research triangle park, north carolina · research triangle park, north carolina ... center...

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Turning Knowledge into Practice

SURVEY RESEARCH DIVISION

Call Center Scheduling (Workforce Management) Tool Capabilities And Applications

by Karl Feld


Agenda Defining Your Organization’s

Needs Off The Shelf Software

Capabilities Case Studies Pricing Useful Tips


Define Current & Future Operations

Small (<100 seats) versus Large (>100 seats) Call Center Operations

Single Site versus Multi-Site Operations Stand-Alone versus ACD-Based Inbound or Outbound versus Blended Call Operations Telephone Only versus Blended

Telephone/Internet/e-Mail Operations Single Skill Level versus Multiple Skill Levels and

Groups


Understanding The ACD

Short for Automatic Call Distributor, a telephone facility that handles incoming calls and manages them based on a database of handling instructions. ACD is a service that enables incoming calls directed to the same dialed number, the pilot number, to be routed to one of multiple agents in the ACD group.


Understanding The ACD


Features Available In Off-The-Shelf Scheduling Software

Scheduling Measurement Integration Forecasting


Scheduling Multi-Site or Virtual Call

Center Absence, Vacation, Holiday,

Breaks, non-phone time Skills and Priority-Based

Scheduling Web-based self-administration

of individual schedules Non-call workforce

management


Measurement Interviewer/Agent, project and operational center

productivity measurement Interviewer/Agent Performance Evaluation Systems

(including monitoring info.) Real-Time Interviewer Adherence Interviewer/Agent level Floor Management and

Morale Motivation Tools Instant Messaging (IM) Capability Between Staff &

Management


Integration Synchronization with

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)/Sample Management, Accounting and Human Resources systems and Databases

Billing and labor measurement for payroll purposes

Data import/export functions


Forecasting Interviewer/Agent Hiring Forecasting Predictive Scheduling for other Operations Tied to

Call Forecasting (eg. Tracing, Fulfillment) Budget and Costing Forecasting Capacity Usage Forecasting Multi-year historical call metrics built into forecasting

tools


Boeing Employees Credit Union 100 seat call center operation using skills-based

scheduling for telephone work Manual scheduling process pulling ACD-based

metrics required 9 hours daily. Use of stand-alone scheduler made little reduction in time

ACD-based solution reduced scheduling burden to 1 hour daily including all dynamic mid-shift adjustments

Freed up scheduling to allow individual employees freedom in setting their own schedules without impacting work


Borders Books Multi-skilled contact center with large seasonal

fluctuations in volume 15 staff skills, seniority-based scheduling & employee

work preferences Deployment Results;

53% Productivity Improvement33% Reduction In Expenses5% Reduction in Non-Seasonal Agent Turnover (25% reduction in training and recruiting expenses)Increase agent availability 22%Improved service level 5%


Three Software Categories Low-end Tools: Assist in one facet of workforce

management, usually calculating staff needed for predefined workload

Mid-Range: Perform forecasting, scheduling and daily-performance management with focus on ease of use

High-end: Contain many options to adjust to any kind of contact center environment


Pricing Pricing based on number of stations

Discounts for large station countsFloor of $5KPrices Range from $196 per station for self-standing to $1000 per station for high end product

Consulting and Installation Fees Annual licensing/maintenance fees


Things To Remember As with any software purchase, the vendor’s

customer support and annual maintenance contract are as important as the functionality itself

The degree of existing market penetration and age of company may reflect longevity of the product and support

Not all applications match all ACDs Remember that scheduling software usually requires

a scheduling planner to go with it! Some applications require PhDs in Statistics to figure out. Some don’t.


Useful Information Society of Workforce Planning Professionals www.swpp.org Workforce Optimization Vendor Questions for soliciting Call

Center Scheduling Vendors Available from BluePumpkin Variety of products in different price ranges available at

www.callcentermagazine.com Definitions

PSTN-Public Switched Telephone NetworkPBX-Private Branch ExchangeCTI-Computer Telephony InterfaceVoIP-Voice-over Internet Protocol


Contact Information Slides can be found at

http://www.rti.org/aapor Author can be reached at:

[email protected] and/or 919-248-4557

research triangle park, north carolina · research triangle park, north carolina ... center...

Documents