You’ve launched your phishing awareness program. Employees are receiving training, simulated phishing emails are going out, and you’re building a culture of caution. But how do you know if it’s actually working?
To justify the investment—and to continually improve your approach—you need clear, consistent phishing training metrics. These data points don’t just show where your team stands; they help identify who needs more support, what tactics are most effective, and how your organization is evolving in response to real-world threats.
Let’s look at the core metrics you should be tracking to gauge the success of your program.
1. Click Rates: Who’s Falling for Simulated Phishing?
Use phishing training metrics to identify repeat offenders and fine-tune your simulations.
The most commonly used metric is the click rate, how many users clicked on a phishing simulation link. A high click rate may indicate:
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The phishing simulation was too convincing (which isn’t necessarily bad)
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Your team needs more awareness training
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There’s a gap in user judgment or response time
The goal over time is a declining click rate. But don’t expect perfection—realistic simulations should occasionally catch someone off guard.
📖 Want to understand why phishing simulations matter? Start here:
👉 The Business Owner’s Guide to Phishing Security Awareness Training & Simulation
2. Report Rates: Are Employees Taking the Right Action?
If users are falling for simulations but no one is reporting them, you’ve got a different kind of problem. A strong program encourages not just vigilance, but action. That’s where the report rate comes in—how many users recognized a phishing attempt and reported it using your designated channel (e.g., a phishing alert button in Outlook or Gmail).
A rising report rate is a good sign. It shows people aren’t just identifying threats—they’re escalating them properly.
📖 Learn how this connects to overall monitoring: What Is Dark Web Monitoring and How Does It Work?
3. Repeat Offenders: Who Needs Extra Support?
Track which users repeatedly click on simulations without reporting them. These are your repeat offenders, and while it’s tempting to discipline or shame, the better approach is additional training, coaching, and support.
Everyone learns at a different pace, and these users are often your most important to engage—because if they fall for a simulation, they may fall for the real thing too.
4. Behavior Trends Over Time
Phishing training metrics provide insight into employee behavior and the effectiveness of your training program.
Don’t just look at individual incidents. Look at trends:
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Is your click rate dropping over time?
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Are reporting rates improving?
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Are fewer users clicking more than once?
Behavioral improvement is one of the most meaningful phishing training metrics. It shows that your awareness program isn’t just being delivered—it’s being absorbed.
5. Time to Report: Speed Matters
When someone spots a phishing email, how long does it take them to report it? Time to report is a lesser-used metric, but one that can make a big difference in an actual attack scenario. The faster your team can report a threat, the faster your IT or security provider can contain it.
Turning Metrics Into Action
Measuring phishing training metrics is only useful if you act on them. Use your insights to:
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Tailor future phishing simulations (by role, department, or seniority)
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Adjust your training schedule or content
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Celebrate improvement company-wide
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Provide extra resources to higher-risk employees
Not sure where to start? We can help you track, measure, and improve your program with tools that integrate directly into Microsoft 365 and Gmail.
Final Thoughts
Phishing awareness isn’t about passing or failing—it’s about progress. With the right phishing training metrics in place, your organization can move from reactive to proactive, building a culture where security is everyone’s responsibility.
At Professional Computer Concepts, we help businesses design, implement, and evaluate their phishing training programs using real-world metrics that matter. If you want to make your training more effective—or just see how your current program stacks up—we’re here to support you.
📌 Learn more about phishing defense:
👉 The Business Owner’s Guide to Phishing Security Awareness Training & Simulation
How Professional Computer Concepts Helps You Turn Metrics Into Results
At Professional Computer Concepts, we don’t just help businesses set up phishing simulations—we help them succeed with them. Our team works with small and mid-sized companies across the Bay Area, including Novato, Marin County, and surrounding regions, to deliver measurable cybersecurity training programs backed by real-world data.
We help you:
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Launch targeted phishing simulations tailored to your team
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Track key phishing training metrics like click rates, report rates, and time-to-report
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Deliver user-friendly training and follow-up coaching to high-risk individuals
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Integrate awareness training into your broader security stack—including MFA, endpoint protection, and dark web monitoring
Whether you run a law firm, construction company, manufacturing business, or professional services practice, we understand your industry’s unique needs and compliance challenges.
Security awareness is only effective if it’s ongoing—and actionable. We’ll help you turn your metrics into momentum.
📌 Want to level up your phishing awareness program? Let’s talk about how we can help.