The days of planning teams working in isolation are over. Workforce Management (WFM) is now a team sport.
No longer can planners work alone, treating schedules like a game of Tetris, squashing agents into gaps to fit forecasted demand as neatly as possible. WFM teams must evolve their approach. As Gayathri Krishnamurthy, Associate Vice President of Product Marketing at RingCentral, says:
“WFM must balance efficiency with human behaviours”
By working closely with operations and agents, planners can not only understand these human behaviors but unlock further benefits through collaboration. Here is how to get started.
Align WFM with Operations
“WFM implementation is the easiest part. What is not so easy is winning the hearts and minds of the operation,” says Doug Casterton, a leading resource planning expert.
Indeed, engaging operations at every level of WFM – including budgeting, capacity planning, and intraday management - is no simple task. However, building shared accountability is crucial.
Such accountability should stretch across the business strategy. If both domains work towards the same desired outcomes and metrics, operations will grow increasingly invested in the aims of the planning team. They will understand how WFM metrics, such as service level, link to wider goals, such as boosting engagement, customer satisfaction, and profitability rates.
If the planning team achieves this, when they wish to enhance part of the WFM strategy, that then becomes an activity that everyone wants to engage in. Leaders from across the contact center will understand the potential positive impact on mutual goals.
Engage Agents in WFM
With leaders onside, start connecting agents with the WFM mission. To begin, move away from a “computer says no” philosophy. Find creative solutions to urgent, last-minute scheduling requests and build goodwill. As a result, agents are likely to be more willing to provide emergency cover themselves in the future.
Next, ensure that agents understand why WFM rules are often so rigid. For example, try to include "power of one" training as part of the induction process. It ensures that everyone understands why adherence targets are vital to contact center success.
A planning forum is an excellent way to kickstart such agent communication. Such a setting will also help to uncover agent frustrations with WFM. These may include a lack of notice regarding schedules, limited shift-swap opportunities, and supposed unfairness within shift patterns.
Yet, these frustrations are frequently unavoidable. If this is indeed the case, clearly explain why to temper agent reactions when a future schedule disappoints them.
Luckily, most agent irritations are actionable. Use them to revitalize the planning process. Then, communicate changes so that agents recognize that the WFM team listens to them. Of course, such a process is often strenuous. WFM software, however, strips away the difficulty.