Leading Healthcare Provider Cuts Costs by $185K Every 3 Months with Smarter WFM

A large health care provider in the southern United States operates one of the region’s most extensive not-for-profit health systems, serving millions of patients each year through a broad network of hospitals, specialty centers, and clinics. Its contact center supports approximately 1,800 agents across multiple locations, managing a wide range of patient needs, from appointment scheduling to complex services like physical therapy coordination. 

With calls often lasting 25–35 minutes and requiring deep empathy, the contact center plays a vital role in delivering compassionate, patient-centered care while balancing efficiency, staffing, and operational demands. 

The organization operated across Cisco platforms (including UCCX and PCCE) and struggled with workforce management (WFM) just a few years ago. Previous WFM efforts had failed, creating operational inefficiencies and making it difficult to support the wide variety of patient-facing services, especially detailed, high-touch interactions like physical therapy scheduling. 

Patient calls were long and emotionally complex, often taking 25–35 minutes. Yet the contact center was still measured against a traditional 80/20 service level agreement, a model that didn’t reflect the reality of their work. Many callers reached out during challenging or vulnerable moments and needed empathy and time, not speed. 

This misalignment led to frustration across the organization. Staffing felt inefficient, agents felt pressured to rush patients, and leadership lacked a framework that supported both operational goals and patient experience. The health system needed a more realistic, humane approach to performance that reflected what quality care truly requires. 

The shift to Calabrio transformed the organization’s contact center operations. By replacing the outdated 80/20 SLA with customized service levels, the health care provider saw improvements in both patient satisfaction and agent engagement. Attrition dropped to near zero, with only necessary performance-related turnover. 

With clearer insight into staffing needs and performance through Calabrio, the organization optimized in-house resources and ultimately eliminated the need for BPO support, generating approximately $185,000 in savings every three months. Instead of adding staff to offset performance gaps, they gained efficiency by establishing empathetic, data-backed goals. 

Today, the health care provider’s WFM leadership team is a trusted strategic partner across the organization. Armed with robust data, they help shape service levels, define average handle times, and guide long-term forecasting. By aligning operational performance with patient-centered values, the organization has built a stronger, more sustainable workforce model that benefits patients, agents, and the entire health system.