Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Call Center Scheduling Can Improve Outcomes from CX to Agent Retention
Call center managers are busy individuals.
Because they’re so busy it can be tempting for them to simply plug in workers to any available shifts. And some actually put that scenario into practice.
But that’s not a great idea. Because it can come to bite them – and their employers’ – in the end. It can crater the morale of the best and most experienced agents, among others. And it can lead to greater agent churn and lower productivity.
A better method for scheduling is first to consider what expertise you need when. You’ll also want to leverage the strongest performers during peak times.
During other times, you’ll want employ a mix of more experienced and high performing, and newer hires or agents that may need the help and inspiration of your top performers. That way, you know you have the people to get the job done and assist others. And you’ll be able to use that time to bring those who may need a little extra help up to speed.
Because call center managers (and, really, all managers) tend to rely on their top performers, they want to make sure they keep these big contributors aboard. So call centers managers should be sure to recognize their contributions and offer their special perks when possible. And they can use scheduling as an employee perk.
Call center managers may want to offer their best performing agents the most desirable shifts, or at least some flexibility in which shifts they work. But this perk needn’t be reserved exclusively for the top performers. Call center managers also might consider offering agents who improve on schedule adherence or other key performance metrics the ability to have more choice in how their scheduled – at least for a limited period of time.
Edited by Maurice Nagle