Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Reducing Shrinkage in Call Center Scheduling Leads to Dollars Saved
Call center scheduling, it is a task that even the most talented of call center managers could easily despise. The challenges that accompany this important task include forecasting for proper call volumes, anticipating absences, training sessions off-site, coaching session on-site, skill-sets of agents, requested time off and so much more. If the call center is trying to manage and schedule for more than 25 agents, doing so on a spreadsheet could turn into a nightmare.
Monet Software understands these challenges, as well as the associated shrinkage when call centers are not scheduled appropriately. As captured in this Monet Software blog, companies increasingly underestimate the volume of shrinkage within the call center. This shrinkage, or paid agent time when they are not on the phone, should be minimized in call center scheduling.
Consider the sheer cost of shrinkage for the call center. If the center completes call center scheduling for 30 agents and 20 minutes of out of adherence status per agent occurs each day, this is equal to 10 hours of shrinkage per day. If the agents who are out of adherence are paid $12 per hour plus benefits that take their total to $15 per hour, the call center and organization are easily losing $150 per day, $750 per week or $39,000 per year.
It is not realistic to assume that all lost time can be recovered, but it certainly should be minimized within the call center. After all, this part of the company is easily one of the most expensive, and the pressure to minimize costs is generally relatively intense. A focus on call center scheduling that allows the center to reduce shrinkage from 20 to 10 minutes can result in a $20,000 savings, as well as improved service levels.
The good news for call center managers seeking to improve their operations and reduce unnecessary costs, reducing shrinkage is just one small way to save the organization money. And, considering the fact that shrinkage can also lead to lost sales, a reduction in shrinkage actually has the potential to save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars each and every year.
To effectively reduce shrinkage, there are three key elements that the manager can pay attention to within call center scheduling. First, it is important to create a better match to call volume with the availability of the agents. Second, it is important to forecast and schedule accurately by including additional parameters. And, finally, managers should monitor and improve schedule adherence, in real-time whenever possible.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Chris DiMarco