Schedule Conformance vs. Schedule Adherence.
July 16 – There are a number of different terms in the industry to identify elements of how well the staff sticks to the planned schedules. Two that come to mind are schedule “conformance” vs. schedule “adherence.” Vendors and call centers sometimes use the same word but mean something quite different. However, there are […]
The “two-hour rule” with performance-based scheduling.
July 9 – We recently decided to convert from permanent set schedules to a performance based shift bid three times a year. To mitigate the risk of attrition, we put in place a “two-hour rule,” which told the CSRs that we would not move them more than two hours away from their current shift […]
Entering exceptions in the past – the debate.
July 2 – Many contact center teams set adherence goals and may include incentives for achieving results that are even better than the minimum requirement. While this focuses a lot of attention on the adherence to schedule, it can set up some negative behaviors as well. Let’s assume that we have people who work […]
Build workforce management’s social network.
June 25 – Social media and social networking are nothing new; in fact our society is swamped with various forms of social media that we use in our personal and professional lives. All are geared to allow us to collaborate and create a higher level of context with those that we wish to collaborate […]
Some unique WFM challenges from around the world.
June 18 – As we travel around the world talking to contact center managers and workforce management professionals, we run into a wide variety of unique challenges. Sometimes it is interesting to see what other folks are dealing with, if only to make our lives seem not so bad after all. Here are some […]
Track the correlation between mailing cycles and call volume.
June 11 – Call centers that have call volume based on mail pieces (e.g., bills, marketing flyers, etc…) should track the correlation between each mailing cycle and the response time. Most centers find that there is a specific response time to mail pieces that will affect call volume, and knowing that response time is crucial […]
Handling one of the side effects of shift bids: Agent/Supervisor alignment.
June 4 – One of the most basic call center principles, the importance of the working relationship between Agent and Supervisor, gets tested every time we do a shift bid (or otherwise re-assign shifts). One of the impacts for those of us who modify shift assignments periodically is the subsequent need to change some […]
Getting back to basics.
May 28 – All too often, we fall back on technology to give us the information and results that we want and need. Think about it – when was the last time you did something the hard way with a good old-fashioned pen and paper to find the answer to a problem? While I […]
Are you using surveys to improve the service you provide?
May 21 – Surveys can be great tools toward improving the service you offer your internal customers and/or identifying areas of opportunity within your organization. They can be easily created on one of the many websites out there (such as surverymonkey.com) many of which are free for basic use. The results can be anonymous, […]
Are you overlooking skill shrinkage?
May 14 – Shrinkage is a concept that can be confusing. At its core, we all know that shrinkage is anything that pulls from contact handling capacity. Shrinkage is planned and unplanned absences, non-contact based activities, and any other activity that “shrinks” the contact handling capacity of your floor. In most organizations and with […]
Where do you find the best real-time analysts? – from “The Wizard is In” Online Forum.
May 7 – If you missed “The Wizard is In” Online Forum on April 20, you missed a great afternoon of virtual networking with your SWPP peers. We had a great time sharing ideas and best practices on the topic of “Managing Real-Time Operations.” I thought I would share some of the information from […]
Are real-time analysts dedicated only to that function? – from “The Wizard is In” Online Forum.
April 30 – If you missed “The Wizard is In” Online Forum on April 20, you missed a great afternoon of virtual networking with your SWPP peers. We had a great time sharing ideas and best practices on the topic of “Managing Real-Time Operations.” I thought I would share some of the information from […]