ICMI's Customer Management Insight - December 2007 - (Page 10) O P E R AT I O N S required for a major integration effort. CAN WE — SHOULD WE — DO IT? characteristics (size, resources, corporate buy-in, willingness to invest, etc.) that must be in place before moving to the next stage. 2. Define where you are now based on the tools in place that you can build upon. 3. Identify the roadblocks to achieving your optimization vision and define how you will address them. 4. Identify the technology/tools you need for a complete solution. 5. Define how the tools fit together and which other departments need to be involved at each stage. 6. Finally, prioritize the components and phase in the solution. Accept that some components of a total solution may not be appropriate for your center depending on the characteristics you defined to start your plan. icmi’s insight Once you have defined your requirements, you still have to make sense of the market to find the right vendor or reseller. Again, this will depend on characteristics of your current situation such as available capital, size, staffing, and current technology. (See the sidebar on the previous page for a discussion of sourcing options.) Whatever components you implement and however you source, there is one truth that you must accept as part of a workforce optimization solution — integraintegration, integration. tion, Integrating the components of a workforce optimization solution with each other and with other organizational applications and databases is essential to achieving full enterprise value. Before starting to implement your plan, ensure you have the resources and support While WFM and QM may be old news, the WFO/PO market is a new variation on this theme, and offers exciting new capabilities that are still maturing. The good news is that most vendors have referenceable customers that are getting value from a workforce optimization solution. As you pursue WFO and evaluate options, make sure the references really have all the components you are considering and are using them in an integrated way. The major risk in a workforce optimization implementation is doing too much, too fast and not using the technology to full value to ensure a return on the investment. Take your time in planning and implementation to mitigate the risks. Phase in the components slowly and methodically, ensuring adequate resources, buy in, and measurable value at each stage. With a vision and a plan that accepts the reality of your current situation and phases in the components that are appropriate for you, you can implement the tools and processes that establish a culture of continuous optimization throughout your organization. • BRIAN HINTON is Senior Consultant at Strategic Contact Inc. brian@strategiccontact.com www.icmi.com | DECEMBER 2007 10 http://www.contactservicesinc.com http://www.icmi.com
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