Scheduling on a Budget, Call Center Style

Supervisors have a tricky task when it comes to not just scheduling for a call center, but scheduling accurately. Overstaffing can lead to wasted resources, while understaffing can hinder customer service levels with longer than usual hold times or dropped calls.

There are a multitude of options for ensuring accurate scheduling, one being WFM tools. Workforce Management software accurately forecasts how many agents are required in call centers during slow and peak call times. Unfortunately, call volumes aren’t the only uncertainty in call centers; agent attrition is also notably high in this field.

At any moment, there could be quick and costly turnover, which is what occurred at the Muskogee City-County Enhanced 911 Call Center. With staff retention difficult, 98 percent of the salary budget was used for overtime and training of incoming employees. The current call center budget is $2.1 million and, if the spending trend continues, over half of the budget will have been spent.

"It's a very tight year, that's for sure," 911 Coordinator Darryl Maggard said, noting the facility is fully staffed and operating as expected. "We are going to make it, it's just going to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. It's been a particularly rough year."

Maggard went on to share that the call center is currently at minimum headcount that will allow it to stay afloat. This is not for a lack of trying; it just happened to be a year where five out of 24 dispatchers quit. But, despite what has happened, the 911 Center is still functioning and fortunately is nearing the end of its fiscal year. It still has money in the budget for the necessary overtime and coaching until it can seamlessly function once again.

Does your call center know how to schedule and budget in case of a crisis?

Edited by Erik Linask