The term Workforce Optimisation (WFO) has existed for quite some time now, but it is only in the last few years that companies have begun to truly embrace WFO strategies.
Indeed, many organisations now approach WFO for what it truly is: a holistic set of technologies and processes that optimise the workforce for desired results.
Such an approach runs parallel to the CX adage “happy employees, happy customers”, with numerous studies now showing that job satisfaction greatly affects CX.
With such a critical connection established, brands are doing more than providing comfortable chairs, pool tables, and break room snacks to empower employees.
Nowadays, many contact centres have even implemented a large-scale plan to support agents to do their job quickly and efficiently, but not at the expense of their well-being.
This is where WFO comes in.
Common Pain Points
WFO is not a new term, yet many companies do not have a WFO strategy in place. Why? Because there are several pain points that complicate matters.
“Integration is one of the most common hurdles to WFO deployment”, says Scott Budding, Head of WFO, at Sabio Group, the digital CX Transformation Specialist. “A properly deployed strategy is the backbone of CX success since it affects various aspects of the business. Whenever we're deploying any WFO technology, we need to look at how other solutions are linked.
“Whether there is a need to pull data from a telephony or a CCaaS solution, or whether we’re looking at how chat and email platforms are integrated, it is all crucial to the success of WFO technology deployments.”
Another challenge concerns adoption, as employees may not react well to new processes and technology. To avoid this, organisations must put effort into inclusion and communication and better understand what fits and what doesn’t.
Budding says: “We should include our employees, right from the off. We need to speak to them and learn what's important, what they would like to see in terms of solutions that we might bring into the organisation.
“People need to know what's been introduced, when it is being introduced, and why.
“The requirements for the workforce optimisation technology should not be written without significant input from the operational side of the business.”
“Finally, a good WFO strategy needs to be financially supported, which is often where organisations recognise the strategy’s value and reap the ROI rewards.”
‘Think of Your People’
To achieve WFO objectives, Budding suggests that organisations consider employees as ‘WFO advocates’. After all, no matter how good the implemented solution, if employees do not understand the benefits, the strategy will more likely fail to deliver results.
To tweak the CX adage, ‘unhappy employees almost certainly lead to unhappy customers’.