Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Tools Offering Deep Insight Improve Call Center Scheduling
How difficult is it to man call center scheduling within your environment? Your answer to the question may depend upon the number of agents you have to manage and the number of shifts in a given workday. The challenge does not rest on time available and time needed alone, but also on the many different variables that can complicate the process and hurt the quality customer experience. To get to the heart of the matter, however, you have to get back to basics.
To truly drive the optimal call center scheduling activity for the week, you must rely on accurate forecasting of the volume of work and the requirements of your staff. Workforce management software can help ease the process and put the tools you need online and at your fingertips, making it much easier to leverage transparency and identify patterns in shifts and daily duties. Outcomes are also improved if you can factor in the preferences and skill sets of your individual agents.
According to Monet Software, a provider of call center scheduling and workforce management solutions, this information should be delivered through effective reporting. Systems used in the call center environment, however, often lack the robust information needed or it’s delivered in such a way that management can’t easily decipher the data. When this happens, it’s a key indicator that a new workforce management solution is needed. The use of such an application will help in the scheduling process, but will also take your data to a whole new level.
Before deciding on an implementation, it’s important to ask about reporting options as they can make a difference in the call center environment. The hours worked report, for instance, is an important tool as it makes it easier for management to breakdown and summarize assigned activities, handle backlog issues and balance multiple types of work. Such information in detail is critical when scheduling for available agents to cover established shifts.
The agents status report is also important insight, especially when compared with the hours worked report. Such information provides new insights into the distribution of the workload, as well as productivity across the team. The service performance report will compare how the team did against what was expected and the coverage report reveals gaps in staffing.
Of these reports, the hours worked report provides the best insight into where you’re getting the most value in your call center scheduling activities. The idea is to focus on your overarching goals using the talent you have at your disposal. Such a report helps you determine just how valuable each agent is compared with your overall strategy so you can schedule accordingly.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi