Workforce Management help needed!!!!!

[call center stupid_visor]

hey Guys,

I manage a small call center (about 50 seats) I'm in the process of revamping schedules, and in need of some help.

I need some help in coming up with a new schedule including breaks and lunches, that goes hand in hand with my call volume.

Outside of buying a high priced GUI, is there anyway I could do this using my call data and some ingenious math?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

[jp2time]

Originally Posted by call center stupid_visor

hey Guys,

I manage a small call center (about 50 seats) I'm in the process of revamping schedules, and in need of some help.

I need some help in coming up with a new schedule including breaks and lunches, that goes hand in hand with my call volume.

Outside of buying a high priced GUI, is there anyway I could do this using my call data and some ingenious math?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Email me at juanpittman@comcast.net and I might be able to assit you.

[ScheduleLady]

I've worked in eWFM in real time but need some assistance with creating & making schedules official. Is there anyone that can offer some assistance?

[GinaD]

InContact® Workforce Management Software (WFM) helps you manage workforce scheduling, forecast demand, report real-time adherence, and simulate, analyze, and optimize staffing in your call center. Use the simulation module to predict employee occupancy, service levels, abandon rates, and queue times. Use a break/lunch optimization wizard to improve your staffing efficiency. Offer your employees a web and a phone interface to review their schedule, report in sick or late, setup their availability and preferred schedule, request time off, and swap shifts with other agents.
Manager Interface

Create/Modify/Publish schedules
Work periods
Lunches
Breaks
Meetings
Training sessions
Analyze the quality of schedules
Monitor real-time adherence (RTA)
View historical adherence
Approve/Deny employee time-off requests
Approve/Deny employee work preferences
Approve/Deny employee shift trades
Broadcast notifications
Employee Web Interface
(Sign-in on website)
Enter work time availability and work time preferences
View/Print published schedules
Request approval for time off
Request approval for shift trades
Report in late / sick
Create/Modify notification preferences

Gina Dohna
gina.dohna@ucn.net

[NBosch]

Hi CSSV :)

Well... if you don't want to use any "expensive" software, you are up for quite some task. However, for a 50 seat call center, you can make a schedule in a program like excel.

However, before I go into that with a more detail, I will give you a sincere warning, that this is going to be time consuming and challenging.

So, to make a schedule for your call centre in excel, you first need to have some figures available:
1. what are your targets for AHT (ATT+AHoT+AIT) (Average Handling TIme = Average Talk Time+Average Hold Time+Average Idle Time)
2. You will have to know your shrinkage and schedule adherence
3. You will have to have a forecast for the period you want to make a schedule - 30 minutes intervals
4. Have your SLA at hand.

The simplest then is to have a timeline, in which you put the expected calls (forecast) and then use an online Erlang C calculator (like this one: http://www.erlang.com/calculator/erlc/ ) to calculate the minimum amount of agents you will need. This figure you put in the line below the calls, for clear visibility.
When you have this completed, you need to increase the amount of agents to schedule with your shrinkage and RTA percentages.

Note, this is by no means as good a method as a specialised tool would offer you, but it will give you an idea of what possibilities you will have.

Feel free to drop me a line if you get stuck and I will see what I can do for you.

Regards,

Niek Bosch
bosch.niek@gmail.com