5/25/2012 - VoIP isn't just for making cheaper calls. It's a well known fact in the communications space that VoIP, or voice over Internet protocol, comes with its many benefits, including a host of features and yes, a cheaper bill at the end of the month. In call center management, VoIP has an integral role when it comes to what call center managers rely on for quality control, and that is call recording.

5/21/2012 - A certification program for call center managers recently got a touch-up to reflect changes in the industry, specifically the use of social media to connect with customers. In its ninth year, the Call Center Industry Advisory Council (CIAC) certification has call center managers at firms such as Coca-Cola Refreshments and State Farm Insurance, saying the program has helped them respond to the challenges facing call centers and strengthen call center management skills.

5/16/2012 - These days, global provider of Workforce Optimization (WFO) solutions Monet Software is seeing major trends in the call center industry based on market needs and new emerging technologies. The Internet has become critical for businesses to successfully manage business operations and agents are monitoring social media channels to connect with customers and prospects.

5/16/2012 - Call recording in the call center is an important tool for call center management seeking to use past calls for training purposes or when trying to retrieve a particular call for review. Call center management benefits from call recording when the software in place allows for speed and ease of use.

5/14/2012 - Monitoring within the call center environment is a common and often required task to ensure agents are following script, adhering the industry guidelines and meeting performance objectives. Call center management must keep PCI (payment card industry) regulations in check when focusing on compliance, however, to ensure proprietary information is never recorded.

5/10/2012 - Research shows that Gen Y agents prefer to multitask, want consistent and frequent feedback on their performance and want to be able to set their own work schedules. To help contact center managers maximize the efficiency of Gen Y agents, call center management and productivity solutions provider Knowlagent is offering tools that help them motivate and communicate with these employees

5/1/2012 - CallCopy, a provider of call recording and call center management solutions, unveiled it has earned the highest rating in Overall Vendor Satisfaction in a report by DMG Consulting.

4/30/2012 - The process of selecting the right call recording system for your call center can be easier by knowing what questions to ask before making a purchase. It its recent blog post, Monet Software provides 10 guidelines to follow and questions to ask when selecting call recording software.

4/25/2012 - Luxurious cruise lines Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises are celebrating their win of the 'Team of the Year' award at the 2012 Call Center Management Association Awards. The prestigious Call Center Management award recognizes the excellence and high-end performance of the RCL Cruises guest and trade services call center team.

4/23/2012 - Call recording in the call center is an important tool for call center management seeking to use past calls for training purposes or retrieve a particular call for review. Just how effective is this approach, however, if the call center receives hundreds or thousands of calls each day in multiple centers? Can calls still be retrieved quickly and deliver the same value?

4/20/2012 - In the call center culture, workforce management is a common denominator across the board. Call centers need to properly forecast and schedule their staff while maintaining service levels and keeping costs in check. The right workforce management software solution can not only help manage the aforementioned, but it's not a solution that has to be a luxury or costly expenditure.

4/16/2012 - Call center agents have what many consider to be a tough job. It's one thing if your call center exists only to provide good news to each and every caller - that would be a dream job. Instead, call center agents often have to provide information, solve problems, provide bad news or calm a frustrated customer, among other things. Without the proper motivation from call center management, it can be tough to stay in the game.

4/13/2012 - Provider of digital back office and contact center solutions ILD Corp. unveiled today that contact center veteran Eric Sherman, formerly of Global Response, has joined the company as its vice president of business development. Sherman will oversee sales and marketing and will be responsible for managing ILD's Outsourced Services business objectives. ILD is transforming its contact center business to offer more fully integrated social media solutions and lead generation services, which help companies significantly increase the value of each contact, while driving efficiencies.

4/9/2012 - Call center quality is generally the primary focus in this customer care environment, but what happens when call volume overpowers call center management efforts to achieve the optimal customer experience? With the right management tools, these challenges can be overcome to ensure priority is always placed in customer service.

4/2/2012 - If you engage in call center management, you'll know that motivating agents is one of the hardest jobs. Call center work is difficult and can be boring and repetitive, and getting agents to work up to their best potential can be one of the hardest jobs of a call center manager. So what to do?

4/2/2012 - Contact center experiences from calls, to email support to live chat are crucial to a company's reputation, brand loyalty, and future sales. Most callers to customer service call to pay a bill or complain about something, and often find themselves in a haze of confusion at something breaking or not going right.

3/28/2012 - Amidst the hectic nature of the daily call center management routine, there are important issues that may be put on the back burner. There things you, the call center manager, should do to enhance the effectiveness of your team, their interactions with customers and, the excellent customer service skills that your team must execute.

3/26/2012 - We all know why call centers use call monitoring solutions. For starters, it's the best way to protect oneself against legal challenges or compliance issues. Secondly, it's a great way to keep track of agents' performance and progress. Next, it's a useful tool when it comes to training and setting best practices. But what are some other fringe benefits of call recording software.

3/20/2012 - Digerati Technologies, Inc., an award-winning provider of cloud communication services, recently unveiled that international call center operator Beyond Contact Centers has selected Digerati for its cloud-based communication system. Beyond Contact Centers provides inbound and outbound customer support campaigns for an enterprise client base that includes Fortune 500 companies including PepsiCo and Verizon Communications.

3/19/2012 - The launch of Verto Connect, a hosted call center, means the Vox Telecom group now offers a PBX solution for call center management and workforce management in every business. Verto Connect offers the full range of contact center functionality including multimedia, social media, co-browsing, dynamic scripting, intelligent routing, workforce management and quality assurance tools. The Verto suite also consists of Verto Supreme, a hosted Avaya PBX system, Verto Connect, a hosted PBX based on the same Avaya platform and Verto Standard, a hosted PABX based on open source software.

3/13/2012 - How does a call center optimize agent performance, increase productivity and improve customer satisfaction? A unified workforce optimization suite is the answer. Monet Software, Inc., a cloud-based Workforce Management provider, recently unveiled the availability of Monet Record and Monet Quality, a unified Workforce Optimization (WFO) suite.

3/12/2012 - Improving call center efficiency and customer satisfaction is more challenging than it seems for today's call center management. There are a number of tools available, but these talented individuals must be educated on the right strategy for their environments if they hope to enjoy the benefits.

3/5/2012 - Since the city of Evanston, Ill., opened its 311 call center in the last year, its call center management has grown to have more than 134,000 calls logged, ranging from the serious to the sublime. According to a triblocal.com article, the 311 center, at 1454 Elmwood Avenue, has eight full-time and one part-time employees who fielded 134,883 calls during the call center's first year of operation, including 20,801 calls related to city services.

3/5/2012 - Cloud computing has gotten much attention as of late, yet the use of applications hosted on a provider's server has been in place for quite some time. The difference now is that more companies are leveraging this cost effective approach to business by replacing traditionally on-premise networks. In the call center space, call center management are reevaluating the potential of moving solutions to the cloud.

2/29/2012 - Do you struggle to keep the right number of agents in the right number of seats on any given day? Have you found that spreadsheet scheduling leaves too much room for error, while consuming much of your time? It may be a beneficial move to take a closer look at an automated call center management and workforce management platform.

2/27/2012 - A survey by LogMeIn, Inc. and market research firm Ovum reveals a shifting mindset of telecommunications operators regarding the measurement of contact center management and success. Covering over 100 customer service managers within organizations in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, the survey found that customer satisfaction metrics exceed traditional cost savings and efficiency metrics, like average handle time (AHT) and first call resolution (FCR), as the primary focus of contact center success. Nearly 70 percent cited investments in online technologies, including live chat and social media, as key contributors to increasing customer satisfaction in contact and call center management success.

2/23/2012 - Customer relationship management (CRM) solutions can go a long way toward improving sales processes and communications within your environment, as long as your CRM initiatives are structured to meet your customer expectations. This should be a dedicated focus within call center management, yet many still fall short.

2/23/2012 - Features dramatically changing call center management, like cheap international calls, mobile gaming with simultaneous voice chat, can now be achieved with Twilio's voice client IOS SDK, which launches publicly today.

2/15/2012 - What tools do you currently use to monitor, train and motivate your call center team? Do you rely on call recording to use as a training tool? Do you implement whisper capabilities so you can listen in on the call and offer assistance? As one in the call center management position, could your environment benefit from these applications?

2/8/2012 - To describe the typical day in the professional life of someone in call center management as challenging is likely an undersell. We're talking about an environment of mixed emotions, frustrated customers, frustrated agents, fluctuating call volumes and pressure to meet budgetary, time and performance initiatives.

2/2/2012 - In the constantly changing and dynamic atmosphere of the call center, the main focus on quality customer service and meeting performance criteria is still a priority. Meeting both criteria on a consistent basis demands the call center management always ensure the right people are in the right seats at the right time.

1/25/2012 - Call centers are a symphony of collaboration and organization requiring the careful management of a number of unique faculties to be fully realized. But the most complex system you'll need to manage is not one that you'll house in your server room or purchase from a provider, it's the human element. Ensuring that your agents are not only happy, but meeting their requirements is just as essential as maintaining your ACD or metrics programs, and because people don't come with instructions or a tech hotline, it's also much more challenging.

1/18/2012 - Call centers can come in all shapes and sizes, yet they all have the basic goals in place: control costs, optimize call center staffing, meet service levels, and satisfy the customer. While falling short of these goals can have consequences regardless of size, there is a common belief that only the larger call center can afford the necessary software to support initiatives. One of the best moves call center management can make is to get past this thinking and explore the available options.

1/13/2012 - If your call center's business is cyclical - and whose isn't? - you'll know one of the greatest challenges is to figure out correct staffing levels. Over-staff the contact center and you've got bored agents, plus you're paying lots more in salaries than you need to.

12/28/2011 - The scheduling requirements within your call center can determine the level of complexity involved in your overall call center management. With the right tools in place, however, you can easily avoid some of the pitfalls that result in over- or under-staffing within the call center, which can lead to even bigger problems.

12/20/2011 - Shrinkage is an unnecessary cost in the call center when agents fail to follow the posted schedule. Call center management must implement robust solutions to drive real-time adherence.

12/15/2011 - If you're trying to manage a call center workforce, we don't need to tell you that accurate forecasting is critical to achieving the results you can. It's not like understaffing or overstaffing are really all that different from each other in the long run, both stink.

12/12/2011 - Workforce management is a platform designed to provide call center management with the necessary tools to forecast for anticipated call volumes, schedule according to this forecast and agent availability and effectively manage all other activities that need to take place throughout a given day, week or month. One of the most critical steps in this process is forecasting.

11/30/2011 - Your customers are the lifeblood of your organization, and you want to ensure that they keep coming back by providing them with the highest service levels possible. To do this you need to be monitoring and effectively managing the primary link you have with customers; your agents.

11/23/2011 - As one working in the role of call center management, how do you ensure that the schedules you set for your employees not only meet with your budgetary requirements, but that they also encourage adherence among your staff? Whenever your agents are not productive, they are causing shrinkage and shrinkage adds cost to every call. How can you be sure to maximize performance, optimize schedules and keep shrinkage to a minimum?

11/17/2011 - Tired of shuffling agents to try and meet your call volume? Searching for a way to minimize under- and over-staffing and maintaining a steady approach to scheduling and workforce management? Monet Software has a few tips useful for anyone in call center management.

11/10/2011 - Call Center Management Benefits from Capabilities Delivered in Workforce Management SoftwareA disarray of complicated tasks within the call center can make for a disorganized environment that yields few positive results. When call center management implements workforce management software to automate specific tasks, an immediate impact is felt and measured on the bottom line.

11/3/2011 - Forecasting and scheduling - two tasks demanded of your call center management, yet two tasks that can also be loathed by the same staff. Properly forecasting for new campaigns and even repeat performances based on historical data can only get them halfway there, while scheduling and ensuring adherence can be a whole new challenge to overcome.

10/20/2011 - If you do any research on the topic of social media and the contact center, you'll find that folks have been writing about this topic for a number of years now. It may not seem like social media could have been around for that long, but it's like anything else that creeps up on you while you're busy paying attention to all of the usual pressing matters in the contact center and putting out the occasional fire.

10/14/2011 - Scheduling in the call center is nothing short of an interesting dance between agent availability, call center anticipated activity and unforeseen interruptions. With call center management working consistently to keep tasks on track, schedule adherence can easily fall out of line. When this happens, the call center is running up unnecessary costs that can be avoided with the right platforms and approach in place.

10/4/2011 - Properly scheduling a call center challenges managers with balancing the number of agents at their disposal with how many they'll actually need when the phones start to ring. Doing this accurately would be a lot easier if you could see how many customers were actually going to call. Unfortunately without either ESP or time travel technology, seeing the future is a pretty difficult thing to achieve. Staffing challenges are however a lot easier to manage when you utilize a forecasting system that can help you make educated guesses about your staff requirement. This kind of software may not be as immediately impressive as a Delorean outfitted with a flux capacitor, but it's still pretty helpful in the call center space.

9/30/2011 - Monet Software, being the experts in this area, have listed for your benefit ways to get your call center scheduling up to snuff, dealing with such thorny issues as how to get your staff to show up for work on time and stick to their planned schedule and break times.

9/22/2011 - Call center management takes on considerable responsibility in the active call centers of today. Not only do these individuals need to motivate agents to achieve performance standards, they also need to effectively manage a dynamic environment that can be both exciting and frustrating. With the right elements in place, however, call center management can celebrate more excitement rather than dealing with frustration.

9/12/2011 - The constantly changing dynamics of the call center - an environment exciting enough to get the blood pumping of any energetic customer service rep. Those who enjoy rapid activity, satisfying callers and responding to the ebbs and flows in call volumes can thrive in this environment. With so much changing all the time, however, how does call center management keep on top of accurate forecasting?

9/9/2011 - Unless you live in a third-world country, there's a pretty god chance your life revolves around a schedule. And it's not just your life that's scheduled, it's also your kids school lives and extra-curricular activities, it's every mode of public transportation, its what's broadcast on TV, and heck, it's even when political parties can hold their debates or when the U.S. President can address a speech to Congress and the nation that march to the beat of some carefully determined schedule. Yet, of all of the aspects of life that are affected by scheduling, the call center is arguably among the most schedule-centric areas there is.

9/8/2011 - Ask any call center manager: one of the biggest challenges of running a call center (besides broken headsets) is agent turnover. Turnover, of course, is the rate at which agents leave and must be replaced. There are nightmare tales of some call centers that experience annual turnover rates of 100 percent or higher: meaning that no agents stay in the call center for longer than a year. Most call centers report turnover rates more in the area of 30 percent, which is still way too high

8/30/2011 - Managing a workforce is a delicate balancing act that requires constant vigilance over multiple aspects of an operation. Call fluctuation, services levels, and abandonment rates all need to be constantly monitored to areas that can be improved. While there are software investments that will help you determine call volumes on any given season or date, the most important piece of information cannot be as easily quantified by software. It's the happiness and behavior of your agents and fostering that goes a long way in reducing turnover and increasing satisfaction in your customers.

8/23/2011 - In your call center there are a number of metrics that need to be accurately managed to obtain peak efficiency. While each metric is important in its own right, there's perhaps a better indicator of staff levels and overall satisfaction than abandon rate.

8/19/2011 - Contact center managers know that as Murphy's Law would have it, two of the most critical elements in the center--human resources and service levels--that absolutely must be well managed, are the two variables that most easily get out of control.

8/11/2011 - In a call center, what happens when even a few agents aren't available to answer their phones? What if those agents are just a few moments late to work or when returning from a break? For the call center it is crucial to have the right number of agents with the right skills in place and at work at the right time. A recent Monet Software webinar offers several concrete strategies toward achieving that sort of "right" environment. Call center management can benefit from the six strategies provided in this event, using these tools to improve performance of the center as a whole.

8/3/2011 - Those who yearn for excitement, intense pressure and challenges around every corner are the same individuals who search out positions in call center management. This environment is never dull, always presents high intensity and is constantly evolving as the market changes and consumer demands become more specific.

7/28/2011 - In a 2010 survey by DMG noted on the Monet Software blog, call center managers rated what they thought to be the four tasks they consider their top call center workforce management challenges:

7/27/2011 - The dynamic environment of the call center makes it a challenge for any leader seeking a balance between anticipated call volumes, the needs of individual agents, customer service expectations and performance goals established by the organization. Call center management must also keep a close eye on agent turnover or risk degrading levels on all fronts.

7/14/2011 - The call center is nothing if not dynamic and managers in this space are challenged to produce an effective environment in which all agents perform as expected. Achieving all points is easier said than done, however, and call center management must often look to robust tools to assist in the process.

7/13/2011 - PayrollManager Express, a full-service payroll provider offering outsourcing services to small to mid-sized businesses throughout North America, has selected ADI Time, a premier vendor of cloud computing time and attendance management software-as-a-service.

7/6/2011 - Winthrop-University Hospital is using Amcom solutions for smartphone messaging and Web-based on-call scheduling for its 591-bed facility in Long Island, N.Y.

6/30/2011 - The challenges of managing a call center are immediately apparent to anyone who's ever been involved with a customer service operation. Technology challenges withstanding, the most obvious task of management is to organize and utilize agents in such a way that the highest levels of satisfaction are always maintained. A staff that's being managed competently is likely to be happier, and happiness is directly related to the satisfaction of customers. Successful staffing and scheduling is a combination of collecting key performance indicators and working to schedule within the needs of your workforce.

6/23/2011 - Controlling costs is one of those call center management tasks that must always be a priority, but one that is difficult to achieve. Call center management will continue to implement tools that promise to improve processes and eliminate waste, yet without priority focus being placed on shrinkage; true cost savings will continue to be elusive.

6/16/2011 - With so much industry focus on the cloud, it can be a challenge for call center management to know if this is the right direction to move, or if focusing efforts in an on-premise environment is more productive. Those offering cloud services continue to promote the benefits and reasons why the change is a must, but perhaps the best argument is Apple's iCloud.

6/9/2011 - No, accurate call center forecasting isn't something that, gee whiz, it'd be nice to have if we can, but if we can't, oh well, we'll just make do with what we have.

6/9/2011 - One call center metric you probably want to be paying attention to is abandon rates. Abandon rate is the percentage of calls that hang up before an agent could take the call (and did not get a busy signal).

6/2/2011 - The idea of handling hundreds of calls and ensuring that all of those calls are answered in a timely manner by a friendly individual seems like a simple concept. What happens to that concept, however, when the calls escalate into the thousands, there aren't enough people to handle the calls in a timely manner and everyone on both sides of the phone become irritated? If this sounds like a call center management nightmare, you're right.

6/2/2011 - In the grand scheme of things, call center shrinkage should be easy to manage, right. All you have to do is keep on top of call center configurations that are becoming increasingly more complex, multiple locations, a number of different time zones, more time consuming customer transactions and new communication channels to are designed to make life easier, but really cause problems all their own.

5/25/2011 - The dynamic atmosphere within the call center can make it an interesting place to work. Interesting may not always be the word used by call center management, but the challenges alone have got to be motivating enough to get the truly devoted dedicated to making the call center perform within tight budgets.

5/20/2011 - The challenges of running the call center expand beyond scheduling according to anticipated call volumes. Managers need to know how to effectively motive agents, measure for performance, keep agents in schedule adherence, keep in line with budgets and so much more. It is a challenge to effectively manage all of these things within the physical environment - but what about taking it mobile?

5/18/2011 - Call center management is essential to combating the seasonal peaks and valleys inherent in all businesses. Especially in as personnel-dependant an operation as a call center, knowing who you need ahead of time and who you can do without can help you streamline operations, effectively serve customers and ultimately save money. Unfortunately, without some fashion of technology it's virtually impossible for a manager to accurately forecast exactly when these peaks will start; they might have a general Idea but call center optimization is an exact science. This is possible with a proper workforce management suite, one that possesses the tools to optimize and forecast for any customer service scenario.

5/17/2011 - A recent webinar title "Six Simple Strategies for Improving Schedule Adherence in your Call Center" was offered by Monet Software, dealing with the thorny issue of ensuring there is the right number of staff with the right skills in their seats at the right times of the day.

5/11/2011 - There are a number of different challenges that exist for managers in the call center space. While it may be easy to assume that the biggest challenges relate to the intricate calculations involved in accurate forecasting or the various elements that come into play to determine the best schedule mix, the core challenge may be even bigger. Yes, these tasks are challenging, but they may be surpassed by schedule adherence.

5/10/2011 - The proper management of a call center is a delicate balancing act that requires a number of faculties to properly handle. The fundamentals of proper management manifest in making sure that your call center has enough agents to cover the volume of calls coming in, but not so many that your agents are idle for extended periods of time. Understanding as many of the basic principles of call center staffing as well as incorporating a workforce management system can ease the amount of time and energy it takes to keep a call center running in top order.

5/3/2011 - Your ability to keep staffing levels in equilibrium with the demands of your call center are crucial to the success of your communication operation. Workforce management software can help accomplish this balance by offering call center managers a way to quickly and effectively forecast and optimize schedules for the week. A workforce management solution in your call center provides you with several advantages over spreadsheets in scheduling processes.

4/28/2011 - In your call center, you likely have some strong individuals working in the call center management roles. Regardless of their capabilities, however, they still have mounting challenges in trying to effectively run a complicated environment.

4/18/2011 - Adherence can be a constant struggle for call center management, especially if agents are not properly trained on the importance of schedule adherence and the costs associated with non-compliance of performance goals. To help call center management better control adherence and develop strategies to support improvement, Monet Software is offering a free webinar.

4/14/2011 - Those leading in the call center space understand the power of workforce management when it comes to call center staffing. This recent Monet Software blog focused on how this platform can deliver true value for call center management. For managers who are already scheduling and forecasting with spreadsheets - and making this process work - it may be a stretch to recognize the value in workforce management.

4/7/2011 - Payroll cost is the single largest piece of a call center's budget, which is why effective management of your call center operation is so essential. By ensuring that your agents are being used as effectively as possible, you stand to save a considerable sum.

4/1/2011 - Call center management: a job only the very thick skinned and skilled can master. The individuals who fill these rolls are called upon to operate within budgets, forecast according to expectations, keep performance on track and motivate call center employees. The challenge of motivation was explored in this Monet Software blog, highlighting that it is often the most challenging of all call center management tasks.

3/23/2011 - The phones in your call center are ringing off the hook, you're short staffed and your best agents are all on lunch. What do you do? Unfortunately, it might be too late to address the issues that business day. But if you really want to remove scenarios like this from creeping up in the future, you'd better get yourself a more effective call center management strategy-pronto.

3/17/2011 - Forecasting is one of the most challenging principles in effective call center management. While it's often easy to account for lulls and peaks throughout the day, determining how many agents you'll need on any given day is another task entirely. Monet software is a leading workforce management provider and the challenge of effective forecasting is one that it's dealt with many times before.

3/11/2011 - BenchmarkPortal has honored Ameritas Group with its fourth-consecutive Center of Excellence call center certification.

3/3/2011 - Proper call center management is a delicate balance of proper scheduling, training, monitoring, execution and measuring. When just one of these elements is pushed out of line, it affects all other elements and can send the call center into a downward spiral of poor customer service delivery, inefficient processes, and unnecessary costs.

2/24/2011 - Every manager faces the same challenge, regardless of the industry in which he or she operates: employee motivation. As each employee represents the face of the company, it is important that each one is able to deliver the desired experience for the customer. When operating in a call center management role, this task can be even more challenging.

2/16/2011 - Effective call center management can make the difference between a satisfied customer and a former customer. In this market of post-recession spending, customers are not only spending less, they are also more informed and want more value out of their interactions with companies. Call center managers need to be trained and effective in their jobs, but this can be a challenge for any call center.

2/10/2011 - "With more electronic media such as email, chat, Twitter, Facebook, etc. being used in customer communication in addition to calls, the question of forecasting and scheduling resources for those channel becomes more important."

2/3/2011 - The good folks at Monet Software have put together a list of some criteria you should consider when selecting a workforce management product for a small to medium sized call center:

1/28/2011 - Call center management is a complicated approach to facilitating healthy interactions between customers and companies. To accomplish this delicate dance, call center managers must be able keep call center agents on task and working toward performance goals. In this recent Money Software blog, the concept of real-time adherence was explored and why it is important in overall call center management.

1/18/2011 - Call center management is increasingly reliant on technology tools that allow for the real-time monitoring across a number of statistics. The intelligence these utilities provide allows call center managers to keep their workforce nimble and efficient while holding customer satisfaction high.

1/14/2011 - It's certainly the time of year of resolutions, but thankfully that'll be over soon, and the crowds at the gym will thin out to normal size soon enough.

1/3/2011 - Organizing and tracking call center metrics is essential with today's call center management techniques. Tracking these numbers may require a company to add new utilities, but there is little question that in-depth knowledge of your call center's workings can be used to improve all aspects of operation.

12/27/2010 - LindenGrove, a Wisconsin-based long-term care facility with more than 1,100 employees, is using Kronos for time and attendance, HR and payroll. Kronos helps Wisconsin to centralize its workforce management processes and provide consistency across all locations.

12/16/2010 - Hey, why should your call center be any different from real life? Even those of you who don't recycle do, in fact, use one thing over and over: Your New Year's resolutions. Come on, admit it. You still want to drop that ten pounds, you still want to learn to play the guitar and you still want to cut down on the drinking. And you will. Starting January 1.

12/10/2010 - The cloud has come to dominate all aspects of the business and call center management software. From workforce management to CRM and IVR there are few software solutions that have not taken some form another in a SaaS format.

12/2/2010 - Schedule flexibility is essential in the call center space when it comes to combating unexpectedly high call volume or agent downtime. Monet's call center management software provides the intel to staff effectively in real time without leaving your call center vulnerable to volume fluctuations. While schedule flexibility can offer some relief, there are other strategies that a call center can employ to make sure they're always sufficiently staffed.

11/24/2010 - The 22nd District Agricultural Association is a State of California agency that owns and operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds which is a 370-acre site. Home to more than 350 annual events, the Fairgrounds

11/19/2010 - This is the season where individuals-and organizations such as contact centers-make their wish lists. Yet with budgets both household and corporate limited there is no allowance-or tolerance-for unused or misused items; the penalties include reprimands and threats to cut back on how much is given next year.

11/12/2010 - Call center monitoring and management requires several tracking features to be effective. Workforce management systems have historically gone only as far as tracking schedule adherence, but there is still need for additional metrics to obtain the goals SMB's and enterprise corporations strive for. Monet Software's innovative WFM software allows managers to track multiple metrics and use them to further the goals of the organization. Establishing goals for a specific business and call center operations is the first step in determining which stats and metrics a company needs to follow. Implementing a solution to track these is the next step.

11/5/2010 - The economic downturn had wide ranging implications throughout the global markets and companies everywhere had to take a new approach to managing their business. For call centers throughout the world, tighter budgets put increased pressure on performance, while a tighter economy cut into revenue opportunities. The good news is, as the recovery is making its way through the industry, there are 10 key tips you can implement within your call center to ensure you can continue to run efficiently, keep increasing your service levels and customer base, and continue to drive revenues. This checklist was put together by Monet software as a working guide to improve your environment.

10/26/2010 - The average contact centre management salary has grown by three percent in the past 12 months to $57,127 said U.K.-based analyst firm ContactBabel.

10/26/2010 - Workers across the planet say they are overwhelmed by the volume of work-related information they have to consume and digest, and 62 percent say their work performance is suffering as a result, according to a study of 1,700 white-collar employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and South Africa by LexisNexis.

10/26/2010 - Frost & Sullivan announced that growth of agent performance optimization (APO) market in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has been restrained by the economic downturn affecting the region.

10/20/2010 - According to a recent study call centers are becoming a more important point of revenue generation for companies. With more customers opting out of outbound call services and email marketing campaigns, the call center environment is changing to take advantage of all customer interactions, even those that start with in technical assistance or complaint department.

10/1/2010 - Call center management software has helped the industry become more efficient and knowledgeable in respect to customer issues. However a new study shows that even though complaints about call center reps at banks have decreased, overall customer dissatisfaction with banks has increased dramatically since the beginning of the recession.

9/30/2010 - The dynamics within the call center can make scheduling for peak and non-peak volume times challenging. In an early TMCnet post, we looked at scheduling activities and driving flexibility in the call center. While a focus on both can help to greatly improve the bottom line, it can be especially challenging to accomplish when the call center employs not only full-time workers, but also part-time and flex-time employees.

9/23/2010 - Call centers are complicated environments and it is not always easy to schedule for activities both during and outside of calls. The organization that wants to make the most of all employee time will categorize all activities based on the impact of those activities on the service level. The next step is to build a schedule based on these categories.

9/18/2010 - Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, the medical facility for Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southern Maryland, is now using Microlog Corporation's ServiceFirst Contact Center and Patient Appointment System.

9/9/2010 - In a call center, two things are generally paramount: keeping costs under control while keeping customer service high. Often considered mutually exclusive goals, many call centers must take extraordinary steps to try and accomplish the two feats simultaneously.

9/2/2010 - Minneapolis, MN-based provider of customer interaction and contact center management software Calabrio, Inc. has announced that its Calabrio Workforce Management software version 8.3 is compliant with the NES (formerly Nortel Enterprise Solutions) Contact Center offering from Avaya.

8/28/2010 - While it's true that cloud-based applications for the call center have become increasingly popular - it's probably safe to say that more than half of all call centers now use some form of managed service software - there remains those companies which are resistant to giving up "local control" over their call center applications. Many of them equate migration to cloud-based applications to giving up control over the management and performance the call center IT environment.

7/29/2010 - Hundreds -- nay, thousands -- of call centers in recent years have switched to the SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) model of delivery. No doubt you've run into friends at cocktail parties and have asked them so, what's so good about SaaS -- isn't it just today's ASP, hosted software?

7/13/2010 - Although cloud-based business applications have become all the rage, with more than 70 percent of US-based businesses now using some form of cloud-computing, misconceptions about what cloud-based software can and cannot do have persisted.

6/17/2010 - A recent study from DMG Consulting shows that more than 70 percent of call centers are now using workforce management for forecasting and scheduling. The results really aren't all that surprising when one considers all the advantages today's workforce management solutions have over spreadsheets - they help companies improve service levels, hold down operating costs, and boost customer and agent satisfaction.

6/11/2010 - Are you still using "legacy" on-premises workforce management software to schedule the agents in your call center?

6/2/2010 - A recent study from DMG Consulting, sponsored by Interactive Intelligence, dispels some of the myths and misconceptions about software-as-a-service or "cloud"-based call center applications.

5/12/2010 - What is "cloud"-based workforce management software -- and how is it different from traditional workforce management software? Furthermore, what are the advantages of cloud-based WFM over premises-based software for the call center?

5/6/2010 - Today's hosted workforce management solutions hold many advantages over spreadsheets and other "manual" scheduling processes. These powerful software solutions are rapidly replacing spreadsheets as the preferred way to manage call center schedules, as they help call center managers more effectively combat common, every-day call center management issues such as schedule adherence and shrinkage.

4/16/2010 - Want to learn three new ways workforce management software can improve service levels in your call center? Then be sure to check out the upcoming free webinar, 'Three Ways to Increase Service Levels in your Call Center," sponsored by workforce management solutions provider Monet Software.

4/9/2010 - It's no secret that the single biggest cost facing any call center is staffing. For this reason, call center managers are constantly striving to increase agent productivity. They are also looking to gain new efficiencies that reduce labor costs.

3/23/2010 - "Workforce Optimization (WFO) suites have not lived up to their promise," says Tom Goodmanson, President and CEO of Calabrio. "Though packaged, priced and described as a suite, they fall short when it comes to the common interface, usability and supportability advantages that truly define a suite, and the complexity of the implementations continues to be an obstacle."

3/19/2010 - Now in its 25th year, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) has launched its 2010 Call Center Workforce Management Practices survey. All survey questions are sent to call centers and vendors around the world in email solicitations.

3/12/2010 - The call center plays a vital role in an organization, driving additional revenue streams, protecting customer loyalty, measuring company performance and so much more. These benefits cannot always deliver if the center is designed with inefficient processes, especially where employees are concerned.

3/8/2010 - One way to increase revenues in your inbound call center might be via workforce management software.

3/5/2010 - If you operate a small to medium sized call center and you're still using spreadsheets to schedule your agents, you're probably wondering about the many advantages a workforce management solution might bring to your operations.

2/26/2010 - The best workforce management systems for the call center offer an agent-supervisor portal allowing for real-time communication between agents and supervisors. This allows an agent to quickly notify a manager -- and all the other agents -- in the event they can't make it into work. Another agent can then pick up the shift -- or the manager can send out a request for coverage, to see if anyone is available. The result is much faster resolution of schedule conflicts compared to phone or email.

2/1/2010 - Monet Software, a leading provider of cloud-based call center workforce management solutions, recently announced the expansion of its healthcare customer base with the implementation of its Web-based workforce management solution at a health and human services call center company.

1/25/2010 - Back in the "early days" of call centers -- say, during the early to mid 1980s -- most call center managers did a really sloppy job of tracking schedule adherence, if they even bothered tracking it at all.

1/13/2010 - Call center managers are under intense pressure to make sure that every minute of every agent's time is being used efficiently while they are on the clock.

1/8/2010 - Thanks to the advent of the Internet and e-commerce, organizations are increasingly going national or even global with their operations. Even a small online merchant can go global today, using geo-location, automated currency exchange, secure payment card processing and other advanced Web technologies.

12/7/2009 - Very often, workforce management software vendors emphasize the value of their products in terms of their ability to increase schedule adherence, reduce shrinkage and improve customer service through the smarter scheduling of agents. But it should also be pointed out that these solutions bring new efficiencies to the call center manager’s job as well. In fact, it is estimated that a hosted workforce management system can reduce the amount of time a call center manager spends scheduling agents by as much as 25 percent, compared to spreadsheets and other manual systems.

11/11/2009 - Today's Web-based workforce management systems bring numerous advantages to the call center, including improved schedule adherence, reduced shrinkage, and more efficient use of labor resources through more accurate forecasting and scheduling.

10/26/2009 - Still using spreadsheets to schedule your call center agents? If so, you are probably at a distinct disadvantage compared to your competitors using workforce management solutions.

10/15/2009 - To learn more about how cloud-based WFM solutions simplify call center management, be sure to check out the upcoming free webinar, "Cloud Computing for Easier and More Affordable Call Center Scheduling," presented by Monet Software, from 10 to 11 a.m. PDT (7 to 8 a.m. ET), Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009.

10/9/2009 - One of the advantages today's workforce management solutions have over spreadsheets is their ability to help manage the intra-day forecasting and scheduling of agents.

9/28/2009 - If you're hungry for tips on how you can improve your call center scheduling, be sure to check out the upcoming free webinar, "Seven Tips for More Effective Call Center Scheduling," to be held from 10 to 11 a.m., PT (1 to 2 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, October 7, 2009. This free webinar is being presented by workforce management solutions provider Monet Software.

9/24/2009 - In order to find new efficiencies in the call center, companies are increasingly ditching their spreadsheets and adopting hosted or Web-based workforce management solutions. These systems, with their powerful analytics capabilities, enable call center managers to forecast, with a high degree of accuracy, how many agents will be needed for any given shift – a critical aspect of call center management. This is functionality that spreadsheets simply cannot deliver.

8/21/2009 - If you think workforce management software is only for larger-sized call centers, you better think again.

8/5/2009 - The biggest challenge call center managers face today is accurately forecasting how many agents will be needed for any particular shift. This has actually become more difficult in the past couple of years, due to the fact that patterns in customer behavior have shifted dramatically due to the recession.

7/13/2009 - As any call center manager will likely tell you, accurately scheduling agents based on call volume is one of the biggest call center management challenges. Schedule too many agents for any particular shift and you'll have agents sitting around at their desks, doing nothing, wasting precious labor dollars. Schedule not enough agents and customer service levels will erode.

6/24/2009 - In this current economic environment, call center managers are being asked to cut staffing to the bone -- which makes sense since labor accounts for 70 to 80 percent of a typical call center operating budget.

6/5/2009 - In this down economy, call center managers are under intense pressure to maximize agent productivity. That includes making sure agent time is utilized effectively throughout the day.

5/27/2009 - One of the biggest call center management challenges (and headaches) is keeping accurate track of how agent time is being utilized. As most people already know, labor is the single biggest cost facing any call center – thus, in this gruelingly-bad economy, call center managers are under increasing pressure to maximize agent productivity and "do more with less."

5/8/2009 - One of the most challenging tasks call center managers face is balancing the number of agents needed against the number of calls or contacts flowing in during any given shift.

4/29/2009 - Call center managers are under increasing pressure to do more with less. In response to the current economic downturn, companies are cutting back staffing levels in their call centers, yet they are asking call center managers to ensure service levels are still being met.

4/24/2009 - It's well established that labor is the single biggest cost facing any call center. That's why, especially in this tight economy, it's become critical for call center managers to account for every minute of every agent's time.

4/15/2009 - Labor is the single biggest cost facing any call center, so call center managers are under more pressure than ever to manage agent time effectively. Increasingly, companies are investing in software and systems, such as workforce management systems, to help call center managers more efficiently manage agent time and reduce operational costs.

4/8/2009 - In these challenging economic times, call center managers are under intense pressure to keep their centers running efficiently while at the same time providing excellent customer service.

4/6/2009 - Call center management could easily be argued as one of the most challenging positions within the telecommunications industry. Call center managers must be able to accurately forecast for call volume, schedule according to skills and availability of agents, and manage disputes that can arise over schedules, work load and more.

3/31/2009 - Call center managers today are under more pressure than ever to cut costs while at the same time improving customer service. And with labor being the single biggest cost facing any call center, guess where they're going to look to find efficiencies first?

3/30/2009 - Increasingly, companies are seeing the value of workforce management (WFM) solutions to address their call center management objectives, particularly in regard to schedule adherence and agent productivity.

3/25/2009 - Everyone knows that labor is the single biggest cost facing any call center. That's why, in this current economy, effectively managing agent time has never been more important.

3/13/2009 - Rating a contact center agent's performance while on the job is a normal part of running an effective contact center. Ask any contact center manager and they are likely to argue that they accurately rate their agents according to actual performance and are stringent in keeping bias out of the process.

3/4/2009 - It is not unusual for a call center manager to think about the multiple ways to save money when scheduling for agents within the call center. After all, he or she must be able to keep within specified payroll budgets while also ensuring the right amount of coverage to meet customer service standards.

2/6/2009 - The number of elements that must be managed efficiently to run a smooth call center can seem daunting if each were to be examined separately. It would be even more overwhelming if each of these processes had to be managed and executed manually. The result would likely be a disorganized mess and unhappy customers.

1/29/2009 - In the midst of today's fallen economy, companies continue to search for new ways to run their operations without breaking the bank and affecting their customer service. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offers struggling companies an innovative way to capitalize on the Internet, reduce costs and streamline operations.

1/22/2009 - The call center is a strategically positioned customer service channel that the organization deploys to often be the first point of interaction between the customer and the company. As such, it is important that the call center is properly staffed at all times so that each and every customer receives the expected level of service.

1/13/2009 - (Norwalk, CT – January 13, 2009) Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) today announced that the Call Center Management channel, sponsored by Monet Software has been launched as the newest addition to the TMCnet channel program.

1/13/2009 - If a call center manager has to wonder where his or her agents are, chances are he or she isn't taking a proactive approach to call center management.

1/13/2009 - Successful call center managers are aware of the benefits that workforce planning and call center scheduling provide. While enhanced efficiency and streamlined operations drive cost savings, oftentimes challenges interfere with getting essential call center management solutions and software implemented. Budget limits, IT resource issues, hardware procurement hurdles, and long implementation times delay or prevent this need from being met.

1/13/2009 - As a result of today's rocky economic climate, call centers all over the world are experiencing increased pressure. More effective call center management provides an opportunity to enhance productivity, reduce capital expenditures, and maximize performance.