2017 Tip of the Week Archive2018-05-09T13:39:09-04:00

Do you really need to do a schedule bid?

October 2 – Do you do periodic schedule bids for staff?   What I would ask is this:  do the patterns change enough to warrant a need for a bid?  When you bid, do the same people get the same shifts 90% of the time?  If so, then there is really no need to do a […]

Know thy Self … and thy System.

September 25 –  Just as there are no industry standards in Call/Contact Center, there is also another oddity that has evolved in WFM over the years. A system language barrier. For example: The word “Exception.” In one system, an exception is something that interrupts your primary work activity.  It can be a meeting, a training, […]

Get a new perspective on monitoring service levels.

September 18 – As workforce planning professionals, one of our constant challenges is balancing service levels in the contact center—we don’t want service levels too low (high wait times) and it isn’t good if levels are too high (low occupancy). So this week, here’s a tip to help achieve the great balancing act by providing […]

Work together with Operations to create solutions to schedule problems.

September 4 – Sometimes the Operations side of the house is worried about agent satisfaction, so they may accommodate agents who are having schedule concerns by granting them schedule requests without checking with WFM. And sometimes these decisions can be detrimental to the business. I would suggest you work together with Operations to negotiate an […]

To Adhere or To Conform – that is the question.

August 28 – Adherence is a measure of the amount of time an agent spends following their specific schedule (although system definitions may vary slightly).  Conformance is how well an agent conforms to the amount of required time in any activity or state. Adherence is not a good standalone goal for all environments. I will […]

Think out of the box for WFM metrics.

August 21 – Think outside of the box when you are establishing metrics for your Workforce Management team. Most WFM teams have metrics that they are reliant on others to help them meet (example: service level, ASA, abandon, etc). Although these are metrics they can influence, they can’t always control them, which can sometimes be […]

Tips for presenting to Senior Leaders.

August 14 – Whether it’s requesting to add to staff, purchasing new software or recommending a process change, getting the buy-in from your senior executives is critical. Before you make your “pitch” to the executive(s), here are some things you may want to consider: Build your coalition: Before going into the “Big Meeting” to present […]

Host WFM Open House sessions.

August 7 – Do your front line team members have a good understanding of your WFM practices?  Do you have a direct communication channel to your front line team members?  If not, hosting a Workforce Management Open House session can help you share your WFM Practices directly with your front line team members. The Objective: […]

Teach the ones you serve.  

July 24 –  Does your WFM team educate your stakeholders on a regular basis to make sure that everyone understands the workforce management process?   I suggest that you put on Town Halls, Lunch and Learns, or any other title you want to call it for the benefit of sharing your processes and activities with the […]

Project planning schedule bids.   

July 17 –  How do you best prepare to conduct shift bids within your organization?  Here are few steps we have successfully implemented in a phased bid approach within our organization. We begin by identifying bid assumptions and parameters that are proposed to all key stakeholders in order to set clear expectations and establish bid […]

How is your WFM team built? Generalist, Specialist, Functional, or Other?

July 10 – Understanding Workforce Management is easier when you understand the cycle. The WFM Cycle consists of Forecasting (Workload and FTE), then Scheduling (planning to complete workload), then Execution (Real-Time Management), then Analysis (Reporting). The cycle repeats itself over and over, without end, continuous forecasting and improvement. Over time WFM Teams have evolved structures […]

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