Unlocking Success in Hybrid Work with Alvaria Workforce Reserve

Call Design on November 8, 2023

In a post-pandemic workplace landscape, the future is clear: it’s hybrid. According to a recent Gallup article by Ben Wigert, Jim Harter, and Sangeeta Agrawal, eight in 10 remote-capable employees expect to work in a hybrid or fully remote fashion. This shift is a testament to the changing dynamics of the modern workplace, and as Workforce Management (WFM) leaders, we need to stay ahead of the curve. At Call Design North America, we’ve always believed in aligning with the latest trends and research, and we’re thrilled to share our insights on why the Alvaria Workforce Reserve is more relevant than ever.

The Changing Landscape

Since the onset of the pandemic, the global workforce has been navigating an ongoing experiment in remote work. The tug-of-war between employers and employees on returning to the office has been a consistent headline. Yet, as organizations like Meta, the U.S. federal government, and Zoom mandate hybrid work, it’s clear that the office landscape is evolving.

As WFM leaders, it’s crucial that we understand the implications of this shift. Gallup’s extensive research shows that hybrid work is the new norm, with a significant percentage of employees embracing it. In fact, only 20% of remote-capable employees work entirely on-site, while 29% are fully remote, and 50% work in a hybrid model.

(Another example of a changing landscape: Franconia Notch State Park in October)

Best Practices for Hybrid Workplaces

As hybrid work becomes the new norm, it’s essential to leverage key insights from Gallup’s research while tailoring them to your organization’s needs:

  1. Define a Compelling Office Experience: With remote work on the rise, leaders should make in-office experiences purposeful. The office should be a hub for collaboration, professional growth, and relationship-building. Design hybrid policies and office spaces that inspire teamwork and align with your organization’s culture.
  2. Empower Teams to Shape Hybrid Work: Rather than imposing rigid guidelines, encourage teams to adapt hybrid work practices to their unique requirements. Collaborative decision-making ensures team members understand their roles and responsibilities, fostering a sense of shared ownership.
  3. Enhance Performance Management: Trust in hybrid work hinges on accountability. Implement a performance management system that provides visibility into goals, key metrics, and regular progress checks. Beyond metrics, prioritize coaching and behaviors aligned with your organization’s values.
  4. Invest in Training: Equip managers and teams with the skills needed to succeed in a hybrid work environment. Training is crucial to ensure effective collaboration and leadership in this evolving landscape.
  5. Adapt Office Space Strategically: As the nature of work changes, consider the impact on office space. Reconfigure your workspace to accommodate a hybrid workforce and embrace the shift toward remote participation in meetings. Ensure both office and home environments are optimized for productivity and collaboration.

The Role of Alvaria Workforce Reserve in Achieving Best Practices for Hybrid Workplaces

As contact centers transition to hybrid work, Alvaria Workforce Reserve can play a vital role in aligning with best practices tailored to the contact center.

  • Define a Compelling Office Experience: In the contact center, it’s crucial to make in-office experiences purposeful. Contact centers should be hubs for collaboration, professional growth, and relationship-building. Alvaria Workforce Reserve streamlines seat assignment changes, ensuring that when employees come into the office, they find seats that match their needs. This design encourages teamwork and collaboration, enhancing the overall office experience.
  • Empower Teams to Shape Hybrid Work: Reserve empowers teams to adapt to hybrid work practices by automating seat assignments based on business rules, schedules, and capacity. This automation allows WFM teams to have flexibility without the burden of manual seat management. It aligns with the best practice of collaborative decision-making by giving teams the autonomy to shape their workspace.
  • Enhance Performance Management: Reserve plays a role in performance management by ensuring that employees adhere to their assigned seats, minimizing disruptions, and contributing to schedule adherence for contact center operations. This feature, along with Reserve’s automation capabilities, supports an environment where performance can be effectively monitored and managed, crucial in the context of contact centers and WFM.
  • Invest in Training for Contact Center Success: With Reserve, contact centers can ensure that agents are optimally positioned based on their specific training needs. This feature facilitates the onboarding process, allowing new agents to be strategically located for better learning and support. Additionally, Reserve can be used to manage seat assignments for training rooms, ensuring that the training environment is conducive to productivity and collaboration.
  • Adapt Office Space Strategically: Reserve’s automated seat planning and management tools allow contact centers to efficiently generate seating plans for both front and back office personnel. It ensures that the right seats are matched with the right agents at the right time, which is essential in a contact center setting. As the nature of work changes, Reserve supports contact centers in reconfiguring office space to accommodate a hybrid workforce and remote participation in meetings, aligning with the best practice of adapting office space strategically.

(Remote work can sometimes look like early morning work chats by the beach)

What Call Design Offers: Navigating the Hybrid Landscape with Confidence

At Call Design North America, we’ve been at the forefront of the remote and hybrid work revolution for over six years, long before it became the norm. Our extensive experience in navigating the intricate dynamics of this evolving landscape positions us as leaders in the field. We understand the complexities of managing contact centers and WFM teams in remote, hybrid, or in-person settings.

Our seasoned professionals have been leading WFM and contact center teams remotely for more than a decade, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and expertise. CDNA’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve ensures that we’re well-versed in the best practices that enable WFM teams to thrive in any work environment.

Your Trusted Partner in the Hybrid Future

Whether you’re seeking solutions for optimized seat allocation, remote engagement, or strategic workforce management, CDNA has the experience and tools to guide your organization to success. We recognize that every organization’s needs are unique, and our tailored approach ensures that we align with your specific goals and values.

In an era where workplace flexibility is paramount, CDNA is your steadfast ally, offering cost-effective solutions that meet your organization’s evolving demands. As the workplace landscape continues to transform into a hybrid model, our commitment to adaptability and the latest workforce management trends remains unwavering. Embrace the future with confidence, knowing that CDNA and Alvaria Workforce Reserve are here to support your organization on this transformative journey.

Beyond the Headset: Discovering Personal Growth in the Call Center

Rosy Barerra on June 7, 2023

When I entered this world, I didn’t scream out of joy, exclaiming, “I am on Earth! I cannot wait to grow  up and get hired in a call center, wearing my headset, and listening to customers complaining!” No, that  was not the grand vision I had for my future. After all, who dreams of working in a call center when they  are born? It seemed more like a practical choice, a means to earn a living while pursuing my university  education. Little did I know that this seemingly temporary job would lead me down the path of self discovery and personal growth. 

To be honest, I never loved calling people and collecting debts. I thought to myself, “I cannot do this for  longer than a year.” Yet, fate had other plans for me, and I ended up working in that role for one and a  half years. However, an unexpected opportunity emerged—a chance to become a dialer supervisor in a  bank. 

With no prior background in technology, all I knew was how to adjust parameters in the dialer software. However, I possessed a wealth of knowledge about translating collection operation requirements into  dialer system configurations, and that’s what landed me the job. It was my first formal experience in a  leadership role, overseeing a small team consisting of a morning analyst and an afternoon analyst. The  only foundation I had in leadership was the theory I had learned in school.

At that point, I never had the luxury of pondering whether this was what I truly wanted or if it brought  me happiness. I simply knew that I had to work to support my studies. Looking back, I can’t even recall  how I managed to convince my boss to give me a part-time job that would accommodate my evening  classes. However, I had clear goals in life, and somehow things fell into place. 

As time passed, I found myself needing to acquire more technical skills. I delved into areas like servers,  Linux, and telephony. Suddenly, just four semesters before completing my International Affairs degree, I  made a drastic career shift and embarked on a journey in Computer Systems Administration. 

I continued to climb the professional ladder in the call center industry and eventually became a  Collections Manager. Throughout this journey, I learned an abundance of skills, ranging from MIS and  database management to leadership and business acumen. With 300 representatives under my wing,  along with 10 team leaders and two supervisors, I can confidently say that I learned more during that  time than in my entire academic experience. 

However, a restructuring in the bank led to my departure, and I found myself starting anew in a Business  Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm. After a year in that position, stress began to consume me, and without a  clear plan, I made the bold decision to quit. 

It was during this uncertain phase that an unexpected conversation on MS Messenger (yes, I am old fashioned) with an engineer-turned-friend from the bank opened up a contracting opportunity for me at  Aspect Software. As a business application consultant specializing in dialer systems, I embarked on a  journey that exposed me to diverse cultures, countries, and invaluable perspectives on call center 

operations. From Canada to Argentina, the UK to the Philippines, I traveled the world, soaking up  knowledge and embracing different ways of doing things. 

After a while, another bank offered me a role to establish their Capacity and Contact Management  department for LATAM and Spain. I spent a year and a half there before succumbing to stress once again.  It was at this point that everything clicked. I realized that I didn’t need to confine myself to the  traditional corporate world to find fulfillment. It was the first time I sat down, had a conversation with  myself, and truly listened to my body, my intuition, and my heart. 

I discovered that I am a people person, someone who thrives on interactions and sharing knowledge.  The happiness I derived from seeing others flourish based on the wisdom I could impart was  immeasurable. People I had worked with, coached, or mentored would reach out on social media to  express how their experiences with me had propelled them toward their desired paths. Simply put, I realized I love helping people succeed. 

This realization, and my career journey, is now why I am with Call Design. It’s been a year since I joined  them, and it has felt like home since Day 1. It’s such a joy to not only work with amazing call center  experts, but to find people that also love helping people succeed. It’s refreshing to hear them put the  goals of the customer above our own and to make sure we are different than any other company our  customers work with. When your passion to help other people matches the passion of your company…  well let’s just say it’s pretty special.

It took nearly 30 years for me to reach this point, and now I am on a personal mission to spread the word  about the importance of finding your true calling and finding people to do it with. It’s so important to do something that makes your heartbeat and waking up every morning with a sense of purpose is  invaluable. Trust me when I say that you can find your calling in a contact center or anywhere else. Your  journey may seem odd, or disconnected, but it can pay off to take the time to have a conversation with  yourself, listen to your intuition, and flow with it. Your mind, spirit, body, and loved ones will be eternally  grateful when you find your calling and your people.

– Rosy Barrera

Five Shortcut Keys to Unlock Alvaria Workforce Efficiency

Ken Tse on March 9, 2023

Let me share a little secret with you… there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts in Alvaria Workforce that would make you look like a wizard in front of your co-workers as you blast through your day-to-day tasks in the system with grace. The more shortcuts you use the more efficient you become in completing those tasks, and the more time you save at work. There could even be health benefits in terms of minimizing repetitive strain injury (RSI). Let me promise you, this blog is not just about Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. 

Tip 1:

How many times have you wondered where a particular module is hiding exactly in the system (especially if you are a new user)? Is Official Schedule Editor in Scheduling or Tracking? Or is it in Advanced Tracking? One of the most underrated shortcuts in my opinion is Ctrl+O (the letter O, not the number zero) to launch the Open dialog. This shortcut allows you to navigate to any specific module immediately. For example, you need to navigate to Official Schedule Editor to do a quick schedule update for an employee. One of the quickest ways to get there is hold down the Ctrl key then hit the O key -> type in the word “editor” without quotes -> hit the Enter key and you are there. No mouse required!

Tip 1.5:

Here is a bonus tip for the above example – if you would like to open Official Schedule Editor in a new window (yes, it is possible to open multiple modules at the same time within the one Alvaria Workforce session just like Tom Cruise did in Minority Report), after you have typed out the word “editor” you can hit the Tab key twice to jump to the “Open in New Window” check box -> hit the Spacebar to place a check in the check box -> hit the Enter key. Magically, a new Official Schedule Editor window pops up! I will let you play around with the tab key more in your own time, it is quite handy to tab your way through the system. Tab away!

Tip 2:Now that I have your attention about tabbing. The moment you land on a field where you need to launch the lookup dialog to select something, your instincts may be to grab your mouse and find that tiny little look up “…” button to launch it. For example, you are in Official Schedule Editor, and you would like to look up an employee. RSI can be a serious issue and relying on your mouse arm heavily to perform this look up function all the time is not ideal. Hold down the Ctrl key then hit the Enter key is the shortcut to launch the look up dialog, and you are on your way to selecting the employee you are looking for.

Tip 3:

How many times have you right clicked and add… in Alvaria Workforce? For example, add an employee record, add a segment, add an Intra Day Performance, the list goes on! If I would get a dollar every time I did that mouse click combo, I would be a millionaire by now (but I think I would still not retire since I love being in Workforce too much). Drum roll… the shortcut is that you could hold down the Ctrl key then hit the Insert key to open that add dialog window. Happy adding!

Tip 4: 

Speaking of adding, this shortcut is not just a mouse click saver but something functional. For example, you need to add in notes for an employee and you also would like to track when exactly you wrote those notes down for record keeping purposes, just like a diary entry. Once you are in the memo field, you can hold the Ctrl key then hit the M key, after which you would see a timestamp appear in the format of <MM-dd-yyyy HH:mm:ss> for the current date and time.

Tip 5: 

Last but not least, this shortcut is a great friend to have, especially when you need help. Pun not intended; it is to launch the Alvaria Workforce Help! In most modules you are working in, if you are not sure about a field within the window, you can simply hit the F1 key, and a help window would pop up that is contextually based on the window you were in. For example, if you are in Forecast Group -> General tab and you are not sure what “Allow long service delays:” is, you can hit the F1 key -> click into the General tab hyperlink and read about Allow Long Service Delays. 

At Call Design we are more than happy to help you with any questions you have about Alvaria Workforce, but this help menu shortcut is a great initial step to see if it can get the help immediately at the tip of your fingers. Of course, if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

I hope you are able to start practicing these shortcuts next time you are in Alvaria Workforce. It is no secret that shortcuts can help you be more efficient in your day job, save you time, and can even save you from developing RSI. I have only shared what I believe to be the lesser-known shortcuts and there are a plenty more shortcuts built-in to the Alvaria Workforce system. I would be more than happy to share some more shortcuts with you another time…

– Ken Tse

Aspect Software Announces Merger with Noble Systems

Call Design on May 12, 2021

New combined company will expand its global reach in the Customer Experience technology space

Westford, MA. May 10, 2021. Today, Aspect Software will merge with Noble Systems of Atlanta Georgia, to form Aspect™, (pronounced: ahl-vahr-ee-uh), a new global company delivering optimized customer experience and workforce engagement software and cloud services technology solutions.

The newly combined company will be led by Patrick Dennis, Aspect President and CEO.

“This merger will combine two of the leaders in the customer experience space into a major unified force for innovation and growth,” said Patrick Dennis, President & CEO of Aspect.  “Our unified customer base represents the largest financial institutions, healthcare, online retail, and travel and transportation companies in the world. We are so excited to embark on this next stage of our corporate development.”

Abry Partners (“Abry”), a Boston-based private equity firm, spearheaded the merger and is now the majority owner of the combined company. Vector Capital, owner of Aspect, will continue as minority equity holder. The total value of the combined transaction is over $1 billion USD.

“We are impressed with the transformation of Aspect under the leadership of Patrick and the Vector team,” said Tomer Yosef-Or, partner at Abry, “and Noble Systems will be an excellent merger partner, making Aspect an even stronger competitor in the market.”

Andy Fishman, a Managing Director of Vector Capital, added, “We congratulate and thank Patrick and the entire Aspect organization for their incredible work. We are excited to partner with Abry as we bring together Aspect and Noble Systems as the new Aspect and look forward to supporting the new company through its next phase of growth.”

Jim Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Systems, will transition into a new role as an advisor to Abry and Aspect. “Jim has made a lasting impact in this marketplace,” continued Mr. Yosef-Or. “He has led Noble through 30 years of innovation and growth. This merger is a fitting exclamation point to his successful career.”

News of this merger was met with enthusiasm from key Industry Analysts. According to Nancy Jamison, Industry Director, Information and Communications Technologies at Frost and Sullivan, “Aspect plus Noble is a very strong match. Their combined technology stack and market presence, particularly in outbound contact management, will make Aspect an extremely formidable player in the space. This should be welcome news to enterprise customers worldwide.”

According to Mary Wardley, VP Customer Care and CRM research at IDC, “The Aspect/Noble merger will be a jolt of lightning to the Contact Center market for several reasons; first will be the surprise to the market, second will be the long-term opportunity these two companies and product lines bring. Large enterprise customers will especially see big benefits through innovations to come. This could spur more acquisitions as vendors vie for customers and market share.”

“We are launching Aspect with an aggressive schedule, beginning with the immediate introduction of our new corporate identity and website, www.alvaria.com, followed by merged operations,” said Michael Harris, Aspect Chief Product Officer and CMO. “Customers of Aspect Software and Noble Systems will continue to use the existing products and services they depend on now for delivering mission critical services, without interruption, followed by a seamless transition to the next generation of Aspect systems and services.”

Aspect Software and Vector Capital were advised by Jefferies LLC as their sole financial advisor, and Paul Hastings LLP as their legal counsel. Abry Partners was advised by TD Securities (USA) LLC as its financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as its legal counsel. Noble Systems was advised by Eversheds Sutherland as its legal counsel.

Media Contact:

Aspect, Aspect Software & Noble Systems:
Michael Harris, CPO/CMO, Aspect
[email protected]

About ALVARIA:

Aspect was founded through the merger of Aspect Software and Noble Systems, technology leaders in Customer Experience (CX) and Workforce Engagement solutions. Our name is derived from Latin for “hives” – nature’s perfect form for millions of years – bringing you solutions that are scalable, resilient and secure, with efficiency, speed and pinpoint accuracy. ALVARIA™. Reshaping Customer Experience™.  For more information, please visit www.alvaria.com

About Abry Partners:

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since their founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $82.0 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5.0 billion of capital across their active funds. For more information on Abry, please visit www.Abry.com.

About Vector Capital:

Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. With more than $3 billion of capital under management, Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of businesses and enhance value for employees, customers, and all stakeholders. For more information, visit www.vectorcapital.com.

Aspect Software Named #1 Workforce Management Market Share Leader in North America by Pelorus Associates

calldesignapi on November 14, 2018

Date: 11/13/2018, Phoenix, Arizona

  • Aspect retains top spot in North America in Pelorus Associates’ Workforce Management (WFM) rankings for the 12th consecutive year
  • Aspect recognized for a reputation of delivering excellent customer care, most complete contact center portfolio in the industry and commitment to technology innovation

Aspect Software, a leading provider of fully-integrated consumer engagement, workforce optimization, and self-service solutions, announced today that Pelorus Associates, an independent consulting company specializing in the contact center space, has named Aspect® Workforce Management™ (WFM) the WFM market share leader in North America in its 2018 World Contact Center Workforce Management Systems Market report. Aspect’s share of 29.8 percent is the largest of the North America workforce management market. Since Pelorus began tracking WFM market data 12 years ago, Aspect has consistently held a top market share ranking for the North American market.

“Aspect offers the most diverse set of solutions in the contact center industry and maintains one of the largest and most comprehensive service and support organizations of any vendor,” said Dick Bucci, Founder and Chief Analyst, Pelorus Associates. “Only Aspect has native solutions for virtually every core application required in the modern contact center. Aspect leaders recognized that by tightly integrating these applications into a complete suite, delivered within a flexible and economical architecture, they could bring to the marketplace products unmatched by other WFO vendors.”

Aspect has retained its market share leadership due to the company’s ongoing technological innovation, success of the product portfolio and reputation for exceptional customer care. Pelorus also highlighted that Aspect WFM software can be tailored to unique customer needs, sports a modern user interface and is available in numerous deployment models, from on-premises to private and public cloud environments.

“From introducing the industry’s first workforce management solution in 1973 to developing an AI-driven intelligent assistant for workforce management, Aspect has consistently recognized key emerging technologies that would help our customers deliver truly exceptional workforce solutions. By engaging customers, employees and contractors, Aspect has been able to maintain our leadership position for so many years,” said Mike Bourke, SVP, Product Management, Aspect Software. “Newly added features address how the gig economy is changing the way agents work and companies hire. By weaving the power of AI throughout the management of our workforce solutions, Aspect will continue to help our customers address the challenges they will face as the market evolves.”

About Aspect
Aspect helps enterprises break down the walls between people, processes, systems and data sources, allowing organizations to unite around the customer journey. By developing fully native interaction management, workforce optimization and self-service capabilities within a single customer engagement center, we enable dynamic, conversational interactions and create a truly frictionless omni-channel customer experience. Leveraging the agility of our worldwide cloud infrastructure and over 40 years of industry ingenuity, Aspect conveniently and easily connects questions to answers while helping enterprises keep service levels high and operational costs contained. For more information, visit www.aspect.com.

 

According to Customers, Aspect Workforce Management Leads the Pack

calldesignapi on November 14, 2018

November 13, 2018 Shelley Hofman
Workforce Management, Workforce Optimization

The G2 Crowd results are in: Aspect has the highest customer satisfaction rating of all leading WFM solutions.

The growth and popularity of crowd-sourced customer review and recommendations sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor are where consumers go for authentic, unbiased, user-driven information about products and services they are thinking about purchasing. So nowadays, when you are looking for a hotel, you don’t just want to hear how a hotel describes their rooms, you also want to hear from someone who’s actually stayed in them.

So as is often the case, consumer trends find their way into the enterprise space. The growth of peer-to-peer business solution review sites like G2 Crowd enable organizations looking for software to hear directly from existing users in a forum with an objective and bias-free environment.

G2 Crowd is one of the world’s leading providers of online business software reviews. With more than 500,000 reviews, they offer easily understandable rankings of a wide variety of software products using objective criteria combined with the actual reviews from verified users.

What do G2 Crowd reviews show about Aspect Workforce Management software? As you can see from this real-time G2 Crowd Grid, Aspect Workforce Management is ranked in the Leaders quadrant and has achieved the highest ranking for customer satisfaction among those leaders. In the Enterprise view of the grid, Aspect is the only leader.

G2 Crowd also makes comments, ratings, and actual customer reviews available so users of the site can really get inside the heads of the people working with the software. You can find the full list of reviews here, but below are some examples of what Aspect customers are saying:

Every day, thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of agents rely on Aspect Workforce Management to provide accurate forecasting of interaction volumes, flexible and personalized agent scheduling and insightful daily tracking of real-time agent productivity and adherence.  We think it’s the best in the industry but don’t just take our word for it, ask our customers!

https://blogs.aspect.com/according-to-customers-aspect-workforce-management-leads-the-pack/

Aspect Software Awarded Patent for Workforce Management Multi-Channel Scheduling System

calldesignapi on April 8, 2018

Aspect Software a leading provider of native consumer engagement, workforce optimization, and self-service solutions, today announced the award of a new patent for modeling and simulating the interaction dynamics of chat, email, IM, social media and other text-based customer communication in a workforce management (WFM) environment. The patent was awarded for the unique method used to accurately estimate the required staff in a multi-skill, multi-channel contact center environment. Read more here…

https://www.aspect.com/company/news/press-releases/aspect-software-awarded-patent-for-workforce-management-multi-channel-scheduling-system

Aspect Software Receives 2018 CUSTOMER Magazine Product of the Year Award

calldesignapi on April 6, 2018

Aspect Software, a leading provider of fully integrated consumer engagement, workforce optimization, and self-service solutions, today announced that TMC, a global, integrated media company, has named Aspect Software as a 2018 CUSTOMER Product of the Year Award Winner. The award highlights products which enable their clients to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers. Read more here…

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180403005159/en/Aspect-Software-Receives-2018-CUSTOMER-Magazine-Product