Category: Customer Experience

This is a terrible reason to do something that makes things a little worse for other people.

And a common one, of course.

Much of the time, we’re willing to go out of our way to do work we’re proud of. Unless it would be inconvenient to do so.

One of the reasons our best work is important is that it’s also inconvenient.

Alas, convenience beats just about everything.

[But then, as some people who actually care do inconvenient things, those things become normal, which, amazingly, makes them more convenient for everyone else.]

Your mileage may vary.

Speeding up to get to a red light faster just wastes energy.

Honking doesn’t make traffic go away.

Doesn’t matter how fancy your car is, it’s not worth very much if they close the road.

One of the worst ways to get to where you’re going is to always drive in the fastest moving lane and avoid any toll roads. The flow of traffic isn’t always going where you want to go.

Following another car will eventually get you lost.

If you don’t stop to refuel, you’re going to get stranded.

Giving someone a chance, or the right of way, and letting them into traffic doesn’t really slow you down that much.

In our culture, we give way too many resources to cars and their efficiency and not enough to pedestrians and the opportunities that they deserve.

The map is not the territory, but a map is a good thing to have.

Acceleration is overrated. Persistence, good directions and a reliable vehicle almost always beat horsepower.

Any word that’s really important is also confusing. Words like trust, love, friend, fair, honest, lead, connect, authentic, justice, dignity–they have dozens of different meanings.

Perhaps that’s because they’re important.

It’s worth spending a moment to understand what we mean when we say something that might mean something else.

Some CMOs and marketing types simply do ads and promo. Give them average products for average people and some money, and they’ll do the ad thing.

And some are actually marketers. Marketing involves making a promise and keeping it. Marketers understand that your logo isn’t a brand, it’s simply a flag. The brand is the experience that people expect to have when they engage with you. It’s your benefit of the doubt.

If you’re that kind of marketer, you quickly come to learn that the single most important part of your job is being sure that you make great products and services. Because sooner or later, the experience is the brand. Sooner or later, the story you tell needs to be true.

Which means…

That your main job is persuading the people you work with to ship great stuff. No junk. No shortcuts.

If you’re not the defender of the brand, who is?

Staffing and scheduling in the call center is much easier said than done. Mostly because of the sheer volume of factors to consider. Try aligning time-off requests with operational needs, or managing agent availabilities with unexpectedly high call volumes, and you’ll quickly understand how tall an order this can be.
Call center managers need to balance call volume data, operational requirements, and agent skill-sets to create a solid agent schedule. Agent scheduling software can help with tracking these moving parts, but it’s not infallible. The reality is, managers will need to rely on their experience and intuition as well – in other words, what not to do.
That’s where this article comes in. Read on to learn the five most common pitfalls call center managers face when creating employee schedules…
How to Foster Agent Engagement in a Hybrid Contact Center
Why is Call Center Scheduling Important?
Your scheduling process directly impacts agent engagement, customer experience, and operational efficiency. In other words, the consequences of a poor schedule are disastrous for a call center.
If a customer has a poor experience due to the call center being short-staffed, you risk losing them forever. That’s a big deal. Keep in mind, it takes 40 positive customer reviews to erase the effects of one bad review. So why risk the damage with poor scheduling?
Poor scheduling practices put your agent satisfaction at risk as well. If an agent calling in sick or extended time-off requests breaks your system, it probably isn’t serving your operational needs. Scheduling has the power to make or break an employee’s productivity levels and job satisfaction. If left unchecked, this can lead to agent attrition, angry customers, and lost profits.
Managing a team of agents isn’t easy. You’ll always deal with last-minute shift changes and sick calls. It’s how you prepare and address issues that make your call center scheduling successful.
5 Common Pitfalls in Contact Center Scheduling
#1: Scheduling with spreadsheets.
Automation and technology reduce chances for human error. To minimize that risk, you’ll need to invest in a good scheduling software.
This tool helps you react lightning-fast to shift swaps and changes. Think about the time it takes for an employee to call and request a change; to call other agents for availability; and implement that change before the day in question.
Employee scheduling software helps better manage shift changes and operational fluctuations, especially within large teams with more factors to consider. Studies show this reduces labor costs and improves employee well-being. Depending on your contact center requirements, you may consider self-serve software that lets employees adjust their schedules and make requests in real-time.

FACT:
Scheduling software reduces labor costs, promotes agent engagement, and improves efficiency.

#2: Not having a backup or crisis plan.
Contact centers are hectic enough. Add short-staffed shifts to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster! If an agent doesn’t show up to a shift, a backup plan could mean the difference between a successful and a subpar experience for your customers and staff.
“Plan B” will look different for every contact center, so you’ll need to take your current workforce management practices into account. Some managers resort to overstaffing, but this method is costly and unsustainable. Consider having a reserve team of agents. When creating your agent schedule, ask your agents if they are open to accepting on-call shifts, or offer incentives to those who do.
#3: Inflexible work options.
More workers than ever are demanding remote work become a permanent option, and call center agents are no exception.
Hybrid contact centers are becoming a new norm, so if your business isn’t offering a way for agents to work remotely, you may already be at a disadvantage. If concerns around workforce management and agent scheduling is holding you back, consider investing in a workforce management software that can support a hybrid workforce.
Is Flex-Time Right for Your Contact Center?
Flexibility isn’t just about remote work though. It’s also about being able to offer flexible hours for your agents without sacrificing the quality of your staffing. Agents want to feel appreciated, and offering scheduling options gives them autonomy. Call center manager must offer agents options – flexible start and end times, compressed workweeks, and remote days are an excellent start.
#4: Ignoring your performance metrics.
Do you keep track of abandonment rate? First-call resolution? Peak call volumes? All are important call center metrics to help you manage your operation and scheduling.
Managers might track performance data, but many don’t consider them when creating schedules. This is a lost opportunity. By taking your call volume forecast into account, you can gauge how many agents you need for each shift. Understanding the strengths and areas for improvement based on individual agent performance data can help you staff a team with a balanced set of experience and expertise.
How to Overcome Challenges with Your Call Center Metrics
#5: Not monitoring time and attendance.
Maybe your call center metrics look normal, but how’s your attendance? Are agents showing up on time for every shift? Or are some agents consistently missing scheduled shifts and leaving before their day’s working hours are complete?
Call center scheduling isn’t absolute. Managers must keep them flexible and tailor them based on agent and operational needs. Monitoring attendance helps you figure out any issues with the schedule and find solutions before they become a problem.The post 5 Common Scheduling Pitfalls for Call Center Management first appeared on Fonolo.

When someone shares a new idea, or makes a pitch, or describes a dream, what would happen if you were enthusiastic?

Perhaps positive thinking is contagious.

Perhaps egging on the other person will help them explore the edges.

And perhaps it will help them overcome their fear and share the very best version of what they have in mind.

You can always say ‘no’ later.

In this moment, your confidence and enthusiasm exist to make the idea better. No harm in that. For either of you.

The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has existed for decades, but only in recent years has the potential scale and significance of its impact come to the fore. Now, it holds the power to influence and shape future success. But what really is AI? What are the benefits and risks of adoption? We’ve all read…
The post Adopt or Fail: AI is now mission-critical for retailers appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

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