2021 Tip of the Week Archive

August 23 –   Every organization has its own nuances with respect to its culture, business norms and responsibilities. Understanding your company’s “ways of getting things done” is critical if you want to maximize your influence and get the things you want completed. Here are some simple reminders to make sure your workforce management area […]

August 16 – As a follow up to a recommendation to having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for all facets of WFM, I would recommend peer training for the WFM team.  Determine topics to be trained and assign those topics to members of the team to do an in-depth presentation and Q&A session for the entire […]

August 2 – Oftentimes we miss opportunities to ensure our WFM teams are growing and learning throughout the year. This can lead to boredom and burnout, even for those “B” players on your team. Take time to create personal development plans for each teammate and ensure they are owning it but with your direct support. If […]

June 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 it may […]

June 21 – Before you spend too much time contemplating this question, let me tell you that I didn’t know what I didn’t know when I first started in Workforce Management. Even when I felt like I did, I was still learning how to use our WFM system out of the box. And I didn’t […]

June 7 – Over the past year, it has been increasingly common for employees to work-from-home. However, it’s important for workforce planners to consider changes to their forecasting and scheduling practices to reflect the impact of agents working outside of the office. Workforce Optimization software allows contact centers to maximize efficiency both for in-office agents, […]

May 24 – Now more than ever, it is critical to manage how many agents are scheduled to be in the office contact center setting, work-from-home or a hybrid mix of each. Workforce Optimization software and Seat Management tools can help you and your agents remain, healthy, while staying six plus feet apart and within […]

May 17 – Businesses are social organizations, full stop.  In-person gatherings, whether they be one-to-one or formal/informal meetings with a few or many attendees, hold tremendous value.  Most people have a burning desire (on varying levels) to look others in the eyes and express themselves both verbally and through body language.   Imparting energy, expressing joy […]

May 10 – Even before the global pandemic, workforce planners were building improved flexibility into staff schedules. Yet, today’s reality has highlighted the importance of empowering employees to take control of their schedules: Consider agent schedule preferences and utilize flexible shift bidding tools that allow your staff to work from anywhere when it works best […]

May 3 – We have an amazing employee engagement team that has worked hard to keep everyone in the company connected while we are all working at home.  Here are some of the best events they’ve put on: In May 2020, we did a virtual cooking class via zoom. The employees were asked to register […]

April 26 – Every year consumer channel preferences shift, but for contact centers the choice is clear—taking an omnichannel approach is essential. While its always important to ensure you have agents with the right skills and training to handle volume across a variety of channels, the COVID-19 pandemic has in some cases created new challenges […]

April 19 – Like other organizations, our Contact Center temporarily deployed to 100% remote in March 2020.   We were already 40% remote so we had experience with both deployment and work management.  After a few months of operating effectively, our leadership team moved forward with a decision to make this a permanent arrangement.   We gave up […]