Selecting The Right Workforce Management System for Your Call Center
Workforce management is a skill which requires efficiently scheduling the right number of agents to handle call center traffic within a specified service level objective. This traffic is no longer just the incoming calls. Many call centers have their agents multi tasking throughout the day. These other activities can include data entry, e-mail correspondence, web chat and customer call backs.Because it is a tedious task to manually create schedules via basic spreadsheets and in many instances these schedules tend to be inaccurate, workforce management software systems have been create to automate the process. There are many flavors of scheduling and forecasting software available on the market today, from simple inexpensive programs to full featured WFM systems that integrate with most ACD’s. And the prices range from as low as $500 to tens of thousands of dollars.
The larger the call center the bigger the need for a more robust, automated type of workforce management solution. In my experience with the small to medium sized call center, (less than 75 agents) managers will opt for a basic no frills scheduling tool. In many cases the smaller centers do not have the budgets to cost justify the more expensive systems nor the manpower to manage these types of systems.
In order to determine which solution is right for your center, key in on a features that are in line with your objectives. I have seen call centers purchase systems with so many features, the users become overwhelmed, and end up using only a small portion of the systems capabilities. Here are some questions to ask:
- Will the software allow schedules to incorporate other activities – breaks, lunches, vacation, training, other call center activities
- Can I create simulations or “what-if” scenarios
- How is the ACD data integrated
- Can I create multiple shifts and assign agents by preference
- How easy is it to make changes to schedule
- How long will it take to implement
- What is learning curve
- What is the cost of installation & training
- How much equipment will be required
- Does my IT staff need to be involved
- What are the annual maintenance/support costs
- Can the system be expanded if my center grows
Every company I come into contact with is looking for ways to increase productivity and cut costs, and one way to do this is proper forecasting of the workload and implementing the right schedules to get the work done.
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