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For too long, Workforce Management's primary outcome has only been seen as the driver of efficiencies at scale. While this is undoubtedly true, organization, planning, and well-trained personnel are also required to provide a memorable customer experience, and this is where Workforce Management methodology can also shine.
Workforce Management has a significant impact on Customer Experience, and in my opinion, there are six broad categories.
- The classic: maintain adequate staffing levels, so customers never have to wait.
- Customers today expect fast responses without going through multiple agents, channels, or departments.
- Your customers can never be any happier than your employees.
- Real-Time action drives increases in training and coaching opportunities, particularly when paired with Real-Time automation software.
- Incorporating big data into WFM strategy can improve human interactions and customer experiences.
Let's Break it down.
The classic: maintain adequate staffing levels, so customers never have to wait.
Most operations will see spikes in contact volume throughout the year. So whether you've just launched a new product, are running a special promotion, or anything else, workforce management methodology ensures that adequate staffing levels are in place so that customers never have to wait to speak with a representative.
Customers today expect fast responses without going through multiple agents, channels, or departments.
Workforce management will frequently divide the workforce into broad skill groups, grouping agents who do not all have distinct skills together. A complex skill with a low contact volume, for example, is often not worth training everyone - which I refer to as a skill cylinder. It's critical to train a sufficient number of agents in this skill cycle to ensure that these contacts don't just abandon
Workforce Management also plays a vital role in reducing transfer rates. While a skill-based routing engine can methodically match a customer query with the best-suited agent, this is only effective if an agent is available, hence why workforce management is critical.
Your customers can never be any happier than your employees.
Many studies have discovered a link between employee and customer satisfaction. For example, according to Gallup's "State of the American Workplace" survey, happy employees lead to satisfied customers.
Agents are prepared for success and happiness long before they sit down to handle customer contacts. This occurs when they leave for work. It includes whether or not the agent had a say in when they began working, which days they could take off, and when they could take breaks. Workforce Management has a significant influence on all of these elements.
Employees who have a say in the fundamentals of their work environment are more likely to feel empowered than those who simply show up at a predetermined time because they are afraid of losing their job and income. They can also be more focused at work because they can schedule their time around family or social obligations. As a result, they will have a good workflow and will not see work interruption in their lives. For some tips on how to provide greater engagement via your scheduling practice, here are two articles worth reading SelfScheduling & EquityScheduling.
Real-Time action drives increases in training and coaching opportunities, particularly when paired with Real-Time automation software.
On one side, poor Grade of Service and High Abandon Rates lead to poor customer experience. However, unless your customer operation requires a highly high Grade of Service, such as an emergency service, you will generate a log of idle time for little customer experience gains. On the other hand, an excellent real-time team will proactively take this opportunity to increase coaching and training time, improving customer experience over time as Agents become more proficient at their jobs. Couple this with a real-time automation solution, and you can this to whole new levels.
Incorporating big data into WFM strategy can improve human interactions and customer experiences.
How do organizations identify what is truly important and then tailor it to empower employees and inspire customer loyalty? While digitalization has made life easier by automating essential business processes, it has also resulted in a constantly flooded world with data. Controlling data – a critical source of Customer Experience intelligence – effectively and dynamically is the key to success. The beauty of WFM methodology is its proven ability to collect essential data in one place, process it, and analyze it in real-time to drive the customer experience.
Workforce management can collect and share data with the HR department to identify the skills needed to meet corporate objectives and develop effective recruitment and succession plans. Then, use quality evaluations and analytics to detect coaching needs and schedule training at less busy times. WFM can also provide easy access to a wealth of historical data to quickly predict, create, and search future headcount and specific skill requirements. This is especially useful when downsizing during organizational change or to accommodate future growth plans.
