A Guide to Call Centre Workforce Management

To manage a call centre effectively, you need to extract maximum productivity and efficiency from your operations while maintaining high customer satisfaction. It’s tough, but with the right tools and strategies, you can do it without increasing your customer support budget.

Call centre workforce management software is key to achieving this goal as it can help you streamline your operations and make smart decisions based on hard data.

While some businesses rely on call centre phone systems alone to handle customer interactions, workforce management software can be used to take things a step further, ensuring you have the right people in the right place at the right time.

What Is Call Centre Workforce Management?

Call centre workforce management (WFM) is a set of processes and tools designed to optimise the performance of your call centre team. It involves forecasting call volume, scheduling agents, monitoring performance, and making real-time adjustments to ensure that your centre is operating at peak efficiency.

The goal of WFM is to strike a balance between customer service quality and cost-effectiveness by ensuring that you have the right number of agents with the right skills available at the right times.

WFM software provides you with the data and insights needed to make informed decisions. It typically integrates with your call centre phone system and other customer service tools to provide a comprehensive view of your operations.

With WFM software, you can also automate many of the manual tasks associated with workforce management, such as scheduling and forecasting, freeing up your team to focus on delivering exceptional customer service.

In a 2024 survey by Zendesk, 79% of call centre organisations said they recognized the importance of strategic agent management and are actively collaborating with outside vendors to better their processes.

How Does Call Centre Workforce Management Work?

Call centre workforce management software works by collecting and analysing data from your call centre phone system and other customer service tools. This data includes call volume, average handle time, agent performance metrics, and more. The software then uses this data to generate forecasts and recommendations for scheduling, staffing, and performance optimization.

For example, the software might predict that call volume will be higher than usual on a particular day and recommend that you schedule additional agents to handle the increased demand. It can also help you identify performance issues and training opportunities by tracking metrics like average handle time and customer satisfaction scores.

5 Key Call Centre Workforce Management Features

1. Forecasting and Scheduling

One of the most important features of call centre workforce management software is its ability to forecast call volume and schedule agents accordingly using call centre analytics.
The software uses historical data and advanced algorithms to predict how many calls you can expect at different times of the day, week, or month. It then generates schedules that ensure you have the right number of agents available to handle those calls, taking into account factors like agent skills, availability, and preferences.

2. Real-Time Monitoring and Adherence

WFM software also provides real-time monitoring and adherence tracking to help you ensure that your agents are following their schedules and meeting performance targets. The software can track metrics like call volume in real time, alerting you to any issues or deviations from the plan. This allows you to make instant adjustments to optimise performance and ensure your customers are receiving the best possible service.

3. Performance Management and Analytics

Another key feature of WFM software is its performance management and analytics capabilities. The software can track a wide range of performance metrics, such as first call resolution rate and customer satisfaction scores.

It can also generate detailed reports and dashboards that provide insights into agent performance, customer trends, and areas for improvement. This data can be used to identify training opportunities, optimise processes, and make data-driven decisions about staffing and resource allocation.

4. Integration with Other Systems

To provide a comprehensive view of your call centre operations, WFM software typically integrates with other systems, such as your call centre phone system, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and helpdesk tools.

This integration allows the software to pull in data from multiple sources and provide a more complete picture of your customer interactions and agent performance. It also enables you to automate tasks and workflows across multiple systems, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of errors.

5. Self-Service and Collaboration Tools

Many WFM software solutions offer self-service and collaboration tools that let your agents manage their schedules and performance. For example, agents may be able to view their timetables, request time off, and swap shifts with other agents through a self-service portal.

The software may also include collaboration tools like chat and video conferencing to facilitate communication and teamwork among agents and supervisors. By giving your agents more control over their work and enabling better collaboration, these tools can help improve job satisfaction and retention.

Call Centre Workforce Management Benefits

Using call centre workforce management software has several clear benefits for your business.

• Improved efficiency and cost savings: By optimising scheduling and staffing, WFM software can help you reduce overstaffing and understaffing, which can lead to significant cost savings. The software can also help you identify opportunities to improve processes and automate tasks, further increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
• Better customer service: With the right number of agents available at the right times, you can reduce wait times and improve first-call resolution rates, leading to higher customer satisfaction scores. WFM software can also help you identify performance issues and training opportunities, ensuring that your agents have the skills and knowledge needed to provide exceptional customer service.
• Increased agent satisfaction and retention: WFM software can help you create schedules that take into account agent preferences and work-life balance, improving job satisfaction and reducing turnover. Self-service and collaboration tools can also encourage agents to take control of their schedules and performance, further boosting morale and retention.
• Better decision-making: With the wealth of data and analytics provided by WFM software, you can make informed decisions about staffing, resource allocation, and process optimization. The data can help you identify trends, anticipate customer needs, and continuously improve your call centre operations.
• Scalability and flexibility: WFM software can help you scale your call centre operations up or down as needed, ensuring that you have the right resources in place to meet changing demands. The software can also provide flexibility in scheduling and staffing, allowing you to adapt quickly to unexpected events or changes in customer needs.

Call Centre Workforce Management Considerations

Still, it pays to plan the implementation of your call centre workforce management system, considering any potential snags you might run into.

• Integration with existing systems: To get the most value from WFM software, you need it to integrate seamlessly with your existing call centre phone system and other customer service tools like auto dialling. So look for software that offers the right integration tools.
• User adoption and training: Implementing new software can be challenging, especially if your agents and supervisors are used to manual processes. To ensure successful adoption, provide comprehensive training and support and choose software with an intuitive user interface and self-service capabilities.
• Customization and flexibility: Every call centre has its own processes, metrics, and goals. Look for solutions that are adaptable to your needs. This may include customization options such as the ability to define custom metrics, create custom reports, and configure workflows to match your processes.
• Data quality and accuracy: The effectiveness of WFM software depends on the quality and accuracy of the data it uses to generate forecasts and recommendations. To ensure the best results, put processes in place to validate and clean your data regularly, and choose software with good data management capabilities.
• Cost and ROI: While WFM software can provide significant benefits, carefully consider the costs and potential return on investment before making a purchase. Look for software with transparent pricing and a clear value proposition, and consider conducting a pilot or trial to validate the software’s effectiveness in your environment.