Minimize Expenses with Call Center Scheduling

Are expenses overwhelming your call center? Have you gotten a handle on staffing to minimize those expenses and drive a wider profit margin? If not, it’s probably time to take a closer look at call center scheduling solutions to ease your pain and improve the bottom line.

A recent Monet Software blog explored the importance of optimal call center scheduling, highlighting that expenses related to staffing can represent as much as 70 percent of total expenses. To drive success and profitability in your call center, you need to have the right number of staff working at the right time and in the right place.

Overstaffing is common in call centers without robust call center scheduling solutions, causing needless spending. By contrast under-staffing can lower your service levels and increase staff turnover, impacting your overall revenues. Such an environment demands the question – can you afford to continue to rely on spreadsheets for your forecasting and call center scheduling needs with so much stake?

Workforce management software can assist in the call center scheduling process, delivering measurable results that can easily exceed the cost of the solution itself. Before jumping in with just any market offering, you need to consider three important things:

1.      Increased scheduling efficiency and agent usage

2.      Automation in scheduling tasks

3.      Improved adherence to the schedule

When you gain access to more efficient scheduling, the associated cost savings are derived from a reduction in overall staff hours and the reduced need for overtime, as well as the identification of over-staffing. Call centers relying on workforce management systems for call center scheduling have experienced a minimum reduction of 2 percent in staff hours, which drives an average potential savings of up to 10 percent.

There are few tasks within the call center that demand as much time as forecasting and scheduling through manual processes. When a workforce management solution is put in place for call center scheduling, a minimum of 25 percent of time can be saved as that manual input is eliminated. As a result, call center managers can focus their time on training, coaching and other important activities.

Shrinkage in the call center occurs when agents are being paid for time they are not on the phones. Non-productive interruptions need to be eliminated through proper call center scheduling. Historical and real-time information regarding agent schedule adherence and exceptions is captured with proven workforce management systems, enabling better management and control of staffing to reduce shrinkage by 10 to 20 minutes per day.

With a clear focus on your call center scheduling goals and the best tools for minimizing waste and maximizing customer interactions, you can drive the results you want and that upper management expects.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Chris DiMarco