Planning and efficient management of employees’ working hours play a crucial role in the operation of a call center. To ensure a continuous process of quality service, it is essential to have appropriate tools that structure the work of agents and ensure that there is always a specialist with the necessary skills on any channel.
The software for call centers that provides personnel management is called a workforce management system or WFM system. In this article, we will discuss the tasks that personnel management software solves, how call center WFM systems contribute to improving customer service, and the value of investing in high-quality software for call centers.
But first, let’s answer the question of why systems are important for call centers.
Importance of Workforce Management (WFM) systems for call centers
Workforce Management (WFM) software plays a crucial role in the efficient operation of call centers, aiding managers in scheduling agents and keeping track of their working hours. This tool is specifically designed to predict personnel requirements based on historical call volumes, ensuring that the quantity and skill level of staff align with anticipated demand. In addition to these forecasting capabilities, this software encompasses various human resource management functions, such as monitoring employees’ working hours and assessing the efficiency and productivity of individual agents.
The advantages of WFM software for call centers are extensive, particularly for customer-centric multichannel contact centers. It brings about heightened efficiency, minimizes staffing shortages or surpluses, thereby reducing idle time and lowering operational costs.
WFM systems go a step further in assisting call centers by enhancing customer interaction through the reduction of wait times. Ultimately, the implementation of personnel management software guarantees an improved working experience for call center agents, fostering higher morale, motivation, and overall employee engagement.
Tasks addressed by WFM systems in call centers
Whether it’s an internal, in-house, or outsourced call center, the operational dynamics are complex, influencing the quality of customer service. Ensuring the effective performance of operators is not only crucial but also accurate management of working hours. This involves handling various tasks and requirements, including payroll calculation, workflow management, setting short- and long-term goals, and creating an improved working environment for employees.
While each business has its unique approach to call center personnel management, modern WFM software for call centers should consider several key components.
Forecasting and workforce planning
The task is to ensure the presence of the required number of agents at the necessary time to maximize productivity. It is necessary to consider customer trends, seasonality, business peculiarities – in other words, all factors influencing planning, leading to either staff shortages or surpluses.
Thanks to the Workforce Management system, contact centers can support effective planning and accurate workforce forecasting. This is achieved by leveraging historical data and utilizing automated service systems such as call center IVR services, chatbots, and auto-dialers to create future schedules.
Time and attendance tracking
One of the key functions of WFM is time management. Keeping track of working hours, days off, sick leave, and vacations requires detailed control. Proper monitoring of employees accurately recording their time and daily activities can help optimize payroll budgets, reduce operational costs, and increase company profits.
The WFM system automates the management of this data, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of information for planning, reporting, and finance departments.
Real-time team management in the call center
Modern workforce management software for call centers provides real-time information about the status of agents. Thanks to a flexible settings system, managers can monitor operators’ workload throughout the day. Key moments for control include:
- Agent login time (start of the shift)
- Call response time
- Queue wait time
- AUX status (Away from call)
- Lunch break
- Break time
- Agent log-out time (end of the shift)
The WFM system not only records these data but also optimizes the distribution of working time for maximum productivity. This helps avoid overutilization and ensures an optimal balance of workload for operators.
Moreover, real-time personnel management allows quick responses to situations where the volume of inquiries unexpectedly increases during the day. It enables managers to allocate agents across all channels, taking into account their skills.
Meeting and training management
Planning meetings for work-related issues, training sessions, and other events is an essential part of the workflow. The WFM system for call centers makes this process transparent and easily manageable, allowing for a high level of learning and experience exchange.
Shift exchange
The productive work of contact center agents depends on various factors, such as remote or office work, specific skills, language proficiency, physical or emotional state, and working day or night shifts. With hundreds of agents having diverse customer service and sales skills, along with different preferences regarding schedules and personal circumstances, ensuring a flexible schedule is challenging without automating the workflow.
The Shift Swapper software, designed to automate operational processes, helps substitute absent employees with others who have relevant experience and skills.
Thanks to Shift Swapper, the cloud contact center software from Global Bilgi, agents can exchange shifts with just two clicks, without impacting key performance indicators (KPIs) and productivity. The straightforward multilingual interface makes this process easy and convenient for various projects.
Reporting and analytics
Reporting and data analytics transform business operations. With the help of call center WFM reports, managers can gain insights into the company’s metrics and employee performance.
Analytics plays a crucial role in making informed decisions and improving call center productivity. It provides the back office with the ability to generate custom reports tailored to the specific needs of the company. For example, the capability to analyze the duration of vacations, response times to calls, agent workload, and any other aspects of the call center workflow.
Additionally, WFM systems allow the establishment of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and automatic tracking of their achievement. This facilitates identifying weaknesses in the workflow and timely intervention to enhance productivity.
Where to get Workforce Management software for call centers?
Choosing quality software for a call center, whether it’s an in-house or an outsourced customer service center, is a key aspect of successful operations in this industry. Global Bilgi, a developer of comprehensive solutions for call centers, offers modern WFM software called Shift Swapper. This software is a part of the Sirius call center software suite.
What is the WFM system Shift Swapper?
The WFM system for managing agent shifts in contact centers, Shift Swapper, is software designed to automate scheduling processes in the call center and control the working hours of agents, supervisors, and managers.
The Shift Swapper software for contact centers allows agents to exchange shifts and relieves managers and supervisors of the monitoring functions associated with this process. Additionally, this software for call centers provides comprehensive digital schedule management and control at every step of this process.
Revitalize personnel management in your call center with Shift Swapper!
Contact centers worldwide still rely on Excel documents for planning and managing shifts. This process typically involves separate group managers or supervisors who create schedules and make updates as needed. That’s why WFM programs are the ideal solution, providing revolutionary possibilities for automation!
With the assistance of the digital solution Shift Swapper, the process of replacing employees, such as due to illness, can be fully automated and simplified. The WFM system enables your business to save money spent on group managers or supervisors and liberate them from routine tasks. Additionally, agents will experience digital flexibility and gain full control over their schedules.
Streamline the processes of time management and shift swapping. Purchase Shift Swapper, the call center software developed by experts in the contact center industry at Global Bilgi!
