Drive Agent Performance with Call Center Scheduling

Call center scheduling practices can either hinder or help performance. Proper staffing is critical in a customer service environment, ensuring the proper people are on the clock to address the barrage customer questions, concerns or issues. Today, let’s explore a few call center scheduling tips that can help boost contact center performance.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the game on the line, you want your best hitter up at the plate. The same applies in the contact center, so schedule accordingly. Task your top agents with working peak shifts, and introduce incentives to drive your best agents to new heights,

A good manager knows his team well. Each agent possesses certain skills, and managers can leverage these specialties accordingly when putting the schedule together. This means also having a strong grasp of the types of calls agents handle, allowing you to put your agents in a position for success.

Piggybacking off my previous point, cross train agents. In cross training your team, agents become multi-skilled enabling you to close potential customer service gaps when other agents are absent. In addition, implement skill based routing, which requires a smaller number of agents to handle a larger call volume. Performance will pop, promise.

Another way to boost productivity and performance via call center scheduling is the power of choice. Let agents choose when they work, offer the flexibility to work the same amount of hours in lesser days, for example. Offer a work from home option. These are just a couple ways to empower your team with choice.

Call center scheduling may seem like an easy task, but doing so in exceptional fashion is no small feat.

What call center scheduling practices does your organization have in place?

Edited by Maurice Nagle