As attendees engaged in conversations about engaging remote workforces and the importance of employee experience, the irony of discussing these topics at an in-person event was not lost. The consensus among participants was that flexible work arrangements, including hybrid in-office and work-from-home setups, are the future of contact centers.
In the quest for operational efficiency, back offices can harness the power of WFM through forecasting accuracy. Forecasting accuracy is one key factor that contributes to leadership buy-in.
Gaining the Back Office management buy-in is crucial for the success of the WFM strategy. As WFM experts, our goal is to engage with and provide insights/guidance to our business leaders and all influencing departments, including HR.
All team managers have a requirement to understand workload demand, impacts, drivers, and the resources required to service the work. They are challenged with understanding and justifying their staff requirements to ensure they can meet their objectives and service the demand. In my many years of working with leaders, there is a common theme. Managers know their business; they know their staff and they’ve acquired that knowledge without the use of WFM tools, but by working it out the hard way! Understandably, this can create a sense of protection over their information and their staff.
So, the challenge is how do you get them to share that knowledge? It’s important to set expectations as to our intentions, responsibility, objective, and purpose. We intend to work collaboratively, to complement and support them, to achieve common goals. For them, our supporting will free up some of their time to allow focus on other activities such as coaching, developing and support their staff, working on process improvements, completing administration tasks, and so on…
A robust workforce management plan is an art and a science. While we excel in the scientific aspects and have strong knowledge of the practicalities of forecasting – the artistic side lies in acquiring insights through collaboration with leaders, accumulating collective knowledge on the driving influencers of demand over time, and applying this knowledge and lessons learned to the forecast.
By leveraging our Back Office leaders’ knowledge and supporting open and consistent communication, we can build leadership confidence and trust in the WFM process. Two of the best ways to build that confidence are being able to clearly articulate the benefits of forecasting to leadership and establishing an effective operating rhythm. Here are some ways to do just that!
Benefits of Forecasting Accuracy:
A well-designed operating rhythm sets the stage for decision-making, collaboration, and accountability.
Effective Operating Rhythm:
As WFM experts, our primary objective is to provide valuable insights and business guidance. We recognize that the transition can be challenging to overcome. By fostering a collaborative environment and valuing the leaders’ experience, we can bridge the gap between science and knowledge, enhancing the effectiveness of the WFM strategy.
This partnership approach not only facilitates the successful implementation of WFM initiatives but also fosters confidence and trust between WFM experts and business leaders. At Call Design, we are committed to enabling our clients to overcome challenges that drive positive change within their organizations. Contact us today to learn how we can partner with you in achieving your business outcomes and empowering your back office workforce. Together, let’s unlock the full potential of your operations and create a happy, engaged, fulfilled, and aligned work environment.
In the world of back-office operations, designing an effective workload forecast is crucial for efficient staff planning and decision-making. A well-designed forecast provides valuable insights into the volume of work coming in, the time required to complete it, and the deadlines these tasks need to be completed by. It serves as a foundation to making various staffing decisions. Additionally, it helps to guide employee development, fill skills gaps, and allows leaders to meet their objective.
In this blog, we will explore the process of designing a back-office workload forecast.
In conclusion, designing a robust workload forecast for back-office operations is a critical step in optimizing staff planning and resource utilization. At Call Design, we are committed to helping contact centers and back-office operations overcome challenges and drive positive change within their organizations. Stay tuned for the next instalment in our three-part blog series, where we will continue to explore WFM back-office tips and best practices. Contact us today to learn how we can partner with you in achieving your business outcomes and empowering your workforce. Together, let’s unlock the full potential of your operations and create a happy, engaged, and aligned work environment.
Workforce Management (WFM) is the art and science of scheduling the right number of people with the right skills, at the right time, to handle work within service level and budget.
Forecasting is the key to solving the puzzle of scheduling the right number of people. It lays the foundation for efficient staffing levels and optimal resource utilization. Drawing from my 15 years of experience in consulting and training Workforce Optimization (WFO) teams, I’ve discovered that crafting a forecast that yields effective outcomes is a fundamental challenge when implementing Workforce Management (WFM) into the back office.
Amidst the dynamic landscape of back office, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by the various systems and processes involved. It’s crucial not to overlook the importance of getting your forecast process right. By investing extra effort and time, you can unlock significant benefits for your organization and enhance resource effectiveness, utilization, and budget. Trust me, the rewards are well worth the investment.
Now, let’s delve into some practical tips to help you conquer the forecasting challenge and elevate your WFM strategies to new heights. Here are three key areas to focus on:
Building a robust workload forecast takes time and effort, but it’s a valuable tool that can transform your WFM operations. Remember, forecasting is both an art (understanding demand influencers) and a science (analyzing the numbers). So, let’s embrace the challenge, fine-tune our forecasting skills, and elevate our WFM teams to become strategic assets that drive positive change in our organizations. WFM isn’t just for the contact center anymore.
If you’re eager to dive deeper into the world of back-office WFM and gain valuable insights, I invite you to join our upcoming webinar series. This blog is just the beginning of a three-part back-office series where we’ll explore more tips, strategies, and industry best practices.
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.
Whether it’s personal partnerships or business partnerships, it’s essential to find the right match for your needs and goals. Call Design understands that we may not be the perfect fit for every organization, and that’s ok! We realize our model, approach, and philosophy isn’t for everyone. To help you out we’ve created a short list of reasons why you shouldn’t work with us.
Just Looking for a Platform
You shouldn’t work with us if you’re looking for a vendor that drops off software and leaves. We know some vendors are super successful with a high-touch sales process and low support at or after implementation. That can work for them, but it doesn’t work for us. We believe in building strong relationships with our clients, becoming their trusted partners, and actively collaborating to solve complex business challenges. Our business model revolves around high-touch interactions from sales, to implementation, to account support. We want to invest in your organization’s success. So, if you’re looking for a company to simply provide a platform and not a partnership, you should look elsewhere.
Maintaining Status Quo
Change can be daunting, and not everyone is eager to embrace it. If your organization prefers to maintain the status quo and resists change, we may not be the ideal match. We believe that WFM teams and contact centers can be, and probably should be, the culture champions in their environments. Leading efforts to help transform the organization from the inside out. We love working with companies that want to turn their contact center into a strategic asset, and if you want to maintain a passive, order-taking, tactically focused customer service team. Well, we wish you the best.
Comfortable with High Attrition Rates
“Contact center jobs are hard” – Captain Obvious
High agent attrition rates have become part of an accepted norm in many contact centers. It’s not ideal but it’s a known variable and something that many leaders have gotten comfortable planning for. If you’d prefer to maintain your comfortably high attrition rates, you probably shouldn’t work with us. We believe that WFM solutions can not only enhance operational efficiency but can also boost agent engagement. When done well WFM can provide work/life balance that helps increase engagement and lower attrition rates. We realize the agent engagement play isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely in our DNA.
One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Lastly, some organizations are looking for a cookie-cutter approach. They want someone to simply come in, plug-in the software, and step away. They don’t want personalization or customizing when it comes to the platform, the training, or the support. Sadly, our approach is all about understanding the customer’s needs and creating a unique plan with them. We check in at least monthly to see if we’re still meeting their needs and we meet in person annually to reassess and align with our customer’s goals. That’s of course on top of our weekly Ask the Expert and bi-weekly Tip of the Fortnight sessions we host. If you’re looking for a one-size-fits-all approach to implementation and support, we can’t help you.
We get it, we aren’t for everyone. Some companies love just getting a platform, maintaining the status quo, continuing high attrition rates, and a cookie-cutter approach to support. To those companies, we probably shouldn’t work together.
However, if you are looking for passionate a partnership instead just a platform, for transformation to shake up the status quo, for ways to knock down that attrition rate, or possibly for customized support that puts you at the center; well, we should probably talk. You can reach out to us today and let us know why you think we would be a good fit for your organization.
The Call Design team just got back from the SWPP annual conference, and as usual, it was one for the books! Our beloved hometown of Nashville once again played host to an event that left us both exhausted and excited. So, grab your Call Design branded popcorn and let’s dive into a quick recap:
Justin Robbins: Keynote Extraordinaire and Pizza Party Myth Buster!
Justin Robbins, the man with the golden insights, delivered another fantastic keynote helping us get unstuck, and owning our unwillingness to lead ourselves plays a big factor! He also shared his knowledge in a few breakout sessions, and guess what? Apparently, pizza parties aren’t always the answer to employee engagement! Who knew!? Justin’s ability to make us rethink our approaches left us hungry for more (and not just for pizza).
Tiffney Spicer and the DEI Panel: Owning Our Unconscious Bias
Our dear friend Tiffney Spicer took part in an amazing panel discussion on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the world of WFM. They fearlessly tackled tough topics head-on and challenged all of us to confront our unconscious biases. We’re grateful for WFM leaders who push us to think differently and create a more inclusive environment. Kudos to Tiffney and the panel for sparking these vital conversations!
Dan Smitley’s Session: Self-Care in the WFM Jungle
Our very own Dan Smitley led a breakout session and shed light on the often-neglected topic of self-care in WFM. Let’s face it, WFM professionals wear many hats and juggle multiple responsibilities. It’s no wonder burnout lurks around the corner! Dan shared the importance of saying no, caring about our own burnout, and even shared some tips on investing in ourselves.
Connecting, Laughing, and Sharing the Passion
The SWPP conference is always a blast! We cherished the opportunity to reunite with old friends, make new connections, and soak up the contagious energy of the WFM community. We share your passion for WFM and believe that it can go beyond simply maximizing staff and productivity. When done right, WFM can empower businesses, create exceptional customer experiences, and ensure the well-being of frontline agents. You don’t have to pick just one of those outcomes, you really can have all three!
At Call Design, we’re on a mission to help transform WFM teams into strategic partners who are improving lives, delivering outstanding customer experiences, and driving solid results for businesses. We firmly believe that employees have the right to be Happy, Engaged, Fulfilled, and Aligned (HEFA) at work. If you agree, or want to learn more, please reach out to us and let us know. WFM might be a hard career at times, but with a community like SWPP and partners like Call Design it can be transformational, and even fun sometimes!
Durante décadas, la línea entre la vida personal y la vida laboral se ha omitido. Esto solo se ha acelerado ya que la ecuación de dispositivos de Internet + móviles ha provocado que muchos de nosotros nos mantengamos conectados más allá de nuestras “horas de trabajo”. Es un hábito común revisar su correo electrónico en su teléfono tan pronto como se despierta, y justo antes de acostarse porque no puede perder un ritmo. O tal vez tenga que “prepararse para el lunes” trabajando unas horas los fines de semana porque el trabajo no le permite desconectarse. Una cosa es aprovechar el trabajo desde casa para brindarle la flexibilidad de trabajar horas inusuales que beneficien su vida. Otra muy diferente es sentir que no puedes desconectar y que ahora el trabajo está interfiriendo en tu vida personal.
La cultura de “Burnout” (o síndrome del quemado) no es exclusiva de los empleados que trabajan en la oficina o en desde casa. Sin embargo, lo que sí que es único para aquellos que trabajan desde casa es el hecho de que esas líneas borrosas se vuelven aún más difíciles de ver cuando realizas todas tus reuniones, todos los proyectos y toda la lluvia de ideas desde tu propio hogar. Cuando los empleados trabajan desde casa, creo que es fundamental que los líderes recuerden que trabajar desde allí es diferente. Usted, como líder y como empresa, está provocando un impacto en sus hogares y sus familias de una manera que usted no hace cuando trabajan en una oficina. En pocas palabras, trabajar desde casa es más que solo trabajar, es personal.
Cuando trabaja en una oficina, tiene un trayecto que le permite descomprimir y procesar un poco el día. Para aquellos de nosotros que somos introvertidos, nos da la oportunidad de recargar y prepararnos para saltar a la vida familiar. Sin embargo, cuando trabaja desde casa, su viaje se convierte en los 20 metros entre la puerta de su oficina y la cocina. No tiene tiempo de inactividad para descomprimir, y esto es especialmente cierto cuando nuestras familias están al otro lado de la puerta de la oficina y necesitan ayuda con X cosas antes de que nuestra última reunión se termine.
No solo obtiene el beneficio de descomprimir en el viaje aquel que viaja, sino que también lo obtiene su familia. En cambio, cuando trabaja desde casa, su familia sufre las consecuencias crudas de cada reunión. Ha habido muchas veces que mi esposa acaba de sentarse allí pacientemente mientras yo dejaba caer todas mis frustraciones de la última reunión en su regazo. Puede que haya hecho eso hasta cierto punto cuando trabajaba en la oficina, pero no tanto como cuando sé que está ahí justo al otro lado de mi oficina.
Est tipo de situaciones sin filtro alguno implica que las familias se ven involucradas aún más en el entorno laboral del empleado. Cuando el empleado sale de las reuniones hablando sobre cómo “les encanta trabajar con tal y cual porque hacen grandes preguntas y mantienen la reunión alineada con la agenda”, puede que no sea emocionante para su familia, pero es mejor creer que la organización es percibida como una influencia positiva no solo por el empleado sino por la familia en su conjunto. Por supuesto, cuando salen quejándose de que “una vez más se olvidó de esto y de lo otro”, es más probable que su familia vea a la organización de manera negativa y aliente al empleado a irse otro lugar más saludable.
Por último, creo que es importante que los líderes recuerden que el hogar es un espacio sagrado, y el trabajo, ya sea bienvenido o no, ha invadido ese espacio. Cuando nuestros empleados directos encienden sus cámaras y vemos sus hogares, vemos otra parte de quienes son. Llegamos a conocerlos mejor y, en cierta medida, se han vuelto vulnerables por eso. Es posible que se sientan avergonzados de que no tengan un espacio dedicado y, en cambio, estás en su cocina viendo los platos sucios en el fregadero. Es posible que no hayan mencionado antes que todos los lunes por la noche juegan a juegos de mesa, pero ahora puedes ver los +50 juegos en los estantes detrás de ellos. Y si bien es posible que te encante ver a sus hijos y perros todos los días, sienten que los valoras menos porque constantemente están interrumpiendo. Trabajar desde casa transforma un “¿Por qué no nos reunimos en la sala de conferencias para hablar” en un “por qué no vengo a la mesa de su comedor y podemos charlar sobre esto mientras sus hijos preguntan” qué hay para cenar “”.
Trabajar desde casa es increíble y ha ayudado a muchos de nosotros a crear un equilibrio trabajo/vida más personalizado. Sin embargo, como líderes, debemos recordar que la naturaleza de nuestra relación con nuestros empleados directos, sus familias y sus hogares cambian cuando trabajan desde casa. Debemos recordar que trabajar desde casa es más que solo trabajo, es personal.
The Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP) is a membership association designed specifically to facilitate education and networking among workforce planners and managers in the contact center. They are an amazing group whose can’t-miss annual event is coming up May 15-17 2023 in Nashville! Be sure to catch Call Design there, and don’t miss our own Dan Smitley’s speaking session “Managing More Than Just Your Workforce: You’re Taking Care of Everyone Else, But Who’s Taking Care of You?” on the 15th at 11:00!
One of the benefits of signing up with SWPP is the timely views and advice in their Tip of the Week. It just so happens that May 8’s Tip of the Week is from Dan. Check it out and follow Call Design (as well as Dan’s own LinkedIn) for more insights on leadership and employee experience!
Is your forecast accuracy above goal? Yep! Are service levels being met consistently? Yep! Are you absolutely killing your role and yet it doesn’t feel like anyone is paying attention? Also, yep.
In WFM we are used to being at the crossroads of so many teams: Finance, HR, Operations, IT, Marketing, on and on and on. We are excellent at consuming these different voices and producing a plan that meets our goals. The problem is that we’re used to receiving this information and then forget we also need to push the information back out. Or worse yet, we push out information and no one is paying attention! Here are two things to help you make sure you are receiving and sending information well.
1. Don’t assume. Just because you know what the marketing team is doing doesn’t mean the operations team does. Just because HR has put a focus on X doesn’t mean that finance is aware. Work to be the middle person that shares the knowledge across teams. Position yourself not just as a receiver of information but as a giver as well. Don’t assume everyone knows what you know.
2. Listen and help. Sure, you need to know the information to adjust your forecast and staffing plans. Along with listening to the information to inform your plans, make sure you’re also listening and adding value to their environment. Marketing says they need to improve Product X and so they are going to take Action Y. Don’t just add Action Y into your plans, help them refine it to make sure it’s the best action possible.
You can have the best plans and the best information to share, but if no one is listening then it doesn’t matter. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of simply executing our job descriptions. Making sure our roles and responsibilities are covered. When we position ourselves as someone that receives and gives good information, people will start to listen. When we start investing in other departments’ environments, helping them improve ideas and actions, then people will care what you have to say.
“As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” ― A.A. Milne
One really exciting thing about meeting a person who shares your professional passion is the gravitational pull you feel towards each other. At a conference, it has to happen fast: with so many exhibitors to visit, it can turn into a blur—until you meet the people you really connect with. In spite of the noisy crowds, you are locked in on learning everything you can from a kindred spirit.
At last week’s Call & Contact Center Expo (CCCE) in Las Vegas, the Call Design team was privileged to introduce ourselves to a new audience of contact center professionals from across the spectrum of CC roles: Outbound specialists, AI developers, Quality and Speech Analytics experts, and BPO’s. It’s always gratifying to interact with industry trailblazers who are looking for the latest contact center technology.
We’re Vibing, Right?
Meeting new people can be great, it’s really next-level to run across contact center folks who get as excited about Employee Experience and the human side of Workforce Management as we do. The advances in technology on display were amazing, but our Call Design team got extra enthusiastic talking with EX/CX specialists about the ways that technology can make employees’ lives better. We bonded with new friends who have also made it their mission to create a supportive, welcoming, uplifting environment that allows their employees to envision a long-term working relationship.
For many of the people who stopped by the Call Design booth, Workforce Management is something they’re familiar with, but not their direct responsibility. They may have thought of WFM as a numbers game, a machine whose only goal is efficiency and Big Brother style adherence tracking. But these folks were passionate about personalized Customer Experience and treating their employees well to support that goal of good CX. It was very satisfying to introduce them to the human-centric side of WFM and see their eyes light up in recognition of a people-first direction.
Happy, Engaged, Fulfilled, and Aligned at Work!
Along those same lines, our own Dan Smitley presented a speaker session at CCCE titled: The Machines Have Taken Over – Now What? As a work culture champion and Call Design’s Strategy and Optimization Czar, Dan recognized that there were lots (lots!) of AI companies exhibiting and presenting at CCCE with a message about AI technologies that can do the work of human agents. Dan focused on the continuing importance of the human element, and why we should be focusing on developing soft skills now to prepare for the AI-assisted future.
Quite a few of the people who came to the Call Design booth were seeking us out after Dan’s presentation resonated with them. If you wish you had been there to hear about maintaining humanity as AI becomes more prevalent in the Contact Center, you’re in luck! Dan is presenting on this topic for the Association of Customer Contact Professionals on May 18.
One more plug for those of you who love people-focused content: If any of you are attending the SWPP Conference in Nashville in a couple of weeks, be sure to catch Dan’s speaking session at 11am Monday the 15th — Managing More Than Just Your Workforce: You’re Taking Care of Everyone Else, But Who’s Taking Care of You?
I’ll Have That To Go
When we get back home from a trip like this and recover from the early morning flights, the Vegas crowds, and the extremely good food (pictured)– it can feel like reality starting to set back in. But while we certainly had email backlogs to work through, the Call Design team still feels inspired and renewed in our mission. Experiencing a shared passion with other professionals is a multiplier— it’s a motivational chain reaction that makes our individual fires burn even brighter. As we build relationships with other energized people, our network of experiences and talents grows. And we can’t wait to use that rich set of tools and expertise to create revolutionary change for our customers.
OK, maybe you’re thinking that happiness at work is great, but you’re still running a business! What about some data to back up all the warm and fuzzy? We can help with that—if you’d like to see some real numbers that show how a people-first philosophy can work at work, get a copy of our latest whitepaper Investing in Your Employees.
We’re back in the office and ready to help solve your contact center problems! Contact us today to discuss how we can partner with you to create a more engaged, more fulfilled workforce.
