top 5 workforce management trends- swpp
DESCRIPTION
We’ll explore what’s hot and what’s not in the area of workforce planning and management. We’ll look at the leading trends, as well as survey results and best practices from the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP). Come learn what leading call centers are doing in terms of improving long-term planning as well as day-to-day management of workforce management.TRANSCRIPT
Presented by:Vicki Herrell
Executive DirectorSociety of Workforce Planning
Professionals (SWPP)www.swpp.org
Today’s Top 5Workforce Management
Trends
Speaker: Vicki Herrell, Executive Director,Society of Workforce Planning Professionals
Vicki Herrell serves as the Executive Director of the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP) and has been at the helm of the association since its inception in 2002. She oversees the management of SWPP and has guided the group from a start-up with over 1400 members around the world. Vicki has over 15 years of experience in the call center and workforce management industry, serving for many years in the area of client relations and events management for the former TCS Management Group. She may be reached at [email protected].
SWPP is an organization devoted to facilitating education and networking opportunities among workforce planners across all industries with over 1100 members around the world. SWPP provides its membership with many benefits, including: member-only access to SWPP website; e-mail Tip of the Week; quarterly newsletters; regional networking meetings; online forums; educational offerings; a professional certification for workforce managers, and an annual conference.
http://www.swpp.org
Workforce Management Trends
1. Expansion of WFM concepts to non-phone channels
2. Improved adherence monitoring
3. More strategic planning through WFM
4. Increased use of performance-based schedule selection
5. Creativity with scheduling solutions
Trend #1
Expansion of WFM Concepts
to Non-Phone Channels
Expansion of WFM Concepts to Non-Phone Channels
Issues to address: Making sure your WFM tool is adapting to multi-
channel environment Getting WFM teams the information they need
before they begin participating in multi-channel forecasting and scheduling
Deciding whether to schedule agents' time differently in a multi-channel center
Creating "universal agents" to cover multi-channel contacts?
Finding the value workforce management can bring to the overall process
Expansion of WFM -SWPP Survey Results
E-mail, Outbound Calling, Regular Mail, Faxes, and Web Chat are the most noted other channels used. Facebook and Twitter are also noted in a small number of centers.
49% say that other channels make up less than 10% of contacts. But that same group says that this percentage has increased as other channels have been opened to customers.
Expansion of WFM -SWPP Survey Results
54% say the same agents that take phone calls work in the other channels.
83% say call center agents do not respond to social media contacts.
66% say that if service level is failing, one channel is prioritized over another.
42% say that a deliberate strategy is in place to encourage customer usage of one channel over another, and 68% of those say phone calls are the favored channel.
Expansion of WFM -SWPP Survey Results
53% manually forecast for other channels, while 32% use an automated WFM system.
49% use an automated WFM system to schedule agents, while 43% schedule manually.
Only 19% have some other technology besides WFM software to help forecast and schedule for other channels.
Expansion of WFM - Best Practices
WFM needs GOOD data about workload, AHT, and service level goals before taking on other channels.
Research should be done to see if current systems can (or should) be linked to make getting this information easier.
Communication is key to overcoming objections from staff that have not been scheduled through WFM in the past.
Make sure that your agents have the right skills to become “universal” agents if that is necessary.
Trend #2
Improved Adherence
Monitoring and Reporting
Adherence Monitoring and Reporting
Setting realistic adherence goals Setting adherence goals specific
to your organization Knowing the cost of your
adherence goal Using real-time tools
A Closer Look at Adherence Numbers
Adherence Percentage “Free” Minutes
92% 33.6 min
93% 29.4 min
94% 25.2 min
95% 21.0 min
96% 16.8 min
97% 12.6 min
98% 8.4 min
Paid Minutes 480 minutes
Scheduled On-Phone Time 420 minutes
What do you think is a
reasonable adherence
expectation?
Adherence Monitoring - SWPP Survey Results
Many do not have a specific adherence goal.
Most common goals are 90% and 95%, but actual adherence is less than 90%.
39% report adherence statistics to both agent and supervisor.
Only 11% post for public display.
Adherence Monitoring - SWPP Survey Results
Incentive Programs Used to Promote Adherence
Six hours paid time off per month if no unscheduled absences or tardies
Agents with 95% adherence go into a drawing for a day off during incentive period (usually monthly)
Casual dress coupons Gift cards Disciplinary program for non-adherence Agent of the Month program A job!
Adherence Monitoring - SWPP Survey Results
Biggest Causes of Non-Adherence Agents who won't "bother" to adhere to schedules
because there is no real consequence for not doing so. Agents getting stuck on a call. Lack of understanding how it effects the whole
department and the callers. Inept supervisors; insufficient support from
management. People doing activities that are not in schedule. Agents wanting to have lunch or break with friends and
lack of importance stress by supervisor to rep. Transportation and technical issues.
Adherence Monitoring - Best Practices
Spell out Adherence Goal Costs for Management!
Use some variation of this equation based on your own numbers:150 agents on an average business day working an 8 hour shift (7.5 hours
paid) = 1125 hours of phone time150 X 7.5 = 1125
Average pay for agents is $11.00 per hour = cost to answer the phones in Labor only is $12,375
1125 X $11.00 = $12,375Adherence goal of 92% = non-productive, paid hours for adherence would be
8%8% of $12,375 = $990 per day
$990 per day x 365 days per year = $363,360 per year of planned paid hours for no production
Note: For every 1% variance based on these numbers, add or subtract $45,000 per year to the bottom line.
Adherence Monitoring -Best Practices
Power of one education Definition of pass/fail minimum Rewards for better grades of
adherence Variety of rewards Posting of real-time statistics
Trend #3
More Strategic Planning Through WFM
Strategic Planning
With Strategic Planning coming from the WFM Department, WFM becomes more of a partner with senior management.
SWPP Survey Results
WFM Role in the Budgeting Process Almost all (85%) of the respondents
perform staffing projections for the center’s budget.
Almost three-quarters (72%) create what-if scenarios for management consideration.
Over half (54%) decide which scenarios would be useful for management .
Over half (52%) run software scenarios based on input from others.
Strategic Planning Cycle
Look out beyond the immediate horizon
Account for uncontrollable variables
Anticipate external events and trends (site consolidation, remote agent, outsourcing, technology changes, legislations)
Strategic Planning Outcomes
Resource and Capacity Plan
Budget numbers
Hiring Plan
Strategic Planning Outcomes
Modeling What-If Scenarios Cross-Training Impacts New Channels Increased Self-Service Longer, Shorter AHT Higher, Lower Training
Investments Changes in Volume Changes in Service Level Changes in Budget New Queues, New Resources
Strategic Planning Benefits
Avoid being blindsided Develop business case in advance
of need Avoid crisis management Partner with senior management
Trend #4
Increased Use of Performance-Based Schedule Selection
Performance-Based Scheduling
Scheduling process: Seniority Rotation Performance
Performance defined as: Adherence Quality Productivity Other
Performance-Based Scheduling – SWPP Survey Results
41% include performance ranking in schedule selection criteria.
28% of those who don’t say that fear of the impact on agent satisfaction/turnover is the reason.
74% do not have agent input in determining the scorecard content.
Performance-Based Scheduling – SWPP Survey Results
Quality Scorecard Elements: Quality Scores -- 22% Adherence to Schedule -- 16% Attendance -- 14% Productivity -- 12% Seniority -- 11% Average handle time (AHT) – 10% Sales Results -- 8% Error rates – 3%
Performance-Based Scheduling – SWPP Survey Results
41% say time from conception to implementation was 3-6 months.
After implementation: 71% said turnover was lower 95% said performance was higher 98% said customer satisfaction was higher 91% said labor costs were lower
Performance-Based Scheduling – Best Practices
Include frontline staff in planning to ensure buy-in.
Define clear key performance indicators. Determine weight for each factor.
Trend #5
Creativity with
Scheduling
Solutions
Creative Scheduling Solutions
WFM continues to try to cover peaks and valleys with new and innovative schedules. Today’s agents might work a different type of schedule to have better work/life balance – but we need to ask them. And we need to be willing to change to meet the needs of our business.
Creative Scheduling Solutions – SWPP Survey Results
74% have more than 80% full-time agents --39% have 90-99% full-time agents, 19% have 80-89% full-time, and 16% have 100% full-time agents.
51% survey agents for schedule preference. 41% give <25% of agents split days off.
75% never use split shifts.
37% research attrition related to schedule satisfaction.
Creative Scheduling Solutions – SWPP Survey Results
What one thing could make scheduling processes work more smoothly?I would want our culture to be such that we could offer new hires more competitive schedules without the existing Reps "revolting.“Moving to fixed shifts and hiring people into fixed shifts, and only moving people if they work out a trade or if a position opens up in a specific shift. I would work on my own acceptance that Scheduling equals People. People equals Life. Life equals Bumpy. Therefore, Scheduling equals Bumpy. Which, ultimately, keeps me employed.More flexibility in our workforce management software to process schedule change requests the way we do it today automatically.Automate the shift bidding process, as currently we have to manually take performance results and then e-mail agents, from top performers on down, asking them if they want one of the new shifts.
Creative Scheduling Solutions - Best Practices
Bigger variety of shift definitions Slant shifts – 10 hours on Monday, 9
hours on Tuesday, 8 hours on Wednesday, 7 hours on Thursday, and 6 hours on Friday
4 x 10 3 x 10, 2 x 5 2 x 10, 1 x 8, 2 x 6 Others?
Creative Scheduling Solutions - Best Practices
Mix of full-time and part-time schedules
“Buying” and “rewarding” flexibility
Virtual workforce – at-home agents
Self-rostering
Split shifts & split days off
Questions?
Vicki HerrellExecutive Director
Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP)