Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Why Monet Software Call Center Scheduling is Worth a Closer Look
The agent is perfectly suited for the call center job. The agent possesses great customer service skills, can manage multiple communication portals at once, can quickly move the customer through resolution and is familiar with just about every computer technology interface available. The only problem is that the agent’s skills are in high demand for coaching others and her availability has changed, creating a scheduling issue for the manager.
The typical customer service environment cannot thrive without some sort of call center scheduling to support the dynamics generated by the variety of calls received, the different communication channels managed and the other activities that take place when an agent isn’t on the phone. How can this manager schedule for optimal performance in an efficient environment with so much going on?
A recent Monet Software video offers the answer. A robust call center scheduling platform will allow the manager to incorporate all call types and non-call activities to produce schedules optimizing on expected call volume, agent availability, service level goals and even the center’s budget. Given the important role scheduling plays in the overall service delivered to the customer base, let’s take a closer look at this scheduling engine.
It may not readily come to mind that call center scheduling needs to include activities like lunches and breaks, yet these are the very things that take an agent away from his or her desk, and therefore shrink the number of available agents during any calling period of the day. A robust call center scheduling module will automatically factor lunches and breaks while also adhering to service level goals to produce a schedule that achieves the right balance between the two.
Moving into creating schedules for holidays, weekends and other special events can be a bit more challenging. Anticipated call volumes may go up or down, agent availability changes and other factors can complicate the scheduling process. Monet Software’s call center scheduling solution allows the manager to create shift profiles that factor in extenuating circumstances.
Once these profiles have been created, the manager can select the desired profile and then launch the Monet Software platform. The scheduling engine will then automatically examine the profile and select the optimal shift patterns to meet volume needs at the lowest cost to the center. The resulting schedule will display all start and end times, lunches and breaks, and the initial shift cost.
The Monet Software program also allows the manager to display the required versus scheduled graph. This graphical display provides a comparison between what has been scheduled versus what is required. In the video example, the schedule shifts match the exact needs very closely, yet the manager has the option of modifying the schedule or even deleting a shift when individual needs vary.
As call center scheduling continues to be a complicated process, the application of a robust engine to factor in all variables for efficient operation is a smart investment.
Edited by Amanda Ciccatelli