Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Companies Use Analytics Technologies to Make Staffing Decisions During COVID-19
Call centers are used to tracking and reporting. It’s the way they measure performance metrics, identify problems and make plans for additional resources. One of the newest things many call centers are tracking, however, is COVID-19 infections and quarantines.
It has fallen to many human resources (HR) departments to analyze COVID-19 infections within a company. To do so, many HR departments are deploying next-generation analytics technologies to ensure organizations remain properly staffed while also protecting employee health and safety, according to a recent article by human resources publication SHRM. The solutions are similar to those used by contact centers for call center scheduling.
Mark Berry, vice president of human resources for the Indiana Packers Corp., a producer of fresh and processed meats in Delphi (News - Alert), Indiana, told SHRM that his organization uses analytics software from provider Visier. The solution, which is linked to the company’s human capital management system, tracks key COVID-19 metrics in the company’s workforce. From March through September, Berry gathered data on infection rates, infection velocity contact tracing, absences and overtime.
"We also didn't want people to be tempted to come to work sick," Berry said, "so we implemented a mandated quarantine leave program and for each of those leaves created solid estimates of what utilization and costs would be."
Because exposure to a positive case requires quarantining for employees – whether they feel well or not – it’s important that the organization have a handle at all times on who is available to cover the workload, whether it’s from the office or from home. The solution also helps get a grip on hiring needs, track turnover rates, gauge average versus available employee headcount and analyze worker time-off rates.
"It provides trends, enabling us to anticipate future changes, and also snapshot views of absenteeism, overtime, employee leaves and an overall understanding of what's happening as COVID-19 infection rates change," Berry said. "Analytics tools are tremendously important in being able to keep the pulse of what's happening with our day-to-day business and not have to rely on ad hoc, reactive reporting."
Edited by Maurice Nagle