Labor is the single, biggest cost of any call center operation. Workforce Management (WFM) solutions help call center managers more efficiently manage their agent workforce. This improved labor efficiency, in turn, reduces operating costs, improves service levels and leads to more rapid return on investment. Most Workforce Management systems provide tools to accurately forecast the required number of agents, create schedules for those agents, and monitor and measure their adherence to those work schedules.
Forecasting: Through integration with the call center ACD and other databases, WFM systems analyze past call volumes and also take into account other activities that will potentially impact call volume - such as a recently launched marketing campaign - to arrive at forecasts which can be used to more accurately determine call center staffing levels.
Scheduling: Workforce Management creates accurate staffing plans that take into account projected call volumes and average handle times as well as the skill levels of agents required on each shift for each agent group or queue. DOW Networks' Workforce Management solution allows managers to create, publish and adjust agent work schedule at any time, exchange shifts among them and add new work shifts and breaks.
Adherence: Workforce Management provides real-time and historical information on agent attendance and adherence to scheduled work times and break times and overall time worked. DOW Networks' WFM solution has color-coded diagrams that display instantly who is doing what and why (work periods, breaks or meals and adherence to work schedule). This information helps managers track absences and other conditions and quickly adjust staffing levels and schedules as required to match call volumes and achieve business objectives.
