Workforce Management Featured Article
February 08, 2007
How to Gain a Better ROI from Workforce Management Systems in the Contact Center
Workforce management is more than just a buzzword. Instead, it is a system that can be applied in any organization to improve efficiencies and help to drive a better ROI for not only workforce management technology, but other systems and applications as well.
One of the most important things to remember when applying workforce management systems is to examine the internal operations and the culture of the business. The way in which your organization can charge out for call center operations is an important consideration in workforce management.
If your call center is able to charge per call, your objectives for workforce optimization will be different than the call center that charges according to meeting service levels by the day, week or month. Your organization will only be able to maximize ROI from a workforce management implementation when you adhere to your organization’s specific culture.
The technology in use in the call center is also an important consideration for workforce management systems. When workforce management is not properly designed around the technology in your call center, you can deplete the potential ROI that the system can provide. Take your technologies into consideration, but also be sure that platforms are aligned in their reference to technologies or the result could be adding unnecessary costs with an ineffective workforce management solution.
Understanding your agent population, its constraints and flexibilities, is also important when deploying a workforce management solution. Such a solution can go a long way in managing the workforce and ensuring that individuals are used when and where they can be most effective. To gain the most economic advantage, however, you must understand the agent population before you begin the process.
Overall, perhaps the most important element to consider before implementing a workforce management system is having a complete understanding of current business processes and what your organization hopes to gain by implementing a workforce management solution in the contact center. Your organization will be able to gain the best ROI when you have a clear goal in workforce management planning.
Contact center managers must also remember that workforce management solutions are not a plug-n-play application. The idea of implementing such a system and then allowing it to just work its magic is merely a idealistic approach – it doesn’t happen.
To gain a strong ROI from a workforce management implementation, contact center managers must understand that it is a full-time function. The more active the approach that contact center managers take to the workforce management implementation and operation, the greater the ROI, as well a other business and operational benefits.
Want to learn more about contact centers? Then be sure to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users. The papers are authored by industry leaders, who, in turn, receive qualified sales leads from interested parties. Check here for the latest in CRM information.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.