It’s a common reflex when planning out your week to focus on where gaps in coverage are. It’s both logical and reasonable where those gaps you see are the most likely times in the week to give you a headache, and you want to make sure you are prepared the best you can be.
You also want to make sure that you put a plan in place for overages that you see in advance. It’s a good habit to keep track of upcoming planned training, weekly coaching, meetings, or any other activities that require headcount off the phones.
Depending on your internal process it can also be a good idea to communicate these time frames to the frontline supervisor staff so they know when they have a bit more flexibility but also remember to be clear on the number of staff that can be safely off the phone during those times.
If after mapping out all known activity you still see surplus of staff, it can also be a very good idea to speak to the operations manager to keep on top of any other initiatives that you might not know about where extra headcount may be utilized, such as a sales campaign that could generate extra revenue. If not, it’s a great opportunity to discuss strategies involving offering voluntary time off to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Note: This week’s tip is provided by Bruce Amey, CWPP, of Splunk. He may be reached at bamey@live.com.
