Workforce Management Featured Article
How Workforce Management Can Foster Innovative Thinking
The optimal working environment demands more than just the presence of skilled employees. For a business to truly succeed, employees should be encouraged to think creatively, expand on their focus and identify new ideas for innovation. While this demands a fresh approach to workforce management, it’s one that can substantially pay off in the end.
The call center is an example of an environment that can easily get stagnant. Employees are scheduled for their specific shift based on the needs of the center. He or she shows up, takes or makes calls for a set time and then goes home. Such a mechanical approach to the job does fulfill a need, but it’s generating an environment of missed opportunities.
A strategic thinker running a business recognizes the value the employee brings to the table. If he or she is on the frontline talking the customers on a regular basis, the insight gathered from these interactions in invaluable. Workforce management is not just about making sure employees are working at the appropriate time; it’s also about leveraging rich knowledge to advance the efforts of the organization.
To make use of this valuable resource, management has to get away from the typical narrow focus on regular tasks. When the individual is too close to those tasks, it’s easy to limit creative thinking. By encouraging curiosity and creativity, employees are more likely to explore things that grab their attention, observing more, reflecting on what they have observed and deriving meaning from these observations as they relate to the business.
For instance, how much would an employee gain from reflecting on a failure. If an interaction with a customer does not go the way it was planned and the agent loses the sale, he or she is bound to learn more from that interaction than the one that generated success. This is the perfect coaching opportunity, but also an opportunity to reflect and explore.
This is not to suggest that agents spend time daydreaming at the conclusion of each interaction. Instead, the agent team may benefit from regular collaboration sessions where they share their insights and feedback based on the previous call session. They not only share with each other what they have learned, they also provide valuable feedback for management focused on improving outcomes on a daily basis.
Monet Software offers a wide variety of workforce management solutions that are designed to meet the needs of the innovative call center. As a company focused on collaboration and forward-thinking, Monet delivers solutions that foster an environment based on improvements born of valuable feedback. After all, if an organization hopes to keep moving forward, they have to know where they have been and the outcome of that journey.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi