Workforce Management Demystified

The contact center has evolved from the early analog days with resource hungry enterprise systems to innovative, agile workforce optimization solutions in a digital environment. In spite of these technological advances and the automation of basic activities, contact centers by and large are still utilizing people and no operation is critical than the efficient operation and allocation of the workforce. If planned and executed well with a small margin of error, the operation runs smoothly with adequate number of agents to respond to the expected workload.

If done poorly, the organization is saddled with significant costs both in customer dissatisfaction and in payroll dollars wasted. In an increasing competitive environment with low margins and higher than normal expectations from the discriminating and informed customers, organizations are starting to review and reform some outdated models of thinking within their enterprise.
Using basic workforce optimization techniques, the contact center can solve very critical business problems by scheduling efficient schedules based on historical data and predicting reasonable outcomes for future volumes. Aside from training and coaching agents, scheduling plays an important role in managing costs. In and of itself, workforce optimization does not solve basic contact center problems nor do they develop agents however it is part of the overall solution necessary to ensure that all members of the workforce are aware of their role in the contact center success.

For the first time in history, five generations are working side by side: the Traditional Generation (born pre-1945), Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1980), Generation Y (1981-1995) and the Digital Generation (born after 1995). Each generation has been influenced by the historical events, social trends and cultural phenomena of their time, leading to some distinctly different expectations and perceptions about what their working environment will provide and how they should behave as employees. Not surprisingly, these differences sometimes lead to intergenerational conflicts at work. How can managers help resolve them?
Cross-training other non-contact center employees are a great way to ensure client service levels will always be met – no matter what. When you train other employees in the organization to work in the call center, you are broadening your pool of available resources. So let’s say, for instance, there is a flu outbreak and half of your call center staff is home sick. In that particular situation, you would be able to utilize employees from other departments to work in the call center, ensuring your clients still receive the best service possible and the fastest connect time. Cross-training is often viewed as an effective component of a contact center's business continuity plan.
When you implement real-time reporting of agent performance metrics in your call center operations, you will be able to see in real-time how well your contact center agents are performing – from answer speed to connect time to completed call percentages. Senior executives and other stakeholders within your organization will view this reporting feature as a customer service add-on and your call center agents will be motivated to provide the most efficient service possible, knowing their performance metrics will be constantly evaluated, measured, recognized and rewarded.

Real-time reporting is very popular in contact centers as it’s often used as a powerful management instrument if used properly. With real-time reporting, call center supervisors can review statistics to track trends, forecast schedules and adjust resources accordingly. If your call center does not have real-time reporting features currently available, this technology is a great way to enhance your customer service offering, while increasing overall contact center efficiency. This ensures that the right decisions are made – every time – at the appropriate point of customer interaction.

Leading-edge organizations already use these tools and techniques of Workforce Optimization and Contact Center Management to remove the blind spots that had kept them from making the right decisions, every time. By providing precise, contextual analytics and insight at the point of impact, these operational scorecards have enabled these organizations to achieve "next generation" efficiencies:

• A UK bank shortened credit approval times from six working days to less than 6 hours. This cut the cost per loan approved from €240 to €32 – and increased employee productivity by 250 percent.

• A U.S.-based insurer was able to fast-track low-risk claims, achieving a 25 percent cost savings while doubling the rate of detected claims fraud.

• Another major computer manufacturer reduced parts delivery by €2.5 million while improving the satisfaction level – and loyalty – of the vast majority of its customers.

Course Leader:

Mohan N. Nair
MBA, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

DVD Price: $49.99 USD(plus 10.00 shipping and handling)

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