date functions differ slightly in MySQL, BigQuery and SQLite, and your column names will differ from these.

SELECT DATE_TRUNC('day', received_at)::date AS day,
       COUNT(*) AS offered,
       COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE abandoned_at IS NOT NULL) AS abandoned,
       COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE abandoned_at IS NOT NULL)::numeric / NULLIF(COUNT(*), 0) AS abandonment_rate
FROM inbound_calls
WHERE received_at >= CURRENT_DATE - 30
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

Common mistakes that make Call Abandonment Rate wrong

• Many contact centres ignore calls abandoned within a few seconds; decide on a cut-off and apply it consistently.
• Callbacks offered to callers can make an abandoned call reappear as a new call.
• A daily rate hides the time-of-day pattern; also look at it by hour.

Ask for Call Abandonment Rate in plain English

Instead of writing the query yourself, you can type the question. SchemaChat turns it into SQL against your connected database or uploaded file, runs it, and shows the SQL and the figures it used so you can check the answer before you share it. It does not replace your judgement about the definition: check that the query matches the formula your business uses.

• What was our call abandonment rate each day over the last 30 days?
• At which hours of the day do most callers abandon?