9 Tips for Evaluating Workforce Management Systems May 16, 2007 11:49 AM
, By Bob Webb
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Any call center manager knows that
the profitability of their company can be greatly impacted by under-
and over-staffing in the call center. If your forecasting or scheduling system
is not sophisticated enough or if you’re doing too many processes manually, you
are leaving money on the table by failing to staff your center properly.
All workforce management systems
are not created equal.Most claim to
have the same features, but the real issue is how those features and functions
are executed. Unfortunately, that is
often difficult to determine until the application is installed, and then it’s
too late.
Many call center have purchased
workforce management systems have later resulted in dissatisfaction with their
choices.In one case, a well-known
retailer abandoned three different packages over a six-year period because the
programs lacked critical functions as well as the flexibility to meet the call
center’s needs.In another, a catalog
company was prompted to switch systems because its legacy platform was unable
to maintain sufficient historical call data to generate accurate forecasts.
To ensure you are getting the best
system and avoid making a costly mistake, ask these questions before purchasing
a workforce management package.
1) Does the
system produce a single optimized schedule? Many workforce management systems
generate a basic schedule, and then require analysts to spend costly time
editing that schedule to accommodate breaks, lunches, meetings, training
sessions, and vacations.This consumes
clerical time, risks input errors, and makes creating every schedule an
inefficient multistep process.It can
also adversely affect your service levels by failing to consider these
variables in the optimization process.Look for a system that automatically incorporates breaks, lunches, and
so on when producing a schedule.
2) Does the
system collect enough data to produce accurate forecasts? Many workforce scheduling systems
store no more than 16 weeks of historical inbound call data to generate a
forecast, and most fail to gather information on marketing campaigns, billing
cycles or other variables that can affect call volume.Trying to predict future call volume without
this information is like trying to balance your checkbook if you haven’t
recorded all of your transactions.Look
for a workforce management package that will maintain several years’ worth of
detailed data for maximum forecast accuracy.
3) Can the
system recognize special events when forecasting call volumes? In call centers where workloads
fluctuate due to special events such as catalog drops or discount offers, the
only way to ensure proper staffing is with a system that can electronically
calculate anticipated call volume based on how a given event affected incoming
calls in the past.In a sales environment
where something such as a direct mail campaign or TV advertorial triggers extra
calls, this correlated forecasting capability can mean the difference between
profit and loss.
4) How long
does it take to generate forecasts and schedules? Some workforce management systems
may require eight to ten hours to forecast call volumes, determine staffing
requirements, and produce call center schedules.Others can do the same job in minutes.It depends on how the software is architected and how the call
center is set up.To determine the
performance of the system you’re looking at, ask the vendor to perform a
simulation based on a year’s worth of your own forecast data, and then time it.
5) Can you
automate tasks that must be performed repeatedly? Setting up and disseminating call
volume forecasts, agent schedules and activity reports can consume 50% to 60%
of an administrator’s time.You can do
the work in half the time if these recurring functions can be pre-configured
with shortcut wizards for one-click execution, prescheduled to run automatically,
or linked in self-executing sequences.This latter feature makes it possible, for example, to generate a
forecast, export it to one group of recipients, e-mail it to another group, and
print copies without stopping for user input.
6) Can the
system adjust for daily surprises like absences or unplanned meetings? When unexpected agent absences,
meetings, and/or call volumes require current-day schedule adjustments,
intra-day optimization tools make the job a lot easier.Find out if the workforce management system
you’re evaluating can recalculate the day’s staffing needs; modify breaks,
lunches, and work assignments electronically; and automatically alert agents by
e-mail and/or pop-up message to eliminate the need to print and distribute new
schedules.
7) Is there
an integrated vacation planner, and can it adapt to your needs? This is a twofold test.First, the vacation planning module should
integrate with the workforce management software to ensure that vacation slots
will be accurately calculated, reflected in agents’ schedules without manual
input, and so on.Second, it should be
fully configurable to support your policies and staffing structure.Can it accommodate a Wednesday to Tuesday
work week?Does it allow you to
allocate vacation slots by skill set, shift type, given contact center, or
across multiple call centers?
8) Are
busies and abandoned calls considered in calculating requirements? Systems that don’t understand
busies and abandons will always overstaff your call center.Since staffing typically represents 70% to
80% of your operational costs, overstaffing can have a severe impact on your
budget.This is like the airplane that
takes off with empty seats: you will never have another chance to recover that
revenue.Ask whether the software
you’re considering has an algorithm that incorporates busies and abandoned
calls in its calculations.
9) Is the
system scalable? Many workforce management systems require call centers to
perform a forklift upgrade once they grow to a certain size.This is not only an added expense but a
major administrative headache.A
scalable system that can accommodate growth without installing completely new
software is a much better way to go.
Bob Webb is vice president of sales for St.
Louis-based contact center solutions provider Pipkins.
