“occupancy rate in a contact centre”. This is basically a measure of how “busy” call center agents are when they are at work. It is sometimes referred to as “utilization”. You might think a simpler measurement like “call per hour” would answer...
“occupancy rate in a contact centre”. This is basically a measure of how “busy” call center agents are when they are at work. It is sometimes referred to as “utilization”. You might think a simpler measurement like “call per hour” would answer this same question. But as is often the case with call centers, things get complicated quickly.
In this post we will look into how occupancy rate is calculated, what value it adds to the vast mix of call center metrics and the problems that can arise if it is used improperly.
Calculating Occupancy Rate
Consider an agent who is engaged in call-related work for 45 minutes during a 60 minute period. He has an occupancy rate (or just “occupancy”) of 75%. That’s pretty straightforward, right?
However, we need to look deeper into the phrase “call-related” which is the numerator of the fraction. We have to include more than just “talk time”, because sometimes agents are on hold during the conversation, waiting on another process. We also need to include work that happens after the call to “wrap-up” the transaction. This is sometimes called “After Call Work” (ACW). Defining the boundaries between ACW and other non-call work can be tricky. It’s important to limit this to work that is directly related to that particular call, and exclude general non-call work. This is the same thinking that goes into calculating “Handle Time”.
In fact, a common way to calculate occupancy rate is to add up all the handle time during the defined time period
Now what about the denominator? We want to count how much time the agent was theoretically able to work. Many contact center systems will report “Available Time” for an agent, which counts the time an agent was logged-in but not on a call. (Sometimes called “Idle Time”.) Armed with this number, we have our first way to calculate occupancy rate:
One danger here is to make sure that “Available Time” does not overlap with ACW time or on hold time.
Other call centers are set up to report “logged in” time for an agent. We can use this instead of handle time if we can subtract away all non-call related activities. This time is often labeled “Aux”, “Misc” or “non-call”. That leads to an alternate formula:
The danger with this approach is to make sure agents are diligent in setting their status codes properly so that “Aux” covers all the appropriate time.
What Occupancy Tells You?
So, occupancy combined with service level, can tell you if your staffing level is set properly for a given stretch of time. But what about occupancy on its own? It is best used as a predictor of “agent burn-out”. There is a general consensus that occupancy above 85% is not sustainable other than for short bursts of time. (85% occupancy means there is only an aggregate of 9 minutes between calls in any given hour.)
Agents need time to take a breath and collect their thoughts between calls. Otherwise, performance suffers, followed by higher absenteeism and, eventually, agent attrition.
Dangers of Misuse
One danger was already covered: looking at occupancy as a guideline for staffing without also considering service level.
Another danger is confusing occupancy with “Schedule Adherence”. They are similar metrics, but not interchangeable. This can lead to serious mistakes in forecasting and staffing.
Finally, there is a danger in confusing occupancy with productivity. One agent may be able to write-up a summary or send an email faster than another. In this case, the “after call work” would be less and yield lower occupancy for the more efficient agent.
How are you using occupancy in your call center? We’d would love to hear from you in the comments. What other metrics would you like us to tackle in this group?
In this post we will look into how occupancy rate is calculated, what value it adds to the vast mix of call center metrics and the problems that can arise if it is used improperly.
Calculating Occupancy Rate
Consider an agent who is engaged in call-related work for 45 minutes during a 60 minute period. He has an occupancy rate (or just “occupancy”) of 75%. That’s pretty straightforward, right?
However, we need to look deeper into the phrase “call-related” which is the numerator of the fraction. We have to include more than just “talk time”, because sometimes agents are on hold during the conversation, waiting on another process. We also need to include work that happens after the call to “wrap-up” the transaction. This is sometimes called “After Call Work” (ACW). Defining the boundaries between ACW and other non-call work can be tricky. It’s important to limit this to work that is directly related to that particular call, and exclude general non-call work. This is the same thinking that goes into calculating “Handle Time”.
In fact, a common way to calculate occupancy rate is to add up all the handle time during the defined time period
Now what about the denominator? We want to count how much time the agent was theoretically able to work. Many contact center systems will report “Available Time” for an agent, which counts the time an agent was logged-in but not on a call. (Sometimes called “Idle Time”.) Armed with this number, we have our first way to calculate occupancy rate:
One danger here is to make sure that “Available Time” does not overlap with ACW time or on hold time.
Other call centers are set up to report “logged in” time for an agent. We can use this instead of handle time if we can subtract away all non-call related activities. This time is often labeled “Aux”, “Misc” or “non-call”. That leads to an alternate formula:
The danger with this approach is to make sure agents are diligent in setting their status codes properly so that “Aux” covers all the appropriate time.
What Occupancy Tells You?
So, occupancy combined with service level, can tell you if your staffing level is set properly for a given stretch of time. But what about occupancy on its own? It is best used as a predictor of “agent burn-out”. There is a general consensus that occupancy above 85% is not sustainable other than for short bursts of time. (85% occupancy means there is only an aggregate of 9 minutes between calls in any given hour.)
Agents need time to take a breath and collect their thoughts between calls. Otherwise, performance suffers, followed by higher absenteeism and, eventually, agent attrition.
Dangers of Misuse
One danger was already covered: looking at occupancy as a guideline for staffing without also considering service level.
Another danger is confusing occupancy with “Schedule Adherence”. They are similar metrics, but not interchangeable. This can lead to serious mistakes in forecasting and staffing.
Finally, there is a danger in confusing occupancy with productivity. One agent may be able to write-up a summary or send an email faster than another. In this case, the “after call work” would be less and yield lower occupancy for the more efficient agent.
How are you using occupancy in your call center? We’d would love to hear from you in the comments. What other metrics would you like us to tackle in this group?
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
Customers are more likely to buy from a company where they receive good service, and will stop dealing with those who let them down. Hardly worth the cost of the survey so far.
What is more...
Customers are more likely to buy from a company where they receive good service, and will stop dealing with those who let them down. Hardly worth the cost of the survey so far.
What is more interesting, and what should resonate with call centers and every type of business, is how profoundly people are affected by a positive or negative experience, and the long-term impact of that lone encounter. Nearly 25% of respondents stayed with a company that treated them right for two years. And nearly 40% stayed away from a company that did not deliver acceptable service.
Which type of customers are the worst ones to upset? Those with higher incomes are the last ones you want to tick off – according to Zendesk, almost 80% will likely be lost for good. Makes sense, as these are the customers with the most flexibility in where they can do business. Younger consumers – those that are part of Generation X, are also less forgiving.
Finally, the survey revealed that a positive or negative customer service experience could affect other existing and potential customers as well. Social media has opened up a number of channels for consumers to voice their displeasure, or to recommend a product or service to their friends.
Bad news usually travels faster, and that’s the case here. The survey found that an extraordinary 95% of survey respondents would share information about a bad experience with others, while 87% would share the results of a positive business encounter.
So next time you have a training session with a call center agent, add a reminder that the service provided to one customer can impact that customer’s friends, family and the hundreds or even thousands of people connected to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. A little courtesy goes a long way. A little rudeness goes even further and has even more negative impact.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
Is there such a thing as a quick fix when it comes to more effective performance management? Can one little change in attitude or procedure make a big difference in quality monitoring?
The answer is yes – and no.
Both performance...
The answer is yes – and no.
Both performance...
Is there such a thing as a quick fix when it comes to more effective performance management? Can one little change in attitude or procedure make a big difference in quality monitoring?
The answer is yes – and no.
Both performance management and quality monitoring require coordinated planning and execution throughout the contact center.
Performance management is something of a catch-all term that incorporates a wide range of management aspects, from planning to developing agent skills, to evaluating performance based on metrics and making adjustments accordingly. Doing so will be more successful with a detailed plan of action.
Likewise, creating an integrated quality monitoring program will take time and preparation, with particular focus on call recording, PCI compliance, quality scorecards and screen capturing.
No quick fixes there. However, once the foundation for both programs is established, small changes can indeed pay significant dividends toward the ultimate goal of ensuring consistent, high quality service that meets or surpasses expectations. Here are a few that may help your performance management and quality monitoring endeavors.
Praise from the top
How often does your upper management team review calls? Have them listen to a few every week, and then contact the agents that did a great job and let them know their work is appreciated.
Training doesn’t have to be boring
If training consists of the same procedures every week or month, agents will tune it out. Have trainers use varied methods to maintain a higher level of engagement.
Quality monitoring starts (before) day one
While agents are still in the induction phase, introduce the QM system and expectations in place, and make sure they are aware of the criteria.
Instant gratification
Praise and reward systems can be beneficial (more on some of these later) but there is no substitute for immediate positive feedback following a customer’s praise. If an email or a phone call contains that praise, don’t wait to share it with the group.
Consistency
This is obvious, but bears repeating. These programs require consistency, not just in how they are carried out by agents but how they are presented and maintained by supervisors.
Who watches the watchers?
Your coaches are entrusted with maximizing agent performance – but who is making sure that the coaches are doing their best? Their work must be regularly monitored as well.
Group therapy
Individual call monitoring is important, but occasional group meetings to review calls may also be beneficial.
Clarity
Feedback won’t work unless it is clear and actionable. You can find out if this is the case by providing agents with feedback forms about coaches (they’ll love that anyway). Offer them a chance to confirm that they understand the assessment they received, and if the coach took their thoughts and opinions into consideration.
Professionalism
Encourage a general climate of professionalism, not only in how agents communicate with customers but how they communicate with managers, coaches and their fellow agents. Once this becomes second-nature, performance will inevitably improve.
Involve the QM team in agent recruitment
Your quality monitoring teams knows what to look for in outstanding agents. So why not involve them in the recruitment process?
Positive reinforcement
Coaching and training sessions should not be dreaded by agents. If they are, something is wrong. Try starting each session with positive coaching – what the agent is doing well and how the call center is lucky to have them. Remind agents of the improvements they have already made. Then review areas where further improvement is possible and discuss ways to work together to get there.
Include customers in performance management
Agents play a role in performance management, but customers do as well. Take their feedback into account.
Prizes
A lot of contact centers give out prizes to agents for consistent performance or specific moments of excellence. A free meal, a spa day, or a cash bonus works better than a trophy or a “job well done” certificate.
Encourage peer discussion
You know your agents already talk about their jobs and customers (and probably you as well) with each other. Set some time aside to allow them to get together and also talk about improving quality. Some very smart ideas may emerge from these sessions.
The big picture
When discussing performance management with agents, tell them about the center’s greater goals and over-arching customer service strategy. The more they understand the big picture, the more they might buy into the program.
Public or private coaching?
Some contact centers conduct coaching sessions in a closed office; others have these discussions out on the floor within earshot of other agents. There is no sure formula for which will be more effective at your contact center – so why not try both and see what happens?
Watch your language
Does anyone still use words like “demerits” or terms like “marked down” in coaching sessions? Use positive, supportive language instead.
Grade calls in sections
Break each call into different sections for review purposes, such as: call open, courtesy, technical skills and compliance, efficiency, and closing.
Don’t ignore the longer calls
Short calls are always desirable but not always possible. Sometimes you can learn more about agent performance, contact center issues and your QM strategy by reviewing longer calls.
It’s ok to ask for help
If an agent is having difficulty answering a customer’s questions, he or she might be hesitant to forward that call to a supervisor if it reflects badly on their performance. But if that is the best way to keep that customer relationship, make sure the agent knows that doing so is the right step.
Never stop improving
Did you achieve your quality goals? Great! Now, set new ones. Complacence is the enemy of every contact center.
The answer is yes – and no.
Both performance management and quality monitoring require coordinated planning and execution throughout the contact center.
Performance management is something of a catch-all term that incorporates a wide range of management aspects, from planning to developing agent skills, to evaluating performance based on metrics and making adjustments accordingly. Doing so will be more successful with a detailed plan of action.
Likewise, creating an integrated quality monitoring program will take time and preparation, with particular focus on call recording, PCI compliance, quality scorecards and screen capturing.
No quick fixes there. However, once the foundation for both programs is established, small changes can indeed pay significant dividends toward the ultimate goal of ensuring consistent, high quality service that meets or surpasses expectations. Here are a few that may help your performance management and quality monitoring endeavors.
Praise from the top
How often does your upper management team review calls? Have them listen to a few every week, and then contact the agents that did a great job and let them know their work is appreciated.
Training doesn’t have to be boring
If training consists of the same procedures every week or month, agents will tune it out. Have trainers use varied methods to maintain a higher level of engagement.
Quality monitoring starts (before) day one
While agents are still in the induction phase, introduce the QM system and expectations in place, and make sure they are aware of the criteria.
Instant gratification
Praise and reward systems can be beneficial (more on some of these later) but there is no substitute for immediate positive feedback following a customer’s praise. If an email or a phone call contains that praise, don’t wait to share it with the group.
Consistency
This is obvious, but bears repeating. These programs require consistency, not just in how they are carried out by agents but how they are presented and maintained by supervisors.
Who watches the watchers?
Your coaches are entrusted with maximizing agent performance – but who is making sure that the coaches are doing their best? Their work must be regularly monitored as well.
Group therapy
Individual call monitoring is important, but occasional group meetings to review calls may also be beneficial.
Clarity
Feedback won’t work unless it is clear and actionable. You can find out if this is the case by providing agents with feedback forms about coaches (they’ll love that anyway). Offer them a chance to confirm that they understand the assessment they received, and if the coach took their thoughts and opinions into consideration.
Professionalism
Encourage a general climate of professionalism, not only in how agents communicate with customers but how they communicate with managers, coaches and their fellow agents. Once this becomes second-nature, performance will inevitably improve.
Involve the QM team in agent recruitment
Your quality monitoring teams knows what to look for in outstanding agents. So why not involve them in the recruitment process?
Positive reinforcement
Coaching and training sessions should not be dreaded by agents. If they are, something is wrong. Try starting each session with positive coaching – what the agent is doing well and how the call center is lucky to have them. Remind agents of the improvements they have already made. Then review areas where further improvement is possible and discuss ways to work together to get there.
Include customers in performance management
Agents play a role in performance management, but customers do as well. Take their feedback into account.
Prizes
A lot of contact centers give out prizes to agents for consistent performance or specific moments of excellence. A free meal, a spa day, or a cash bonus works better than a trophy or a “job well done” certificate.
Encourage peer discussion
You know your agents already talk about their jobs and customers (and probably you as well) with each other. Set some time aside to allow them to get together and also talk about improving quality. Some very smart ideas may emerge from these sessions.
The big picture
When discussing performance management with agents, tell them about the center’s greater goals and over-arching customer service strategy. The more they understand the big picture, the more they might buy into the program.
Public or private coaching?
Some contact centers conduct coaching sessions in a closed office; others have these discussions out on the floor within earshot of other agents. There is no sure formula for which will be more effective at your contact center – so why not try both and see what happens?
Watch your language
Does anyone still use words like “demerits” or terms like “marked down” in coaching sessions? Use positive, supportive language instead.
Grade calls in sections
Break each call into different sections for review purposes, such as: call open, courtesy, technical skills and compliance, efficiency, and closing.
Don’t ignore the longer calls
Short calls are always desirable but not always possible. Sometimes you can learn more about agent performance, contact center issues and your QM strategy by reviewing longer calls.
It’s ok to ask for help
If an agent is having difficulty answering a customer’s questions, he or she might be hesitant to forward that call to a supervisor if it reflects badly on their performance. But if that is the best way to keep that customer relationship, make sure the agent knows that doing so is the right step.
Never stop improving
Did you achieve your quality goals? Great! Now, set new ones. Complacence is the enemy of every contact center.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
An excellent call center agent is an important asset that adds value to the company. Finding and keeping these assets is one of the most imperative functions of call center management. Here are 10 tips that should help with call center agent...
An excellent call center agent is an important asset that adds value to the company. Finding and keeping these assets is one of the most imperative functions of call center management. Here are 10 tips that should help with call center agent retention.
1. Hire the Right Employees
Retaining quality agents begins with hiring quality agents. Those who start out with the required experience, personality and skills for call center work are more likely to become the type of agents worth keeping.
2. Open Communication
Agents who feel separated from management are less likely to feel a strong sense of company loyalty. Make sure they know that managers are available to discuss their concerns or address any issues.
3. Competitive Salary
This is obvious, but no less important.
4. Challenge Them
As call centers become contact centers, there are opportunities to challenge agents to master other forms of customer interaction, including online chat and email. Learning new skills benefits both the agent and the call center.
5. Management Support
In addition to open communication (#2), managers should also nurture, encourage and support their agents to encourage loyalty and consistent job performance. Consider using workforce scheduling tools to automate repetitive tasks and have more time to interact with your staff.
6. Encourage Self Training
While coaching and training should be a regular part of the agent experience, agents should also be able to use call recording software to review their own performances and make changes as needed. They will also appreciate the trust you show in them by allowing them to correct their own mistakes.
7. Boost Morale
There are a number of team-building activities, seminars, outings and other activities that can improve agent morale and built a team spirit outlook.
8. Provide the Right Tools
Agents work best when they have the technology that makes their jobs easier. Call recording software, workforce management and quality assurance solutions not only benefit managers, but agents as well.
9. Schedule Flexibility
The more an agent is able to adjust their hours to deal with personal issues or make their life outside the office more stable, the more likely they are to remain with a company that takes their personal needs into consideration.
10. Don’t Accept “Acceptable” Turnover
Call centers average a 30% turnover rate, but that’s no reason to accept such substantial attrition. If your call center is at 25% turnover, set a goal to lower that to 20% in six months or one year.
1. Hire the Right Employees
Retaining quality agents begins with hiring quality agents. Those who start out with the required experience, personality and skills for call center work are more likely to become the type of agents worth keeping.
2. Open Communication
Agents who feel separated from management are less likely to feel a strong sense of company loyalty. Make sure they know that managers are available to discuss their concerns or address any issues.
3. Competitive Salary
This is obvious, but no less important.
4. Challenge Them
As call centers become contact centers, there are opportunities to challenge agents to master other forms of customer interaction, including online chat and email. Learning new skills benefits both the agent and the call center.
5. Management Support
In addition to open communication (#2), managers should also nurture, encourage and support their agents to encourage loyalty and consistent job performance. Consider using workforce scheduling tools to automate repetitive tasks and have more time to interact with your staff.
6. Encourage Self Training
While coaching and training should be a regular part of the agent experience, agents should also be able to use call recording software to review their own performances and make changes as needed. They will also appreciate the trust you show in them by allowing them to correct their own mistakes.
7. Boost Morale
There are a number of team-building activities, seminars, outings and other activities that can improve agent morale and built a team spirit outlook.
8. Provide the Right Tools
Agents work best when they have the technology that makes their jobs easier. Call recording software, workforce management and quality assurance solutions not only benefit managers, but agents as well.
9. Schedule Flexibility
The more an agent is able to adjust their hours to deal with personal issues or make their life outside the office more stable, the more likely they are to remain with a company that takes their personal needs into consideration.
10. Don’t Accept “Acceptable” Turnover
Call centers average a 30% turnover rate, but that’s no reason to accept such substantial attrition. If your call center is at 25% turnover, set a goal to lower that to 20% in six months or one year.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
Seven Strategies for Effective Quality Assurance in Your Call Center
Every call center, regardless of size or type, shares similar performance goals: Increasing productivity, improving customer satisfaction, motivating employees to outstanding...
Every call center, regardless of size or type, shares similar performance goals: Increasing productivity, improving customer satisfaction, motivating employees to outstanding...
Seven Strategies for Effective Quality Assurance in Your Call Center
Every call center, regardless of size or type, shares similar performance goals: Increasing productivity, improving customer satisfaction, motivating employees to outstanding job performance, and compliance with all industry laws and regulations.
At a call center, proactive and continuous Quality Assurance sometimes gets lost in the everyday responsibilities of keeping up with call volume. However, the effort invested in quality management and assurance is crucial to current and future performance and productivity.
Quality Assurance, or QA, is the common thread that runs through each of these objectives. The Quality Assurance effort put forth by a call center has a direct impact on agent performance evaluation (through real-‐time monitoring and call scoring), increasing staff productivity (through improved training and coaching), and establishing QA guidelines and goals designed to bolster customer satisfaction by providing consistent, reliable service.
What is Quality Assurance?
Quality Assurance refers to a proven process of establishing quality goals and verifying and checking the quality of a service, as well as the activities implemented so that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
The Challenges of QA
In a call center, there are specific challenges to the Quality Assurance process. The lack of common metrics and objectives can make the practice more complicated, and not all call centers have their systems connected and unified. There are potential barriers not only from the center's technology, but also from call center teams not being on the same page with determining quality standards and the optimal methods to achieve them.
Finally, many call centers lack a reliable means to measure and track quality, either via management action or software that provides automated data on policies and systemic activities implemented within a quality system.
Is There a Better Way?
The following seven strategies can assist a call center with defining its Quality Assurance process.
1. Define Your Quality Goals and Objectives
What constitutes a quality customer engagement? What are the short-term and long-term goals for your call center? What elements are necessary in a successful call? Quality assurance can only be attained if 'quality' is specifically defined, and that standard is effectively communicated to agents and management. Start by establishing thresholds, such as:
the number of calls per agent
time allotted for each call
how long a customer should be on hold and wait before somebody answers
first-call resolution
Then perhaps, look at agent standards, like:
how agents should greet callers and close each customer engagement
how closely agents stick to the script provided
level of agent's courtesy in handling orders, questions and complaints
Determine the call center's current status in these and other areas, and document all goals and objectives.
2. Open Communication and Feedback
Call centers are communication centers, but communication should not be limited to agents and customers. Open communication between agents and managers and agents and coaching/training personnel expedites the Quality Assurance process. This is an exercise that needs to be conducted from the top down. Involve agents early in the quality process, not just by providing feedback on their performance, and reviews of 'good' and 'bad' calls, but also by soliciting their ideas and input. Also, carefully select and train those given the responsibility of quality monitoring, as they are the ones on the front lines of the Quality Assurance endeavor.
3. Automate QA Processes
Once clear quality goals have been established (#1), and the lines of communication have been opened (#2), it is not only possible but preferable to turn over many of the QA processes to the tools, templates, triggers and programs available for that function. This will help to make QA guidelines and goals visible to all personnel, and make it easier for managers to review status based on the reports and alerts generated through the system. An automated solution is not only more efficient, and more precise in the data created, it also frees up personnel to spend more time on coaching, training and implementing changes deemed necessary to achieve QA objectives.
4. QA Unification and Integration
Call center goals should be consistent, with personnel and technology working together to arrive at the desired place. Make sure that all teams are putting the QA into action based on the same goals and measure progress based on the same reports. This is easier when call center tools are integrated - managers can score recorded calls from the recording solution, and identify the causes of lower quality scores by analyzing the forecasts vs. actual call volume or call times. Find out what happened, then find out why it happened using the same software solution. The ability to 'connect the dots' across functions and organizations is key to improving quality over time.
5. Real-‐Time Quality Monitoring
Quality assurance is impossible without reliable, real-‐time Quality Monitoring that incorporates alerts, dashboards and key performance indicators (KPI). Setting up a Quality Monitoring program requires a clear identification of the most significant performance standards to monitor optimize as average call handle abandoned calls and first-‐call resolution) and the selection of quantifiable elements related to standards. All call personnel should be made aware of the program the standards set. Through Monitoring, problems can be discovered – often in real time before they can become an issue, assisting call centers in delivering level of service customers expect.
6. Evaluate and Rank Agents Through Call Scoring
The objectives of Quality Assurance are to create and implement the best possible service processes, and to employ a team of agents that learn and utilize these processes. One way to track progress on the latter objective is by scoring calls. Call Scoring requires a cooperative effort among managers, agents and even customers (through feedback and survey results) to determine what elements are important in each customer engagement, and how each effort should be scored. Scoring should be performed against a pre-determined list of criteria that will generate objective and detailed data. Once these criteria have been established, a supervisor can listen to and review recorded calls, assigning scores based on such call elements as the greeting, the close, overall courtesy and conflict resolution. Scoring can also be invaluable in ranking agents for training purposes, as well as for assigning schedules and creating rosters based on skill levels.
7. Establish a Long-‐Term Quality Mindset
While QA helps to fix short-term issues, should also be established utilized to and on trends improvement. This is process should at hiring by the employees likely to to quality mindset the center. Once mindset is established, should be through employee performance automated processes training/coaching a workforce solution play key in establishing supporting quality to and a performance organization.
The Monet Difference
Quality assurance works best when all the tools for achievement are both automated and integrated, including:
How agents should greet callers and closeeach customer engagement
Call recording, assessment and playback
Audiio and video screen capturing
Live monitoring
Call scoring
Evaluation questionaires
Detailed filter and drill-down reports
Quality management
Customizable questionnaires and scorecards
Multi-site report
Audit trail
Call center Quality Monitoring software the data and evaluation responsibilities inherent Quality Assurance, making it easier for management personnel to review employee performance, adherence to corporate procedures and set call evaluation Monet workforce management designed to achieve these objectives and expedite Quality Assurance by delivering a solution that includes management, call recording, quality management and performance management.
Whether QA issues are traceable to the job performance of specific agents or an established corporate policy, call center software helps to identify these issues and correct them. Since Quality Assurance is a measure of both short-‐term long-‐ performance, quality management software provides both a snapshot into current call center status, and a means to measure QA results over time, for one agent or one hundred, in one center or in locations around the world.
Conclusion
In this economy every organization is looking for low cost and lowrisk ways to streamline processes and spend less, yet still perform at the highest levels for their customers. Quality is one means to build the most efficient and cost-effective performance standards into day-to-day operations. In addition, since customer expectations are growing by the day and 'customer experience' is the new focus, delivering high quality services is not only a must have, but also a great way to get a competitive advantage for your company. Call a WFO incorporates Quality Assurance is a sure-fire way increase customer boost productivity, and reduce costs.
Every call center, regardless of size or type, shares similar performance goals: Increasing productivity, improving customer satisfaction, motivating employees to outstanding job performance, and compliance with all industry laws and regulations.
At a call center, proactive and continuous Quality Assurance sometimes gets lost in the everyday responsibilities of keeping up with call volume. However, the effort invested in quality management and assurance is crucial to current and future performance and productivity.
Quality Assurance, or QA, is the common thread that runs through each of these objectives. The Quality Assurance effort put forth by a call center has a direct impact on agent performance evaluation (through real-‐time monitoring and call scoring), increasing staff productivity (through improved training and coaching), and establishing QA guidelines and goals designed to bolster customer satisfaction by providing consistent, reliable service.
What is Quality Assurance?
Quality Assurance refers to a proven process of establishing quality goals and verifying and checking the quality of a service, as well as the activities implemented so that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
The Challenges of QA
In a call center, there are specific challenges to the Quality Assurance process. The lack of common metrics and objectives can make the practice more complicated, and not all call centers have their systems connected and unified. There are potential barriers not only from the center's technology, but also from call center teams not being on the same page with determining quality standards and the optimal methods to achieve them.
Finally, many call centers lack a reliable means to measure and track quality, either via management action or software that provides automated data on policies and systemic activities implemented within a quality system.
Is There a Better Way?
The following seven strategies can assist a call center with defining its Quality Assurance process.
1. Define Your Quality Goals and Objectives
What constitutes a quality customer engagement? What are the short-term and long-term goals for your call center? What elements are necessary in a successful call? Quality assurance can only be attained if 'quality' is specifically defined, and that standard is effectively communicated to agents and management. Start by establishing thresholds, such as:
the number of calls per agent
time allotted for each call
how long a customer should be on hold and wait before somebody answers
first-call resolution
Then perhaps, look at agent standards, like:
how agents should greet callers and close each customer engagement
how closely agents stick to the script provided
level of agent's courtesy in handling orders, questions and complaints
Determine the call center's current status in these and other areas, and document all goals and objectives.
2. Open Communication and Feedback
Call centers are communication centers, but communication should not be limited to agents and customers. Open communication between agents and managers and agents and coaching/training personnel expedites the Quality Assurance process. This is an exercise that needs to be conducted from the top down. Involve agents early in the quality process, not just by providing feedback on their performance, and reviews of 'good' and 'bad' calls, but also by soliciting their ideas and input. Also, carefully select and train those given the responsibility of quality monitoring, as they are the ones on the front lines of the Quality Assurance endeavor.
3. Automate QA Processes
Once clear quality goals have been established (#1), and the lines of communication have been opened (#2), it is not only possible but preferable to turn over many of the QA processes to the tools, templates, triggers and programs available for that function. This will help to make QA guidelines and goals visible to all personnel, and make it easier for managers to review status based on the reports and alerts generated through the system. An automated solution is not only more efficient, and more precise in the data created, it also frees up personnel to spend more time on coaching, training and implementing changes deemed necessary to achieve QA objectives.
4. QA Unification and Integration
Call center goals should be consistent, with personnel and technology working together to arrive at the desired place. Make sure that all teams are putting the QA into action based on the same goals and measure progress based on the same reports. This is easier when call center tools are integrated - managers can score recorded calls from the recording solution, and identify the causes of lower quality scores by analyzing the forecasts vs. actual call volume or call times. Find out what happened, then find out why it happened using the same software solution. The ability to 'connect the dots' across functions and organizations is key to improving quality over time.
5. Real-‐Time Quality Monitoring
Quality assurance is impossible without reliable, real-‐time Quality Monitoring that incorporates alerts, dashboards and key performance indicators (KPI). Setting up a Quality Monitoring program requires a clear identification of the most significant performance standards to monitor optimize as average call handle abandoned calls and first-‐call resolution) and the selection of quantifiable elements related to standards. All call personnel should be made aware of the program the standards set. Through Monitoring, problems can be discovered – often in real time before they can become an issue, assisting call centers in delivering level of service customers expect.
6. Evaluate and Rank Agents Through Call Scoring
The objectives of Quality Assurance are to create and implement the best possible service processes, and to employ a team of agents that learn and utilize these processes. One way to track progress on the latter objective is by scoring calls. Call Scoring requires a cooperative effort among managers, agents and even customers (through feedback and survey results) to determine what elements are important in each customer engagement, and how each effort should be scored. Scoring should be performed against a pre-determined list of criteria that will generate objective and detailed data. Once these criteria have been established, a supervisor can listen to and review recorded calls, assigning scores based on such call elements as the greeting, the close, overall courtesy and conflict resolution. Scoring can also be invaluable in ranking agents for training purposes, as well as for assigning schedules and creating rosters based on skill levels.
7. Establish a Long-‐Term Quality Mindset
While QA helps to fix short-term issues, should also be established utilized to and on trends improvement. This is process should at hiring by the employees likely to to quality mindset the center. Once mindset is established, should be through employee performance automated processes training/coaching a workforce solution play key in establishing supporting quality to and a performance organization.
The Monet Difference
Quality assurance works best when all the tools for achievement are both automated and integrated, including:
How agents should greet callers and closeeach customer engagement
Call recording, assessment and playback
Audiio and video screen capturing
Live monitoring
Call scoring
Evaluation questionaires
Detailed filter and drill-down reports
Quality management
Customizable questionnaires and scorecards
Multi-site report
Audit trail
Call center Quality Monitoring software the data and evaluation responsibilities inherent Quality Assurance, making it easier for management personnel to review employee performance, adherence to corporate procedures and set call evaluation Monet workforce management designed to achieve these objectives and expedite Quality Assurance by delivering a solution that includes management, call recording, quality management and performance management.
Whether QA issues are traceable to the job performance of specific agents or an established corporate policy, call center software helps to identify these issues and correct them. Since Quality Assurance is a measure of both short-‐term long-‐ performance, quality management software provides both a snapshot into current call center status, and a means to measure QA results over time, for one agent or one hundred, in one center or in locations around the world.
Conclusion
In this economy every organization is looking for low cost and lowrisk ways to streamline processes and spend less, yet still perform at the highest levels for their customers. Quality is one means to build the most efficient and cost-effective performance standards into day-to-day operations. In addition, since customer expectations are growing by the day and 'customer experience' is the new focus, delivering high quality services is not only a must have, but also a great way to get a competitive advantage for your company. Call a WFO incorporates Quality Assurance is a sure-fire way increase customer boost productivity, and reduce costs.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
How Can a Workforce Management (WFM) Solution Improve Agent Adherence?
Workforce management (WFM) solutions play a crucial role in optimizing agent adherence. When each and every minute counts, there is no better way to optimize agent...
Workforce management (WFM) solutions play a crucial role in optimizing agent adherence. When each and every minute counts, there is no better way to optimize agent...
How Can a Workforce Management (WFM) Solution Improve Agent Adherence?
Workforce management (WFM) solutions play a crucial role in optimizing agent adherence. When each and every minute counts, there is no better way to optimize agent adherence than using a WFM software solution. WFM software allows you to easily track and monitor adherence and then, when needed, adjust forecasts and schedules accordingly-all from a central dashboard and with a few mouse-clicks. Typically, WFM software can be customized to automate reporting capabilities and adherence tracking based on your unique requirements. A customized WFM software solution dramatically improves agent adherence by providing:
A flexible schedule that can specifically address your specific requirements like flexible start and end time, time off, fluctuating call volumes, etc. This will result in better utilization of agent time and higher productivity.
Real-time adherence, which uses real-time data from automatic call distribution (ACD) systems to provide up-to-the-moment agent tracking information.
Reducing shrinkage through real-time adherence tracking. Since you are viewing the activities of your agents on a real-time dashboard, you can work directly with them to strictly adhere to their schedules. You can provide data projections, clearly define out-ofadherence, discuss how to work better as a team, and so on.
Accurate forecasts of call volumes. You need to be aware of the capacity of your organization (i.e., how many calls can be handled at one time, total call volume, response times, and other metrics). A WFM software solution improves the level of accuracy in forecasting, creating more optimized schedules that reduce both understaffing and overstaffing. This is an effective way to meet service levels and ensure that it is achieved at the lowest possible cost.
Workforce management (WFM) solutions play a crucial role in optimizing agent adherence. When each and every minute counts, there is no better way to optimize agent adherence than using a WFM software solution. WFM software allows you to easily track and monitor adherence and then, when needed, adjust forecasts and schedules accordingly-all from a central dashboard and with a few mouse-clicks. Typically, WFM software can be customized to automate reporting capabilities and adherence tracking based on your unique requirements. A customized WFM software solution dramatically improves agent adherence by providing:
A flexible schedule that can specifically address your specific requirements like flexible start and end time, time off, fluctuating call volumes, etc. This will result in better utilization of agent time and higher productivity.
Real-time adherence, which uses real-time data from automatic call distribution (ACD) systems to provide up-to-the-moment agent tracking information.
Reducing shrinkage through real-time adherence tracking. Since you are viewing the activities of your agents on a real-time dashboard, you can work directly with them to strictly adhere to their schedules. You can provide data projections, clearly define out-ofadherence, discuss how to work better as a team, and so on.
Accurate forecasts of call volumes. You need to be aware of the capacity of your organization (i.e., how many calls can be handled at one time, total call volume, response times, and other metrics). A WFM software solution improves the level of accuracy in forecasting, creating more optimized schedules that reduce both understaffing and overstaffing. This is an effective way to meet service levels and ensure that it is achieved at the lowest possible cost.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
How Can You Fix the Problem?
A strategic approach to improving agent adherence is crucial for call centers struggling with the challenges of rising costs, lower revenues, and frustrated customers. Here are five strategies to help boost agent...
A strategic approach to improving agent adherence is crucial for call centers struggling with the challenges of rising costs, lower revenues, and frustrated customers. Here are five strategies to help boost agent...
How Can You Fix the Problem?
A strategic approach to improving agent adherence is crucial for call centers struggling with the challenges of rising costs, lower revenues, and frustrated customers. Here are five strategies to help boost agent adherence:
Determine your current adherence level
First, determine your adherence level and how much time and money you are losing. There is a simple formula that you can use to find out the percentage of schedule adherence: [phone time + other work related activity time] / ([shift time] - [lunch/dinner] - [break] + [exception time] + [overtime]) = schedule adherence. You may need to modify some of these parameters based on the unique requirements of your call center. Once you know the level of adherence you can calculate the amount of lost time and excess costs.
Identify reasons for out-of-adherence
Identify and analyze the reasons why employees are not sticking to their schedules. There are different methods you can use to identify the reasons for your center: Review adherence reports to identify “weak” agents and to determine the times of day when adherence levels are at their lowest, observe agent behavior, discuss adherence issues with your team, ask individual employees what makes it difficult to adhere to their schedules, etc. Some of the common reasons for out-of-adherence problems include:
Agents showing up late for their shifts
Taking an extended break
Logging out 10-15 minutes before their shift ends
Frequently remaining absent
An extremely rigid schedule
Educate about the business impact of adherence
Agents might not know about the business impact of being out-of-adherence. Have regular meetings so agents can get a better understanding of the importance of adhering to their schedules, and how their actions directly impact the success of the call center. You can use an example report from your call center to illustrate the impact of out-of-adherence on service levels, costs, ASA, and other metrics. You can also demonstrate how the adherence behavior of a few agents has a measurable impact on overall team performance. Make these meetings part of an "adherence" team-building effort to keep agents working towards a common goal.
Regular adherence monitoring and reviews
Adherence monitoring and reporting should be a key part of staff meetings. Remember that you can only manage what you measure. Involve your agents during the process when goals are set so that you can get their input as well. Before you implement a schedule, discuss it with your team and review the schedule. There should be no miscommunication from either side regarding a schedule or else it will have a reverse effect. Define each and every point clearly.
Set realistic goals and offer rewards
Adherence goals should be realistic and achievable. You need to give agents a decent grace period. For example: an agent who is supposed to log in at 3:00 might log in at 3:02. Taking strong action against this is impractical and will negatively impact employee morale. Establish different thresholds for various activities like breaks, lunch/dinner, login time, etc., and reward agents who stick to their schedules (95% within adherence). Bonuses boost morale, increase responsibility towards the organization, and motivate other agents to perform at a higher level.
These are just a few strategies to consider. You need to monitor and work with your agents closely to find out which factors are significantly contributing to your call center's out-ofadherence problem. Regularly monitoring agent adherence is one of the most effective ways to see how your center is performing so you can take the necessary actions to improve performance.
There are many activities that are important for adherence monitoring. This data collation is critical for making an agent schedule that works. Here is a simple checklist:
Real-time monitoring is necessary to make intra-day changes and to ensure whether your agents are sticking to the schedule. Real-time dashboards make it easier for everyone to stay on track.
Provide easy examples while you are explaining threshold limits. Set a certain figure as an alert. For instance, schedule adherence between 90-94% can be considered as an alert, meaning that the employee should immediately begin working on improving schedule adherence.
Different call centers have unique needs, so the configuration and definition of call and non-call activities will vary accordingly. Make your expectations clear and add all call and non-call related activities into your scheduling and adherence model.
Factors like call wrap-up, special after-work, outbound preparation, and other required activities that impact service levels and performance need to be monitored.
A large call center will likely have numerous channels, so the schedule should be made to reflect the capability of supporting multiple channels.
A strategic approach to improving agent adherence is crucial for call centers struggling with the challenges of rising costs, lower revenues, and frustrated customers. Here are five strategies to help boost agent adherence:
Determine your current adherence level
First, determine your adherence level and how much time and money you are losing. There is a simple formula that you can use to find out the percentage of schedule adherence: [phone time + other work related activity time] / ([shift time] - [lunch/dinner] - [break] + [exception time] + [overtime]) = schedule adherence. You may need to modify some of these parameters based on the unique requirements of your call center. Once you know the level of adherence you can calculate the amount of lost time and excess costs.
Identify reasons for out-of-adherence
Identify and analyze the reasons why employees are not sticking to their schedules. There are different methods you can use to identify the reasons for your center: Review adherence reports to identify “weak” agents and to determine the times of day when adherence levels are at their lowest, observe agent behavior, discuss adherence issues with your team, ask individual employees what makes it difficult to adhere to their schedules, etc. Some of the common reasons for out-of-adherence problems include:
Agents showing up late for their shifts
Taking an extended break
Logging out 10-15 minutes before their shift ends
Frequently remaining absent
An extremely rigid schedule
Educate about the business impact of adherence
Agents might not know about the business impact of being out-of-adherence. Have regular meetings so agents can get a better understanding of the importance of adhering to their schedules, and how their actions directly impact the success of the call center. You can use an example report from your call center to illustrate the impact of out-of-adherence on service levels, costs, ASA, and other metrics. You can also demonstrate how the adherence behavior of a few agents has a measurable impact on overall team performance. Make these meetings part of an "adherence" team-building effort to keep agents working towards a common goal.
Regular adherence monitoring and reviews
Adherence monitoring and reporting should be a key part of staff meetings. Remember that you can only manage what you measure. Involve your agents during the process when goals are set so that you can get their input as well. Before you implement a schedule, discuss it with your team and review the schedule. There should be no miscommunication from either side regarding a schedule or else it will have a reverse effect. Define each and every point clearly.
Set realistic goals and offer rewards
Adherence goals should be realistic and achievable. You need to give agents a decent grace period. For example: an agent who is supposed to log in at 3:00 might log in at 3:02. Taking strong action against this is impractical and will negatively impact employee morale. Establish different thresholds for various activities like breaks, lunch/dinner, login time, etc., and reward agents who stick to their schedules (95% within adherence). Bonuses boost morale, increase responsibility towards the organization, and motivate other agents to perform at a higher level.
These are just a few strategies to consider. You need to monitor and work with your agents closely to find out which factors are significantly contributing to your call center's out-ofadherence problem. Regularly monitoring agent adherence is one of the most effective ways to see how your center is performing so you can take the necessary actions to improve performance.
There are many activities that are important for adherence monitoring. This data collation is critical for making an agent schedule that works. Here is a simple checklist:
Real-time monitoring is necessary to make intra-day changes and to ensure whether your agents are sticking to the schedule. Real-time dashboards make it easier for everyone to stay on track.
Provide easy examples while you are explaining threshold limits. Set a certain figure as an alert. For instance, schedule adherence between 90-94% can be considered as an alert, meaning that the employee should immediately begin working on improving schedule adherence.
Different call centers have unique needs, so the configuration and definition of call and non-call activities will vary accordingly. Make your expectations clear and add all call and non-call related activities into your scheduling and adherence model.
Factors like call wrap-up, special after-work, outbound preparation, and other required activities that impact service levels and performance need to be monitored.
A large call center will likely have numerous channels, so the schedule should be made to reflect the capability of supporting multiple channels.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
How to Realize the True Value of Workforce Management
Providing exceptional customer service is paramount in today’s competitive business environment. Satisfied customers are loyal customers. Frustrated customers take their business elsewhere.
...
Providing exceptional customer service is paramount in today’s competitive business environment. Satisfied customers are loyal customers. Frustrated customers take their business elsewhere.
...
How to Realize the True Value of Workforce Management
Providing exceptional customer service is paramount in today’s competitive business environment. Satisfied customers are loyal customers. Frustrated customers take their business elsewhere.
But call centers are tasked with more than just providing superior customer service. They must control costs and increase revenues as well. In call centers, where time is literally measured down to the last second, a minute here and a minute there can mean thousands of dollars are needlessly wasted each and every month.
Call center managers not only need to keep track of agent schedules, they also must ensure that their time is being used productively to answer calls. Without a strategic approach to manage agents and maximize their time, call centers are setting themselves up to waste valuable time and expensive resources that cause damage in the long run. When every minute counts, call centers must focus on the impact agent adherence has on revenues, costs, and service levels.
Adherence: Are You In or Out of It?
One of the biggest challenges of running a call center is making sure that employees stick to their schedules. Simply defined, adherence is the degree (measured in percent) to which an agent sticks to his or her schedule. Out-of-adherence causes either overstaffing (more agents are scheduled to compensate for lost agent time) or understaffing (no additional agents are staffed to compensate for the lost agent time). Overstaffing results in soaring operational costs, and understaffing impacts revenues and service quality, both impacting the bottom line.
Running and maintaining a call center requires efficient staffing and cost management strategies. Being unable to effectively manage agent time leads to fewer orders and increases costs for every agent who is out-of-adherence. For instance, a 25 agent center can save over $30,000 per year just by improving staffing by 2% and reducing shrinkage by 15 minutes per agent per day.
Let's take a closer look at the costs of agents being out-of-adherence. Consider this example:
A call center has 300 employees, each of whom works 5 days a week
The call center pays each agent 20 dollars/hour
The loss of time due to out-of-adherence activities equals 10 minutes per day per agent
The total loss of time will amount to: 10 minutes X 5 days X 52 weeks = 2,600 minutes or 43.3 hours each year per agent. That’s more than one week of work lost to one agent being out-ofadherence!
When we calculate the amount in dollars, it becomes: 43.3 hours X 20 dollars = $866 per employee. Therefore, 300 employees X $866 = $259,800 lost each year. This is an astonishing amount of loss for an average size call center, and can be the difference between a company surviving or thriving. And this only considers the cost impact. Think about the potential loss of revenues through periodic understaffing caused by “missing” agents (no agents, no orders).
Many call center managers make the mistake of thinking that an occasional 10-minute delay will not matter but, as illustrated above, it can cost the company a large amount of money in the long run. A short delay will affect productivity in a huge way. Whether the call center has 1,000 agents or 10 agents, losing 20 hours per agent decreases productivity, reduces revenue, skyrockets costs, and impacts the quality of service call centers must provide to keep customers happy.
Providing exceptional customer service is paramount in today’s competitive business environment. Satisfied customers are loyal customers. Frustrated customers take their business elsewhere.
But call centers are tasked with more than just providing superior customer service. They must control costs and increase revenues as well. In call centers, where time is literally measured down to the last second, a minute here and a minute there can mean thousands of dollars are needlessly wasted each and every month.
Call center managers not only need to keep track of agent schedules, they also must ensure that their time is being used productively to answer calls. Without a strategic approach to manage agents and maximize their time, call centers are setting themselves up to waste valuable time and expensive resources that cause damage in the long run. When every minute counts, call centers must focus on the impact agent adherence has on revenues, costs, and service levels.
Adherence: Are You In or Out of It?
One of the biggest challenges of running a call center is making sure that employees stick to their schedules. Simply defined, adherence is the degree (measured in percent) to which an agent sticks to his or her schedule. Out-of-adherence causes either overstaffing (more agents are scheduled to compensate for lost agent time) or understaffing (no additional agents are staffed to compensate for the lost agent time). Overstaffing results in soaring operational costs, and understaffing impacts revenues and service quality, both impacting the bottom line.
Running and maintaining a call center requires efficient staffing and cost management strategies. Being unable to effectively manage agent time leads to fewer orders and increases costs for every agent who is out-of-adherence. For instance, a 25 agent center can save over $30,000 per year just by improving staffing by 2% and reducing shrinkage by 15 minutes per agent per day.
Let's take a closer look at the costs of agents being out-of-adherence. Consider this example:
A call center has 300 employees, each of whom works 5 days a week
The call center pays each agent 20 dollars/hour
The loss of time due to out-of-adherence activities equals 10 minutes per day per agent
The total loss of time will amount to: 10 minutes X 5 days X 52 weeks = 2,600 minutes or 43.3 hours each year per agent. That’s more than one week of work lost to one agent being out-ofadherence!
When we calculate the amount in dollars, it becomes: 43.3 hours X 20 dollars = $866 per employee. Therefore, 300 employees X $866 = $259,800 lost each year. This is an astonishing amount of loss for an average size call center, and can be the difference between a company surviving or thriving. And this only considers the cost impact. Think about the potential loss of revenues through periodic understaffing caused by “missing” agents (no agents, no orders).
Many call center managers make the mistake of thinking that an occasional 10-minute delay will not matter but, as illustrated above, it can cost the company a large amount of money in the long run. A short delay will affect productivity in a huge way. Whether the call center has 1,000 agents or 10 agents, losing 20 hours per agent decreases productivity, reduces revenue, skyrockets costs, and impacts the quality of service call centers must provide to keep customers happy.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
What's shrinkage?
Shrinkage is the time (or percentage of time) agents are not productive due to breaks, meetings, training, vacation, illness, absenteeism, etc. Most of these events can be build into the schedule, however there is one aspect of...
Shrinkage is the time (or percentage of time) agents are not productive due to breaks, meetings, training, vacation, illness, absenteeism, etc. Most of these events can be build into the schedule, however there is one aspect of...
What's shrinkage?
Shrinkage is the time (or percentage of time) agents are not productive due to breaks, meetings, training, vacation, illness, absenteeism, etc. Most of these events can be build into the schedule, however there is one aspect of shrinkage that cannot be really planned for and it is related to adherence. Adherence is a measurement of the time agents are scheduled to work compared to the time they actually work. If agents leave early, start later or take longer breaks than specified in their schedule, it causes shrinkage that has an immediate impact on service levels and other call center metrics due to under-staffing.
How to reduce shrinkage?
Well, it's not realistic to totally eliminate "unplanned" shrinkage, however, in most cases in can be reduced to an acceptable level. One major reason for "unplanned" shrinkage is out-of-adherence. Often, call centers don’t have the necessary visibility into what happens at any moment in time and what is supposed to happen based on the published schedule.
Shrinkage is the time (or percentage of time) agents are not productive due to breaks, meetings, training, vacation, illness, absenteeism, etc. Most of these events can be build into the schedule, however there is one aspect of shrinkage that cannot be really planned for and it is related to adherence. Adherence is a measurement of the time agents are scheduled to work compared to the time they actually work. If agents leave early, start later or take longer breaks than specified in their schedule, it causes shrinkage that has an immediate impact on service levels and other call center metrics due to under-staffing.
How to reduce shrinkage?
Well, it's not realistic to totally eliminate "unplanned" shrinkage, however, in most cases in can be reduced to an acceptable level. One major reason for "unplanned" shrinkage is out-of-adherence. Often, call centers don’t have the necessary visibility into what happens at any moment in time and what is supposed to happen based on the published schedule.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
Accurate forecasting is critical to successfully managing your call center. In order to meet call demand and avoid under- or over-staffing, you need methods that precisely predicts how many agents are needed to handle the center's call volume,...
Accurate forecasting is critical to successfully managing your call center. In order to meet call demand and avoid under- or over-staffing, you need methods that precisely predicts how many agents are needed to handle the center's call volume, and also methods that help you "re-calculate" if the the call volume fluctuates more than anticipated. Here are 5 considerations and methods that should help you improve forecast accuracy:
The importance of accurate forecasting: First, take a look why an accurate forecast is crucial.
How to improve forecasting with simulation tools: Anticipating the "future" is not easy, therefore, running simulations with different assumptions helps to better predict call volumes.
How to forecast special days: There are certain days that are difficult to forecast, or are important for the business. Here are some tips on how to deal with those.
How to do "intra-day" call forecasting: One of the biggest forecasting challenge is related to unpredictable call volume fluctuations - here are some "intra-day" tips.
How to forecast for multiple channels: As more communication channels open up (phone, email, chat, social media) you have to add those to your forecasting scenarios.
Accurate forecasting is critical to successfully managing your workforce. In order to meet call demand without under-staffing or over-staffing, you need methods that precisely predicts how many agents are needed to handle the center's contact volume. However, predicting the “future” is challenging. Based on a DMG report in 2010, survey participants listed the following five forecasting challenges:
Need to forecast for multiple skill sets
Changing business needs negate usefulness of historical volume data
Volume driven by external events, not controlled by company
Volume is seasonal varies greatly
Volume patterns change frequently, making projections difficult
Here are some tips and best practices that might help you:
Develop "what if" scenarios to explore how a change in call volume or service level goals during a specific day or week would affect your center.
Create regular intra-day forecast updates throughout the day, and calculate a new forecast based on what has already occurred to establish trends that will help you in future decisions. Read more about “Intra-day forecasting”
Forecast and schedule based on response time and "urgency” of the various channels, such as calls, emails and chat.
Analyze call history data for previous and similar periods:
Consider: Growth factor, day of the week, etc.
Apply weight: Highest weight for recent year/month/day
In step two, you need to predict daily and interval call volume. With an WFM solution this is all processed and calculated automatically, but here are the key elements. You have to break down the forecast into monthly, daily, etc. intervals and also apply the "special day" effect (in italic below). The following is an example for 4th of July:
Forecast for year = 382,572
July percentage = 9.38%
Wednesday percentage = 16%
Impact of July 4th = 30%
10:00 to 10:30 proportion of day = 5.2%
In addition, you should adjust for other known influences, such as:
Internal: Planned marketing campaigns, events, news, etc.
External: Weather, season, consumer trends, etc.
The importance of accurate forecasting: First, take a look why an accurate forecast is crucial.
How to improve forecasting with simulation tools: Anticipating the "future" is not easy, therefore, running simulations with different assumptions helps to better predict call volumes.
How to forecast special days: There are certain days that are difficult to forecast, or are important for the business. Here are some tips on how to deal with those.
How to do "intra-day" call forecasting: One of the biggest forecasting challenge is related to unpredictable call volume fluctuations - here are some "intra-day" tips.
How to forecast for multiple channels: As more communication channels open up (phone, email, chat, social media) you have to add those to your forecasting scenarios.
Accurate forecasting is critical to successfully managing your workforce. In order to meet call demand without under-staffing or over-staffing, you need methods that precisely predicts how many agents are needed to handle the center's contact volume. However, predicting the “future” is challenging. Based on a DMG report in 2010, survey participants listed the following five forecasting challenges:
Need to forecast for multiple skill sets
Changing business needs negate usefulness of historical volume data
Volume driven by external events, not controlled by company
Volume is seasonal varies greatly
Volume patterns change frequently, making projections difficult
Here are some tips and best practices that might help you:
Develop "what if" scenarios to explore how a change in call volume or service level goals during a specific day or week would affect your center.
Create regular intra-day forecast updates throughout the day, and calculate a new forecast based on what has already occurred to establish trends that will help you in future decisions. Read more about “Intra-day forecasting”
Forecast and schedule based on response time and "urgency” of the various channels, such as calls, emails and chat.
Analyze call history data for previous and similar periods:
Consider: Growth factor, day of the week, etc.
Apply weight: Highest weight for recent year/month/day
In step two, you need to predict daily and interval call volume. With an WFM solution this is all processed and calculated automatically, but here are the key elements. You have to break down the forecast into monthly, daily, etc. intervals and also apply the "special day" effect (in italic below). The following is an example for 4th of July:
Forecast for year = 382,572
July percentage = 9.38%
Wednesday percentage = 16%
Impact of July 4th = 30%
10:00 to 10:30 proportion of day = 5.2%
In addition, you should adjust for other known influences, such as:
Internal: Planned marketing campaigns, events, news, etc.
External: Weather, season, consumer trends, etc.
Resolved
Locked
Unanswered
No discussions created yet