Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Hot Tips for Tip-Top Call Center Scheduling
The call center requires Swiss watch-like precision, people and technology working in tandem to deliver exceptional customer service. A vital component of this is scheduling properly. It is mission critical to properly man the fort for peak call volumes, and likewise, staff appropriately for the down times. Ensuring call center scheduling is in order is a big step in making a “cost” center a profit center.
In order to aid in your transition, this article will explore a few ways to ensure best practice in your call center scheduling process. For starters, track shrinkage. Shrinkage is the amount of time agents are on the clock, but not taking calls. In measuring this metric, there is an improved call volume and agent availability match. In addition, it adds to forecast and schedule accuracy, and in monitoring schedule adherence it is improved.
Speaking of schedule adherence, it must be tracked. Put simply, five minutes here or 10 minutes there can add up to a lot of money lost for the company. Accompanying a new monitoring policy is agent feedback, discussing adherence and incentivizing schedule adherence to drive engagement, performance and improve scheduling overall.
Keep engagement and agent retention up by praising top performers. Schedule your call center by ranking, offering the top performers the shifts that best match call center requirements. And, when composing this new call center schedule, it is important to match personality and team. Strong relationships with colleagues translate to stronger performance. It’s all about pairing the “right” people together.
These are but a few ways to instantly improve call center scheduling and operations overall. The call center is the front line of customer service, man the line properly and gain good fortune for years to come.
What scheduling struggles does your call center face?
Edited by Mandi Nowitz