September 16 –

Most companies see achievement of SLA, or over-achieving SLA as cause for celebration; if it is achieved, everything is great.  If we are better than the target, we are golden. However, the job does not stop there.

If you are achieving SLA, examine whether this is because you are right-staffed (good) or overstaffed (bad), or activating contingency plans.  If you are right-staffed, congratulations! You are one of the few!   Did you take actions in advance such as overtime, not scheduling off-phone activities, or utilizing SWAT teams to meet/exceed your SLA?  How often do you have to activate those contingencies to meet SLA?  If the answer is often, then you are short-changing valuable time for development for your agents, supervisors, and WFM team, as well as just breathing room.  Contingency plans are meant to be used occasionally, not consistently.

If you are overstaffed, can you utilize this excess agent time proactively for other activities, training sessions, etc.?  Do you have capacity to offer resources to act as SWAT teams for other departments?  Can you offer additional vacation time, or voluntary time-off unpaid to reduce your overstaffing as needed?  This could also help reduce labor costs while allowing you to keep your staffing levels intact.

The bottom line is, you have to determine the right blend of goals for your company.  I use a range with the targeted SL as the “sweet spot.”  For example, if my targeted SL is 80/30, then I target to hit between 78-85 consistently.  Below 78 I deep dive into causes and look for solutions, especially if it appears to be an emerging trend.  The same is true if I’m consistently hitting above 85, except I need to identify potential opportunities to help keep SL in the target range.  The higher the expected service level goal, the higher your labor cost.  So exceeding it consistently will drive labor costs up even more.

In today’s environment, it pays to be conscientious about not driving up costs unnecessarily, and showing that you can consistently achieve the SL goal while also managing costs shows balance, control and effective management of your resources.

  Note:  This week’s tip provided by SWPP Board Member Sandra McFatridge of Nissan.  She may be reached at Sandra.mcfatridge@nissan-usa.com.