Statistically, the majority of contact centres still use manual processes to adjust their intraday workforce scheduling but why play a constant game of catch-up? Dave Hoekstra of Calabrio outlines 5 reasons to invest in real-time management to balance the workload, achieve service levels and mop-up agent idle time.
Intraday Management? Real-Time Management? Call it what you will. It is essentially the same thing by using automation to rebalance the workload and achieve customer service expectations while mopping-up employee idle time in one go. It’s a real game-changer for contact centres everywhere. At least, it would be if more people used it! The reality is that 70% of contact centres continue to adjust their intraday Workforce Management (WFM) processes manually while one in four of them admit to measuring forecast accuracy at half-hour intervals.
In our highly digitalized world, it appears that too many organisations are failing to take advantage of automated technology. Fortunately, the latest WFM solutions with real-time management capabilities embedded in their DNA introduce an element of calm by dealing with the unexpected, averting crises and maximising agent time.
Good for employees, managers and the overall business, real-time management holds five keys to success:
The latest Chatbots using Artificial Intelligence (AI), are reinventing WFM and intraday planning. They are rather like having your own WFM concierge, handling all processes related to schedule requests and offering intraday automation with AI-optimised employee self-service. The ability to analyse current staffing alongside employees’ unique skills, schedules and preferences enable chat notifications to offer voluntary time off or overtime hours as appropriate. Using natural language processing, agents can interact with AI Chatbots and let them know if they wish to accept the schedule options. If they do, the bot simply submits the schedule request for them. AI Chatbots really are the next generation of flexible intraday planning solutions that eliminate exhaustive manual monitoring and boost all-round success.
For more information on how to embrace automation and succeed in real-time, join three of Teleopti’s product experts as they explore the future of Intraday Automation and AI, for Calabrio WFM and in general, as well as what this means for the individual, whether the planner, manager or agent.