CRM - April 2008 - (Page 48)

SCOUTING REPORT BY DONNA FLUSS Productivity and Workforce Management WFM solutions typically pay for themselves in under a year— can you afford not to have one? C ONTACT CENTER workforce management (WFM) solutions are among the most important productivity tools in contact centers. These applications allow managers to forecast the volume of transactions that a contact center will be required to handle and to schedule the optimal number of agents to meet the anticipated need, factoring in agent breaks, training needs, vacations, and sickness absences. These solutions also streamline the hiring process, enabling managers to address both the number of agents required and the skill sets that are necessary to provide the best service to customers. When used properly, the payback from WFM is typically six months to a year. As the economy slows down further, contact centers will be asked to deliver additional productivity improvements. WFM solutions can be a major contributor to these cost-saving initiatives. Workforce Management Solutions Performance Management Long-Term/Strategic Planner Optional Modules Multichannel Forecasting Multiskill Support Contact Center Value-Added Modules Forecasting Scheduling Intra-Day Real-Time Adherence Agent Self-Service Administrive Reporting Core Modules Source: DMG Consulting LLC, December 2007 Figure 1: Workforce Management Solutions 48 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | APRIL 2008 WFM DECISION CRITERIA: IS WFM FOR YOUR CONTACT CENTER? Debates continue regarding the size of contact centers that should use WFM. These discussions are expected to continue well into the future, as there are many factors that impact the need for these solutions. These factors include: number of agents, number of agent skill groups, number of sites, number of interaction channels, use of advanced routing capabilities, and use of at-home agents. When contact centers were simple—single-site and handling only inbound calls—most managers were able to do an adequate job of manually forecasting call volume and scheduling using a spreadsheet for up to 100 agents. After the department grew beyond 100 agents, it often became too complex and time-consuming to forecast and schedule with spreadsheets; it was often at this point that managers decided to invest in a packaged WFM solution. The dynamic changed as contact centers grew more complex. When contact centers began adding sites or channels, the need for WFM grew. The challenge of coordinating activities between two sites or juggling multiple channels, such as calls and emails, made it more difficult to use spreadsheets, and increased the need for WFM solutions. Now, as contact centers become more complex with the increasing use of remote (or at-home) agents, there will be an even greater need for WFM. A hands-on and practical approach is required in order to determine if a contact center would benefit from a WFM solution. If the solution will pay for itself in less than one year or provide a strategic differentiator (in cases where interaction volume is very low), your company should invest in WFM. Otherwise, stick to a spreadsheet. We recommend that the following contact center environments use WFM: a single-site contact center with 100 agents that handles only phone calls; a multisite contact center with 50 agents; a multiskill contact center with 50 agents; a multichannel contact center with 50 agents; and a contact center that has a staff of 50 or more and uses remote agents. We have seen environments with as few as 20 agents benefit from WFM. If the forecasting and scheduling complexity is high, WFM is recommended. www.destinationCRM.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - April 2008

CRM - April 2008 Contents Front Office Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point A Tenancy of One’s Own The Rebirth of Taxes destinationCRM Dashboard Labor Disputes Reach The Contract Center The Plight of the Wirelines Required Reading The 2008 Service Awards The 2008 Service Leader Awards Customer Self-Service Microsoft Genesys Oracle eGain Astute Solutions The 2008 Rising Stars The 2008 Service Elite Awar Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - April 2008

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