The call center remains a vital function for any business needing to maintain a strong relationship with their customers. As new technologies have been introduced, call centers and the agents tasked to work for them have become more sophisticated.

Now that calling costs are reduced using VoIP, agents have ergonomic furniture to support their health, and proper schedules have been set-up, businesses are looking at ways to further optimize staff productivity and improve overall operational efficiencies.

Complex contact centers involve agents needing to communicate with callers via outbound and inbound calling, IM and e-mail and require information to be entered into a variety of different applications – slowing down call process times and potentially making room for errors.

Contact center workforce analysis teams are typically tasked with ensuring call center agents are not only staffed accordingly but that they are also making proper use of their time to maximize on customer demands.

Key factors like budgeting the right amount of agents to handle call fluctuations during “busy” or “down” times, as well as ensuring that agents have the proper training and technologies to handle the job, are important for staff optimization in the call center. In addition, these latest steps in the planning process can help businesses avoid negative financial repercussions.

Working with providers skilled in workforce management will put a plan in place to address staffing and scheduling needs based on forecasted call volumes, reduce the number of applications agents must access and use data to improve performance levels.

If you’re looking for some more information on forecasting, planning, and analysis for complex contact center operations, checkout “True Staff Optimization.”