Each quarter SWPP surveys the workforce planning community on critical workforce planning topics. Over 150 call center professionals representing a wide variety of industries participated and provided insight into this quarter’s survey on workforce management tools.
The participants in the survey work in centers with wide variety of agent sizes. The financial, heath care, and insurance industries drew the largest number of participants, but all other industries are also well represented.
Respondents were asked what tools were used to assist in forecasting workload. Given the size of most of the survey participants, almost all the centers use a commercial WFM software package to forecast workload. About three-quarters of the participants using a commercial tool (almost 100 responders) also use spreadsheets to supplement their forecasting efforts. Another 10 participants have built a home-grown forecasting tool.
When asked what type of tools were used for scheduling contact center staff, most responders use a commercial WFM package. When compared to the numbers using forecasting tools, the numbers using an industry package were slightly higher than for forecasting, while the participants using spreadsheets were slightly lower. This is common in the WFM industry to see organizations relying slightly more on specialized spreadsheets to assist with forecasting, while the scheduling mechanism of the commercial tools “trusted” more to accomplish this step of the WFM process.
The respondents were asked about the tools used to manage the intra-day tracking and management process. These numbers were like the scheduling tool numbers. Most rely on a commercial WFM package, with a much smaller percentage using spreadsheets for this intra-day work.
Survey participants responded to the question about schedule adherence tools much the same as the breakdown of scheduling and intra-day tracking tools. Three-quarters of study participants use a commercial schedule adherence package, with only 12% using spreadsheets. These tools are an essential part of tracking adherence to the schedule plan, providing historical reporting on adherence as well as a real-time comparison of individual work states to the schedule.
For those respondents using a commercial WFM tool, they were asked how long ago the software was installed. The biggest number of participants are long-term users, with 45% using tools for over 5 years. Another 20% have been using for 3-5 years, 25% for 1-3 years, and 10% for under one year.
Respondents using WFM software were asked how long it has been since upgrading to a newer release. The largest response was a good one, with 58% getting their upgrade within the past year. Another 25% upgraded within the last 1-3 years. It was interesting to note that the third most common response was “I don’t know” about the last upgrade. This does not necessarily mean that no upgrades were done, but more likely suggests that software “in the cloud” is upgraded regularly, with users perhaps unaware of the specifics of the timing or the content of the latest versions.
Respondents were asked about the last training received directly from their WFM vendor. The largest number of participants (32%) said they had received training in the past year. Another 30% received training in the last 1-3 years. However, another 30% reported it had been over 3 years since staff had received training. It is critical that software users receive direct vendor training. As upgrades happen and as WFM staff changes, it is important that everyone is up-to-speed on how to best utilize all the software capabilities. Much of this training occurs as “hand-me-down” training which may not be sufficient to ensure all WFM software users are making the most of these tools.
Respondents were asked how satisfied they are with their current WFM software. Only about 10% indicated they were Very Satisfied, but 40% said they were satisfied. So about half the group were in the “Satisfied” range. Another 25% were in the middle with neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied, leaving another 25% either Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied. It has been our experience that dissatisfaction with WFM tools tends to be an issue of users not understanding how to use the system to accomplish their goals. Much of this can be addressed by making sure users have the latest versions of the software (with bugs fixed and new capabilities installed) and also ensuring software users are fully trained.
The final question on the survey asked participants about their biggest challenges in making the most of their WFM tools. Here are a few of those responses.
Based on the responses above, the majority of participants are using one of the many commercially available WFM software systems. Many rely on this software to do the majority of the WFM steps, including forecasting, scheduling, daily tracking, and schedule adherence monitoring and reporting. While most are also using spreadsheets to supplement forecasting tasks, the centers are less reliant on spreadsheets for scheduling and daily management activities.
Many centers are not completely satisfied with their workforce management systems. However, as seen in responses and comments, some of this dissatisfaction may be due to not having the latest versions of the software with upgraded capabilities or not having recent training to make the most of these systems. It shows that software alone is not the answer. Having access to knowledgeable support and training is needed to ensure the center makes the most of its WFM software investment.
