Research Shows Contact Centers Have Solid Handle on Key Workforce Management Processes
ANNAPOLIS, MD (Nov 15, 2007) -- In a recent survey of 361 contact center professionals, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) found that over three quarters of respondents feel that their center's scheduling efforts are "highly effective" or "effective." In addition, only a little over 10% of responding centers reported that agents were unsatisfied with scheduling efforts.
Much of this success can likely be attributed to the fact that in over half (52.8%) of centers surveyed, a dedicated workforce analyst or team is in charge of scheduling. Having a dedicated WFM specialist or team in place not only increases the chances that forecasting and scheduling will not be rushed and/or botched, it frees up other managerial and supervisory staff to focus on other key tasks, like quality monitoring and agent coaching and development.
Another positive pinpointed in the study is that many centers have added much color to their overall staffing palate - using a variety of staffing and scheduling approaches to help match resources to workload, and to keep the job more interesting for agents::
* 63.9% use part-time agents
* 45.6% use compressed schedules (e.g., 4 x 10 workweeks)
* 38.8% use reserve teams (i.e., former agents who help handle customer contacts during call spikes and peak periods)
* 27.4% use seasonal agents
* 18.9% outsource at least a portion of their contact load
* 15.2% use home agents to help enhance scheduling flexibility and effectiveness
Of course, there is some room for improvement in centers' workforce management strategies. For instance, too few (58.9%) bother to measure forecasting accuracy - a critical metric that helps centers become more consistent with scheduling and saves both customers and agents from much aggravation.
In addition, more centers could benefit from investing in an advanced WFM system, which can help centers vastly improve their grasp of the "science" side of forecasting and scheduling. Just over half (51.9%) of respondents work in centers equipped with an automated WFM system.
Following are other key findings from the ICMI Member Research Report on Contact Center Staffing and Scheduling Practices:
* Aspect is the leading provider of WFM solutions - with 37.1% of centers (that use an automated WFM tool) listing Aspect as their vendor. Not too far behind was Witness (26.4%), then IEX (22.8%).
* Nearly three out of four centers (73.3%) that have a WFM system in place said that the system enables agents to easily access their own schedules online.
* Four out of five centers that use home agents said that this approach has had either a "positive" or "very positive" impact on the center's performance; not a single center reported any negative impact associated with using home agents.
The ICMI Member Research Report on Contact Center Staffing and Scheduling Practices may be purchased directly from ICMI's Call Center Knowledge Online site (www.icmi.com/ccko). The report is available for free to ICMI members; the cost is $24.95 for non-members.
ICMI's Call Center Knowledge Online, launched in 2003, is an online resource center that provides call center professionals with 24-hour access to downloadable documents--such as Call Center Management Review article bundles, ICMI research studies, tutorials, checklists and book excerpts--from the industry's definitive source of call center knowledge.
About the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI):
ICMI, International Customer Management Institute, is the global leader to the call center industry for consulting, training, management tools, seminars, conferences, trade shows, networking, professional membership and publications.
ICMI's mission is to provide the comprehensive information resources required by call center professionals to achieve operational excellence, attain superior business results, and enhance the strategic value of every customer interaction.
Our team's sincere dedication, extensive experience, uncompromised objectivity and results-oriented vision has earned ICMI the reputation of being the industry's most trusted resource.
For more information about ICMI, visit www.icmi.com, or call 800.672.6177 (410.267.0700).
About the Author
(See above.)
ANNAPOLIS, MD (Nov 15, 2007) -- In a recent survey of 361 contact center professionals, the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) found that over three quarters of respondents feel that their center's scheduling efforts are "highly effective" or "effective." In addition, only a little over 10% of responding centers reported that agents were unsatisfied with scheduling efforts.
Much of this success can likely be attributed to the fact that in over half (52.8%) of centers surveyed, a dedicated workforce analyst or team is in charge of scheduling. Having a dedicated WFM specialist or team in place not only increases the chances that forecasting and scheduling will not be rushed and/or botched, it frees up other managerial and supervisory staff to focus on other key tasks, like quality monitoring and agent coaching and development.
Another positive pinpointed in the study is that many centers have added much color to their overall staffing palate - using a variety of staffing and scheduling approaches to help match resources to workload, and to keep the job more interesting for agents::
* 63.9% use part-time agents
* 45.6% use compressed schedules (e.g., 4 x 10 workweeks)
* 38.8% use reserve teams (i.e., former agents who help handle customer contacts during call spikes and peak periods)
* 27.4% use seasonal agents
* 18.9% outsource at least a portion of their contact load
* 15.2% use home agents to help enhance scheduling flexibility and effectiveness
Of course, there is some room for improvement in centers' workforce management strategies. For instance, too few (58.9%) bother to measure forecasting accuracy - a critical metric that helps centers become more consistent with scheduling and saves both customers and agents from much aggravation.
In addition, more centers could benefit from investing in an advanced WFM system, which can help centers vastly improve their grasp of the "science" side of forecasting and scheduling. Just over half (51.9%) of respondents work in centers equipped with an automated WFM system.
Following are other key findings from the ICMI Member Research Report on Contact Center Staffing and Scheduling Practices:
* Aspect is the leading provider of WFM solutions - with 37.1% of centers (that use an automated WFM tool) listing Aspect as their vendor. Not too far behind was Witness (26.4%), then IEX (22.8%).
* Nearly three out of four centers (73.3%) that have a WFM system in place said that the system enables agents to easily access their own schedules online.
* Four out of five centers that use home agents said that this approach has had either a "positive" or "very positive" impact on the center's performance; not a single center reported any negative impact associated with using home agents.
The ICMI Member Research Report on Contact Center Staffing and Scheduling Practices may be purchased directly from ICMI's Call Center Knowledge Online site (www.icmi.com/ccko). The report is available for free to ICMI members; the cost is $24.95 for non-members.
ICMI's Call Center Knowledge Online, launched in 2003, is an online resource center that provides call center professionals with 24-hour access to downloadable documents--such as Call Center Management Review article bundles, ICMI research studies, tutorials, checklists and book excerpts--from the industry's definitive source of call center knowledge.
About the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI):
ICMI, International Customer Management Institute, is the global leader to the call center industry for consulting, training, management tools, seminars, conferences, trade shows, networking, professional membership and publications.
ICMI's mission is to provide the comprehensive information resources required by call center professionals to achieve operational excellence, attain superior business results, and enhance the strategic value of every customer interaction.
Our team's sincere dedication, extensive experience, uncompromised objectivity and results-oriented vision has earned ICMI the reputation of being the industry's most trusted resource.
For more information about ICMI, visit www.icmi.com, or call 800.672.6177 (410.267.0700).
About the Author
(See above.)
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