Twelve ways to improve the predictability of the workload are summarized below. Each is outside the realm of what is usually thought to be the forecasting process. Yet, each is essential to an accurate forecast.
1) Use ACD modes consistently. Each rep has an impact on the components of handling time (talk time and after call work) and, therefore, on the data that will be used in forecasting and planning for future callloads. When the queue is building, it can be tempting to postpone some after call work (wrap-up) that should be done at the time of the call. This skews reports, causes planning problems and may lead to increased errors. An important and ongoing training issue is to define ahead of time which types of work should follow calls and which types of work can wait.
2) Emphasize quality. Supervisors and reps can feel that the pressure of a backed-up queue forces them to make tough tradeoffs between seemingly competing objectives, such as service level and quality. However, although service level and quality seem to be at odds in the short term, poor quality will negatively impact service level over time by contributing to repeat calls and other forms of waste and rework. This will contribute to workload volatility and inconsistencies. The emphasis should be on handling each call correctly, regardless of how backed up the queue is.
3) Avoid callbacks. Many call centers have discovered the hard way that giving callers the option to leave a message when the queue gets backed up often backfires. For example, you may call back only to get perpetual busies, ring-no-answers, voice mail or somebody else in the person's work area ("sorry, she stepped away for a moment"). And in the meantime, the caller may call the call center again.
A minority of call centers do have success with a callback strategy, particularly when reps have to do some amount of preparation in order to handle the calls, or when the center is flooded with calls because of a once-in-awhile occurrence. Still, most call centers find that, in the end, it makes more sense to handle the inbound calls when they arrive.
4) Anticipate and manage growth. Do an analysis of the likely impact of growth on your call center. This often takes the form of a chart or document that illustrates the projected costs and time-frames of growing the call center in increments, such as ten percent growth in call load, twenty percent growth, thirty percent growth, and so on. The document should illustrate required lead-times and key decision points associated with things like additional workstations, new or upgraded equipment, or a new facility (see Notes, January 1996).
5) Develop better ties with other departments. This should be an ongoing effort in any call center. Most of what happens in a call center is caused by something going on outside the center. The forecast is doomed if strong ties with other departments don't exist. There's no substitute for knowing well in advance when marketing is running the next campaign, when manufacturing is releasing the new products and when finance is redesigning the terms and conditions.
6) Make forecasting a collaborative process. Involve supervisors and lead reps in the forecasting process, on a rotating basis. This yield two positive results: 1) they will better understand the pulse of the call-load and what's behind the schedules (and will often adhere to them better as a result), and 2) because they are continually dealing with callers, they have their "ear to the ground" and can help anticipate caller reactions to changes and developments in the marketplace and the organization's services.
7) Track absenteeism. If you are part of a network of call centers or if you have overflow routines established between call center groups, absenteeism in one area has a direct impact on the workload in another. It is important to anticipate absenteeism in advance and, contrary to conventional wisdom, it is reasonably predictable. For example, in work groups with typical Monday through Friday schedules, unscheduled absenteeism tends to be higher on Monday and Friday than the other days of the week. Have someone track absenteeism, and look for patterns.
8) Anticipate the factors affecting caller tolerance. The seven factors of caller tolerance include motivation, availability of substitutes, competition's service level, level of expectations, time available, who's paying for the call and human behavior. Putting some thought into these factors goes a long ways towards anticipating caller behavior.
9) Track and manage non-phone activities. Forecasting non-phone activities such as research and correspondence is a challenge. Many call center managers, used to having detailed information on the call-load, long for similar reports on non-phone activities. Fortunately, as with inbound calls, these activities often occur in predictable patterns, and usually have a strong correlation to other forecasts, such as the inbound call-load, units of sales or number of customers (and they are usually a lot less time-sensitive than incoming calls). Investigate the tracking capabilities in your ACD, forecasting/staffing software and computer database. As a last resort, track these activities manually, as they occur.
10) Better educate callers. The inbound call-load tends to be less erratic when callers are aware of other service alternatives (e.g. services via faxback, voice response units or the World Wide Web). Billing inserts, focused advertisements, newsletter articles, and customer support sections in user manuals are all examples of ways to better educate callers on the service alternatives available.
11) Minimize transferred and escalated calls. An excessive number of transferred and escalated calls will wreck havoc on the workload forecast. Utilize quality improvement tools, such as flow charts and cause and effect diagrams (see Service Level Newsletter, Notes column, May 1995) to address root causes. Common problems include insufficient training, insufficient authority, incomplete or missing database information and poor call routing design (e.g. calls often end up in the wrong place to begin with).
12) Accomplish as much as possible during talk time. When tasks related to inbound calls can be completed with the caller still on the line, errors are usually reduced. Further, the time reps would otherwise spend in more discretionary (and less predictable) work modes, such as after call work or auxiliary modes, is minimized.
I hope this information is helpful to you. |