Call Center Workforce Management

Contact Center Workforce Management

Call Center Workforce Management Guide

Call Center Workforce Management:  Key to business efficiency and customer satisfaction

Call centers are essential in brand building and customer retention within today’s highly competitive customer service field, establishing recognition and retainment among existing and prospective customers. An efficient team is vital to offer outstanding service quality at operational efficiency. Workforce Management (WFM) includes forecasting demand, scheduling employees, and monitoring performance results to provide satisfactory service while keeping operational costs within bounds.

This article will discuss what you need to know to improve operational efficiency and deliver a better customer experience (CX) through WFM.

What is workforce management?

Workforce management (WFM) is a complete process used by organizations to guarantee that they have the correct amount of personnel with the right capabilities and are accessible at the right time to satisfy their operational requirements. It consists of several strategies for raising staff productivity, lowering labor costs, and maintaining service quality.   WFM software is used across manufacturing, retailing, healthcare, and call centers, where worker allocation is crucial to fulfilling customer demands and meeting business goals.

How does workforce management work?

Workforce management uses methods intended to achieve and sustain operational efficiency. The ultimate purpose of workforce management is to find the best possible balance between the expected workload and the number of agents scheduled. That entails using the fewest paid labor hours possible without risking income potential, badly hurting the employee experience, or exacerbating poor customer relations.

Businesses that strike this balance see numerous advantages, including lower operational costs, decreased employee turnover rates, and greater customer satisfaction.

Tools and Technology in Workforce Management

Advanced workforce management relies heavily on software solutions that automate various operations. Such solutions utilize algorithms to predict demand and schedule staff in real-time while monitoring actual performance in real-time. Advanced WFM systems integrate with call center technologies such as CRM systems and quality monitoring software to give managers an encompassing overview of workforce performance and operational outcomes.

Some standard features of WFM tools include:

• Automated Scheduling: This feature helps generate optimized work schedules based on historical data and employee availability.
• Timekeeping: Systems that track employee time and attendance in real-time, improving payroll accuracy and reducing time fraud.
• Real-Time Analytics: Provides insights into workforce performance and operational efficiency to support data-driven decision-making.
• Mobile Access: Many WFM systems allow employees and managers to access schedules, request time off, and communicate through mobile apps, increasing Flexibility and collaboration.
  
  

Workforce Management’s Role in a Call Center

The call center environment has never been more complicated. Leaders must balance adaptable workforce levels, hybrid work environments, multi-channel customer engagement, and greater customer expectations while dealing with fewer agents and higher turnover rates. Contact center leaders want an effective workforce management solution to handle complexity in ways that promote better employee interactions, enhanced customer service, human resource management, and a favorable financial impact.

Firms must be aware of the numbers to run an effective call center. The most significant figures—by far—are those of the efficient workforce available to manage incoming client engagements.

With a robust WFM system in place, call centers can:

• Improve Service Quality: Meeting customer expectations is vital in call centers, and efficient WFM ensures that there are enough agents to handle the workload without overburdening them.
• Enhance Employee Experience: WFM can also promote better work-life balance for agents by creating fair and predictable schedules, reducing burnout, and increasing employee retention.
• Reduce Operational Costs: By optimizing schedules and resource allocation, WFM minimizes idle time and unnecessary overtime, ensuring the center runs cost-effectively.
• Increase Productivity: With agents appropriately scheduled and workloads evenly distributed, productivity naturally improves, leading to better performance metrics.

Functions of WFM in a Contact Center

An effective workforce management process in any call center typically entails several essential pieces, each playing an important part, and you probably fulfill all of them at some point.

• Forecasting customer interaction volume.
• Using the forecasted data to generate optimal agent schedules.
• Assigning agents to schedules depending on their preferences and business requirements.
• Managing intraday activity.

Noting the nature of these functions as cycles is key; each part depends on input from its predecessor component to function effectively and continuously change over time.

How WFM Improves Call Center Forecasting

WFM solutions can significantly enhance the accuracy and reliability of call center forecasting, leading to improved customer satisfaction, reduced costs, and optimized operational efficiency.

What is WFM forecasting?

WFM Forecasting predicts future workload volumes in a contact center, such as the number of calls, emails, chats, or other interactions expected during a specific period. Forecasting is an important part of Workforce Management (WFM), which ensures that the correct number of agents with the right skills are scheduled to meet customer demand.

WFM forecasting involves analyzing historical data, identifying patterns (such as daily, weekly, or seasonal trends), and incorporating factors like marketing campaigns, holidays, and product launches to make accurate predictions. It helps contact centers manage staffing levels efficiently by ensuring they have enough agents to handle the projected workload without overstaffing, which wastes resources, or understaffing, which can hurt service levels and customer satisfaction.

By leveraging WFM forecasting, call centers can improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and maintain high service quality by aligning staff availability with customer demand.

The Role of Skills Usage in Forecasting

Skills usage is a critical factor to consider in call center workforce management (CCWM) forecasting. By understanding the specific skills required for different types of calls, call centers can more accurately predict staffing needs and allocate resources effectively. Here’s how skills usage can impact forecasting:

1. Call Routing and Agent Allocation:

• Skill-Based Routing: Directing calls to agents with the necessary skills to efficiently handle the inquiry. It ensures that customers are connected to the best-suited agent, improving customer satisfaction and reducing call handling time.
• Agent Allocation: Forecasting based on skill usage helps determine the optimal number of agents needed for each skill category. This ensures that sufficient agents are available to handle calls that require specific expertise.

2. Training and Development:

• Skill Gap Analysis: Call centers can identify areas where agents may need additional training or development by analyzing skills usage data. This ensures that agents are equipped with the skills needed to handle incoming calls effectively.
• Targeted Training: Tailoring training programs to address specific skill gaps can improve agent performance and reduce call handling time.

3. Forecasting Accuracy:

• Granular Forecasting: Forecasting based on skills usage provides a more granular view of staffing needs, leading to more accurate predictions.
• Scenario Planning: Analyzing skills usage data can help call centers develop different scenarios to assess the potential impact of various factors, such as product launches or changes in customer behavior.

4. Performance Measurement:

• Agent Performance Evaluation: Tracking skills usage can help evaluate agent performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Team Efficiency: Analyzing skills usage at the team level can help identify bottlenecks and optimize team composition.

Managing for Required Lines and Multi-Skilled Agents in Forecasting

Forecasting call center workforce management (CCWM) requires considering several vital elements. Required lines and multi-skilled agents should both be considered during forecasting.

Required Lines

Required lines refer to the specific calls that agents with specialized skills or knowledge must handle.

Impact on Forecasting:

• Skill-Based Routing: Accurate forecasting requires identifying the specific skills needed for each line to ensure that calls are routed to the appropriate agents.
• Staffing Needs: Forecasting must consider the number of required lines and the corresponding staffing needs to ensure sufficient agents are available to handle all calls.

Multi-Skilled Agents

Multi-skilled agents possess the skills and knowledge to handle multiple types of calls.

Impact on Forecasting:

• Flexibility: Multi-skilled agents can provide greater Flexibility in scheduling and staffing, as they can be assigned to various call types based on demand.
• Efficiency: Call centers can reduce the need for specialized agents by leveraging the skills of multi-skilled agents, potentially leading to cost savings.
• Forecasting Complexity: Forecasting must consider multi-skilled agents’ skills and capabilities to predict staffing needs accurately.

Accounting for Flexible Scheduling in Forecasting

Flexible scheduling is becoming increasingly common in call centers. It can improve agent satisfaction, reduce absenteeism, and enhance operational efficiency. However, it can also add complexity to forecasting.

• How does flexible scheduling impact WFM forecasting? Flexible schedules are incredibly challenging to incorporate into contact center forecasting, but they’re worth it: Three out of four agents consider flexible scheduling an employment requirement.

• How does flexible scheduling complicate forecasting? A large number of constantly shifting variables, including agent-preferred start times, stop times, days off, workday patterns, shift lengths, and lunch breaks, must be incorporated and accounted for.

Here are some critical considerations for accounting for flexible scheduling in forecasting:

1. Defining Flexibility:

• Types of Flexibility: Identify the types offered, such as compressed workweeks, flextime, or remote work.
• Extent of Flexibility: Determine the extent to which agents can exercise Flexibility.

2. Historical Data Analysis:

• Flexibility Usage: Analyze historical data to understand how agents have utilized flexible scheduling options.
• Impact on Call Volume: Assess the impact of flexible scheduling on call volume patterns.
  

3. Forecasting Models:

• Adjustments: Incorporate Flexibility into forecasting models to account for potential variations in agent availability.
• Scenario Planning: Develop scenarios to assess the impact of different levels of Flexibility on staffing needs.

4. Agent Preferences:

• Surveys and Feedback: Gather information about agent preferences for flexible scheduling options.
• Customization: Consider customizing forecasting based on individual agent preferences.

5. Scheduling Tools:

• Flexibility Integration: Ensure that scheduling tools can accommodate flexible scheduling options.
• Real-time Adjustments: Use tools that allow for real-time schedule adjustments based on changes in agent availability or call volume.

6. Communication and Coordination:

• Clear Policies: Establish clear policies and guidelines for flexible scheduling.
• Effective Communication: Maintain open communication with agents to ensure that they understand the expectations and limitations of flexible scheduling.

7. Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Performance Metrics: Track key performance metrics to assess the impact of flexible scheduling on agent productivity and customer satisfaction.
• Continuous Improvement: Regularly evaluate and refine forecasting models and scheduling practices to optimize the benefits of flexible scheduling.

How WFM Supports Contact Center Scheduling

Workforce Management (WFM) is a critical tool for call centers, providing the foundation for efficient scheduling. By analyzing historical data, predicting future call volumes, and optimizing agent schedules, WFM ensures that the correct number of agents are available to handle incoming calls.

What is WFM scheduling?

In a call center, WFM scheduling is the process of allocating agents to time, skills, and demand-based shifts, balancing agent availability, optimization goals, service objectives, and financial targets.

Once the forecasting is complete, scheduling becomes possible. Scheduling entails identifying which shifts and hours will require covering at the interval level based on the forecasted requirements. This entails having the appropriate personnel available where interactions will be delivered (e.g., queues and contact types).

Critical aspects of WFM scheduling include:

• Forecasting: Predicting future call volumes and agent availability to anticipate staffing needs.
• Shift Planning: Creating optimal shift patterns to ensure adequate daily coverage.
• Agent Scheduling: Assigning agents to specific shifts based on their skills, availability, and the forecasted call volume.
• Adherence Monitoring: Tracking agent adherence to their scheduled shifts and breaks to ensure optimal productivity.
• Real-time Adjustments: Making necessary changes to schedules in response to unexpected fluctuations in call volume or agent availability.

Benefits of Effective WFM Scheduling:

• Improved Customer Satisfaction: Reduced wait times and faster resolution of customer inquiries.
• Reduced Costs: Optimized staffing levels can help reduce labor costs.
• Enhanced Agent Productivity: Efficient scheduling can boost agent morale and productivity.
• Better Business Insights: WFM data can provide valuable insights into call center performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

By effectively managing their workforce, call centers can improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and enhance overall business performance.

How to Improve WFM Agent Assigning

Effective agent assigning is critical to call center workforce management (WFM). Call centers can enhance customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs by optimizing agent assignments.

What is an agent assigning in WFM?

In Workforce Management (WFM), agent assigning refers to allocating or scheduling agents to specific shifts, tasks, or queues based on the forecasted workload and the skills or availability of the agents. The goal is to ensure enough agents with the right skill sets can handle the anticipated call volume, emails, chats, or customer interactions during different periods.

Critical Aspects of Agent Assigning in WFM:

• Skill-Based Assignment: Agents are assigned based on their expertise in handling specific queries or interactions (e.g., tech support, billing inquiries, etc.).
• Shift Planning: Ensuring agents are assigned to shifts that match peak customer interaction times based on the forecast.
• Workload Balancing: Distributing agents across various channels or interaction types (phone, chat, email, etc.) to ensure that service levels are maintained.
• Availability: Considering the availability of agents based on their contract, preferences, or constraints (part-time/full-time, vacations, etc.).
• Queue Management: Assigning agents to specific queues or departments depending on their skill sets and the needs of that queue.

Effective agent assigning ensures optimal coverage and helps avoid issues like overstaffing or understaffing during key times.

How to Improve WFM Intraday Management

Intraday management is essential to call center workforce management (WFM). It entails real-time monitoring and altering call center operations to ensure peak performance and satisfy fluctuating demand.

What is intraday, or intraweek, management in WFM?

Intraday (or intraweek) management in WFM (Workforce Management) refers to the real-time monitoring and adjustment of call center operations to ensure optimal performance and meet changing demand throughout the day or week. It uses data-driven insights and proactive measures to optimize staffing levels, agent assignments, and call routing to deliver exceptional customer service.

Intraday Management

Intraday management refers to managing staffing and workload within a single day. It focuses on real-time actions and adjustments based on actual performance versus the forecast. Since call volumes, customer interactions, and agent availability can fluctuate significantly throughout the day, intraday management aims to:

• Monitor Real-Time Performance: Use real-time dashboards to continuously track key metrics such as service levels, call volumes, average handle times (AHT), occupancy rates, and agent availability.
• Adjust Schedules in Real Time: You can make immediate adjustments to agent schedules, such as moving breaks or lunches, extending shifts, or reallocating agents to different queues.
• Handle Unexpected Events: Respond to unplanned events, such as spikes in call volume, technical issues, or higher-than-expected shrinkage (e.g., agent absenteeism).
• Optimize Resource Use: Ensure the right number of agents with the correct skills are available throughout the day to maintain performance targets without overstaffing or understaffing.

Intraweek Management

Intraweek management extends the same principles over a period of several days or an entire week. The goal is to manage resources and staffing more effectively by making short-term adjustments based on performance trends observed earlier in the week. Intraweek management focuses on:

• Daily Performance Reviews: At the end of each day, managers review key metrics and trends to make adjustments for the following days. For example, if Monday had higher-than-expected call volumes, adjustments may be made to schedules for Tuesday and beyond.
• Reforecasting for the Week: Based on early trends in the week, forecast adjustments can be made to shift schedules or bring in additional resources for peak days.
• Adapting to Changing Conditions: If unplanned events (like agent absenteeism or new product launches) impact the workload during the week, intraweek management allows for proactive scheduling adjustments for the remainder of the week.

Why is adherence essential in WFM?

Adherence is an essential metric in call center workforce management (WFM) that measures the extent to which agents comply with their scheduled work hours and breaks. It plays a significant role in ensuring optimal call center performance and achieving business objectives. Here’s why adherence is vital in WFM:

• Optimized Staffing Levels: Adherence helps ensure that the correct number of agents are available to handle incoming calls, reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.
• Reduced Costs: High adherence rates can lower labor costs by minimizing overtime and absenteeism.
• Improved Agent Productivity: Agents who adhere to their schedules are more likely to be productive and focused.
• Enhanced Service Levels: Adherence helps maintain consistent service levels throughout the day, leading to a better customer experience.
• Compliance with Regulations: In some regions, adherence to work-hour regulations is mandatory. Adherence ensures compliance with these regulations.

Factors Affecting Adherence:

• Agent Scheduling: Efficient scheduling can increase adherence by assigning agents shifts that align with their preferences and availability.
• Agent Motivation: A positive work environment and fair treatment can motivate agents to adhere to their schedules.
• Absence Management: Effective policies and procedures can help reduce unplanned absences and improve adherence.
• Monitoring and Feedback: Regular adherence monitoring and timely feedback to agents can help improve compliance.

Start Here: Bright Patterns Workforce Management Contact Center and Call Center Solution

Bright Pattern is a leading provider of cloud-based contact center software that offers a robust workforce management (WFM) solution tailored to the needs of modern call centers. Its WFM capabilities enable businesses to optimize agent scheduling, improve forecasting accuracy, and enhance operational efficiency.

Key Features of Bright Patterns WFM Solution:

• Advanced Forecasting: Leveraging AI-powered forecasting algorithms, Bright Pattern accurately predicts call volumes, agent availability, and other relevant metrics.
• Intelligent Scheduling: Automatically generates optimal agent schedules based on forecasted demand, agent skills, and preferences.
• Real-time Monitoring: Provides real-time visibility into call center performance, allowing for timely adjustments and proactive management.
• Skill-Based Routing: This routing method directs calls to agents with the appropriate skills to handle specific inquiries, improving customer satisfaction and reducing average handle time (AHT).
• Agent Performance Management: Tracks agent performance metrics, provides feedback, and identifies areas for improvement.
• Integration with Contact Center Platform: Seamlessly integrates with Bright Pattern’s contact center platform, offering a unified solution for managing call center operations.

Benefits of Using Bright Patterns WFM Solution:

• Improved Customer Satisfaction: Optimized staffing levels and efficient routing lead to shorter wait times and faster resolution of customer inquiries.
• Reduced Costs: Efficient workforce management can help reduce labor costs and improve operational efficiency.
• Enhanced Agent Productivity: Effective scheduling and training can boost agent morale and productivity.
• Better Business Insights: Bright Pattern’s WFM solution provides valuable insights into call center performance, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Additional Considerations:

• Customization: Bright Patterns WFM solution can be customized to meet the specific needs of your call center.
• Scalability: The solution is intended to grow and adapt to your business’s needs.  
• Integration: Bright Pattern’s Workforce Management solution interfaces seamlessly with various company tools, including CRM and ERP platforms.

By leveraging Bright Pattern’s WFM solution, call centers can optimize operations, improve customer satisfaction, and achieve business objectives.

Would you like to know more about specific features or use cases of Bright Patterns WFM solution? Contact Bright Pattern today for a personalized demo and learn how our WFM solution can transform your business.