Part one of our three-part series:

Many in the WFM field have seen it happen time and time again: companies implement a WFM program in their contact center. Yet, come six months later and the software just sits there, unused, with everything running exactly the same way as before. Inefficiencies run rampant once again, with the same old manual scheduling and Excel spreadsheets.

Why does this seem to be an almost regular occurrence? Why is it so hard to make WFM implementations work? Here, we present four recommendations in a three-part series that may help your contact center stay on track and combat problems before they arise.

1. Have the right skill set in place BEFORE the solution is implemented!

A. Rather than software-based, recognize that workforce management (WFM) is, first and foremost, skills-based. Simply setting up a program will not solve your problems. Those unfamiliar with the concept of WFM can’t simply jump in and expect to manage the software successfully. Essential prior to project start-up is ensuring that those with the right skills are in place.

If properly skilled staff is not available at the time of implementation, the project team must be made aware of this. Equipped with such knowledge beforehand helps the training team to be   able to properly judge what knowledge needs to be transferred. The training team may, for example, also deem it necessary to provide additional training, thus ensuring that appropriate training is delivered

B. Don’t assume your internal team can be used to “crowd-source” your WFM. Assigning the responsibility of forecasting and scheduling to each team leader creates problems and causes conflicts of interest. A single person, without any vested interest in making a particular group look good, should single-handedly run the show. Keep in mind that this applies to the entire contact center; not just for the one team lead that understands how the game is played.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog posting when the second part of this three-part series will be unveiled: Don’t bite off more than you can chew!