Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Only Cavemen Use Spreadsheets to Schedule Call Center Agents
Still using spreadsheets to schedule your call center agents? Looking for new ways to make your call center operations more efficient?
Maybe it’s time to consider upgrading to workforce management software. If you make the switch today you certainly will not be an “early adopter.” If anything, you are late to the party.
Today’s workforce management solutions offer numerous advantages over spreadsheets. These sophisticated applications sport analytics capabilities that enable call center managers to accurately forecast call volume for any given shift. This is critical in today’s call centers, where labor is the single biggest operating cost. In fact, today’s WFM systems are used for both short-term and long-term planning. Thus they are playing an increasingly vital role in call center hiring and staffing decision making.
These systems, which are increasingly being offered via the software-as-a-service or cloud model, also help managers improve call center performance by giving them increased visibility and control over schedule adherence and shrinkage. Unlike spreadsheets, these systems enable call center managers to quickly and easily see who is showing up late, leaving early or taking excessively long breaks, in near-real time -- which is particularly key for medium to large sized centers where agent activity can be difficult to track. Managers can instantly access stats on agent performance for individual agents, agent groups or the entire center.
Perhaps most importantly today’s WFM solutions shave multiple hours off the time a manager spends each week setting the schedule, tracking agent performance, creating reports and dealing with schedule conflicts. And with the SaaS (News - Alert) model they are very quick, easy and affordable to deploy.
Want to learn more about how workforce management software can improve your call center’s operations, improve agent productivity, boost customer satisfaction and increase revenues? Then be sure to check out the upcoming free webinar, “How to End Your Spreadsheet Scheduling Headache Now,” sponsored by Monet Software, to be held at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), Thursday, April 8, 2010.
Industry expert Chuck Ciarlo, who successfully owned and operated multiple call centers, will explain:
--How much spreadsheet-based scheduling costs you every month
--How a workforce management solution makes forecasting and scheduling easier, faster and more accurate
--How a workforce management solution can cost you less than spreadsheet based scheduling
--How you can get started using WFM in five easy steps - without buying and installing software
To register for this free webinar, click here.
Patrick Barnard is a senior Web editor for TMCnet, covering call and contact center technologies. He also compiles and regularly contributes to TMCnet e-Newsletters in the areas of robotics, IT, M2M, OCS and customer interaction solutions. To read more of Patrick's articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Patrick Barnard