5 Steps to Great Workforce Management

Ashley Durante outlines a 5-step strategy for getting your staffing right.

1. Gather a representative sample of historical information

The first step of the workforce management process is gathering a representative sample of historical information that can be analysed to predict future volumes and patterns.

This data typically comes from the automatic call distributor (ACD) and represents numbers of calls offered and handle time information from a representative period of time.

The data should be reviewed carefully to ensure no data aberrations exist and that non-representative data is normalised or discarded before the forecasting analysis begins.

2. Predict future workload using your historical information

The second step in resource planning involves the application of forecasting models to the historical information in order to predict future workload.

The most reliable forecasting model, called time-series analysis, is used to isolate trend rates and seasonal patterns in predicting future months’ call volumes. These are then extrapolated into daily and hourly volumes and patterns.

3. Calculate the number of staff required

The third step in creating a call centre staffing plan is to calculate the number of staff required to handle a given amount of workload in a desired service timeframe.

Numerous staffing models exist that take into account call arrival rates and call centre queuing scenarios to predict staffing and service levels. Various trade-offs are evaluated to determine the impact of staffing on service, productivity levels, and costs.

4. Create schedules that match the call centre workforce

The fourth step in the resource planning process is to create a set of workforce schedules that best match the call centre workforce to the expected contact workload.

Base staff requirements are calculated and then matched up to an organisation’s potential staffing pool and its scheduling rules and constraints to design a schedule plan.

5. Track actual performance against the staffing and service plan

The final step in the workforce management process involves tracking actual performance against the staffing and service plan.

Actual call volumes, handle times, and available staff are compared to the forecast to derive net staffing counts and make necessary adjustments to meet service levels.

Staffing a call centre properly requires a systematic approach

Staffing a call centre properly is not an easy task. It’s complicated by the externally generated work, the random arrival of calls, the invisibility of the customer queue, and the high service expectations of customers.

It requires a systematic approach with attention devoted to each of these steps.

With thanks to Ashley Durante at injixo