Forecasting Call Volume for July 4th/5th

[DC512]

I am currently forecasting for a fianancial institution and looking for some advice for the upcoming July 4th weekend. As it is a new call center, I do not have any historical data from 1999 in regards to the holiday falling on a Sunday but observing it on a Monday. I am specifically looking for volume percent of day forecast for the Sunday 7/4 and Monday 7/5 that other call centers may be using. My initial thought is that Sunday would be a full holiday (30-35%) and that Monday would be a lighter holiday (70-75%) of a normal day. Any input will be helpful

[ctaylor]

You are discovering some of the joins of workforce planing.

The best models will still need a little help from mother nature. A beautiful sunny day will depress call volumes and rain and inclement weather will push it up.

Based upon my experience I suspect that your Sunday volumes will be down 20-30% from a normal Sunday and your Monday volumes will be closer to 50% of a normal day. Thats based on about 25 years of history.

Hope this helps. I can be reached at ctaylor@thetaylorreachgroup.com if I can provide any more assistance.

Regards,

Colin