Cazoo is growing at a record pace and needed a solution to automate the scheduling and forecasting of their workforce. The workforce is expected to double before the end of 2021.

Initially, Cazoo relied on Google Docs to schedule agent shifts. This heavily manual process was very cumbersome and time-consuming. What is more, it was totally unable to accommodate the fast-paced growth the company was experiencing. The time had come to automate Cazoo’s scheduling and forecasting activities using a proven, cloud-based technology solution.

For the first time, a formal resource planning framework was introduced and once Calabrio WFM was implemented the next challenge was staff engagement. Education on how to use the system along with promoting the benefits were essential to encouraging widespread acceptance and faith in the new technology.

The Calabrio ONE Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) solution was rolled out in 2020 while the UK was in lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.  

Calabrio’s seamless integration with Amazon Connect, the cloud-based contact centre service from Amazon Web Services, means the solution is robust and flexible for hybrid working.   

From the outset, Calabrio WFM provided visibility of how Cazoo’s agents were adhering to their schedules throughout the day, even though the majority were working from home.  At the same time, the flexibility of the system allowed the company to consider introducing other ways of working including part-time work. Automation made it so much easier to add different types of contract and shift patterns to the mix. 

The Resource Planning team uses Calabrio WFM to provide short, medium and long-term forecasting for Cazoo’s multi-channel, multi-skilled, multi-team contact centres and release schedules 8 weeks in advance. 

Resource planners and managers use the following functionality: 

• Data collection and forecasting capabilities 
• A special events tool to instantly capture trends and attach them to important dates such as Bank Holidays or new campaigns 
• Easy scheduling – once schedules are in place, adding specific agent information or activities is simple 
• The multi-channel, multi-team solution easily creates blended shifts, optimising them against forecasts 
• WFM reporting – used daily, weekly and monthly. 

Joanne Gilbert-Button added: “Increasingly, our agents benefit from Calabrio WFM.  They particularly like how they can submit their annual leave and see their shift swaps simply by using their mobile devices. The visibility and accessibility Calabrio provides is perfect for enhancing staff engagement.” 

Using Calabrio WFM, Cazoo has transformed its scheduling and forecasting activities in the contact centre.  Highlights include:

• Time savings – by removing the lengthy task of manually creating agent schedules
• ‘Availabilities’ – knowing who is available and when is highly valuable, offering flexibility and the ‘wiggle room’ necessary to accommodate fluctuating call patterns in a growing business
• At a glance view of payroll activities – how many hours of overtime, sick leave or unpaid leave are downloaded in an instant and submitted to the finance department – eliminating another manual task from the contact centre.
• Overtime spend is now more targeted – access to real-time, accurate data pinpoints which teams need overtime or where people can be moved to support other overstretched teams – potentially leading to hard cost savings in the longer-term.
• Adherence and real-time monitoring – for example the system can identify when staff arrive late for their shifts or the potential causes for answer rates falling below their targets.
• Improved reporting for:
  –  shrinkage
  –  headcount requirement
  –  interval trends.

The expertise of the Calabrio team is a source of inspiration and continuous learning. They are always coming up with fresh ideas to leverage the system.  The Resource Planning team is also taking advantage of ‘what if’ scenarios to plan for the busy Holiday season without interfering with live schedules.

The successful introduction of a formal resource planning framework supported by Calabrio technology is now a case study for the rest of the organisation looking to manage their complex, round-the-clock operations.