Workforce Management - ICMI @ Dreamforce 2010 Handout - Brent Haferkamp

Workforce Management:
Are we doing the right things?
Doing things right?

Brent Haferkamp
Senior Consultant, ICMI

©2010 International Customer Management Institute. All Rights Reserved. icmi.com I 800.672.6177

Today’s Agenda
• What is WFM?
• Where are you now?
• What should my team
look like?
• How can we tell if they
are doing a good job?
• Can we get the rest of the
center on board?


What Is Workforce Management?
The process of forecasting the workload and
applying the appropriate resources to handle that
workload at service level
1. Workload includes inbound calls, outbound calls, emails,
web chats, faxes, mail, etc.
2. Appropriate is important because you have to include all
the factors that pull your agents from the phones and/or
production work
3. Service Level – The basis for inbound call center staffing,
but also includes response time objectives (email) and
productivity (outbound)

Proactive Data Administration

Real-time mgmt Reporting
Reactive Reports

Short Term

Methods
Forecasting
Long Term
Scheduling
Shrinkage
Long Term/ Budget

Staffing


Where Are You Now?


WFM Maturity Grid
5 Stages…You tell us…
0. Non Existent (N/A) Not doing it
1. Emerging (EMG) Trying to do it
2. Intermediate (INT) Doing the basics
3. Advanced (ADV) Doing advanced stuff
4. Mastery (MAS) Doing it right!


WFM Maturity Categories
• Reporting • Scheduling
– Data Administration – Methods
– Reports – Shrinkage
• Forecasting • Real Time
– Long and Short Term Management
• Staffing – Proactive
– Long Term/Budget – Reactive


Data Administration
0. N/A Do not manage rosters, calls and ACW
Rosters inaccurate, difficulty counting calls
1. EMG
and ACW
Good call counting, rosters, and ACW but
2. INT
difficulty managing changes
Consistent use of phone modes, calls counted
3. ADV accurately, rosters effectively managed in major
systems
Full and effective integration between all
4. MAS systems that affect call center and other
departments

Reporting
0. N/A Do not look at numbers
Use basic ACD reporting, creates some custom
1. EMG
reports but have data or calculation errors
Creates custom reports from main call center
2. INT systems with occasional data, definition or
calculation errors
Using a database to consolidate data and
3. ADV generate reports. Agreed upon definitions and
calculations
Has fully implemented report change control
4. MAS process


Where Are You Now?
Post-Assessment

1. Data Administration
2. Reporting

Any surprises?

Long and Short Term Forecasting
0. N/A Not currently forecasting

1. EMG Let the WFM system do it, or use a “same as last
week” model
Actively cleans data for major anomalies, basic event or
2. INT driver planning and evaluates forecast performance at
monthly or daily level
Cleans data at the interval level, uses complex models to
3. ADV forecast and has dialogue with departments that effect
forecasting
Uses statistical methods to clean data, forecast and
evaluate forecast performance. Has a clearly defined
4. MAS forecasting process and accountabilities, measures
accuracy at the interval level and is proactively engaged
regarding forecasts by all other departments

Where Are You Now?
Post-Assessment

1. Long and Short Term Forecasting

Any surprises?

Staffing: Long Term/Budget Planning
0. N/A WFM team not involved in budget planning
Using calls per hour or production based
1. EMG
methods
Using service level and set shrinkage
2. INT percentage to demonstrate center capacity but
plans to not meet service level
Has collaborative process that clearly identifies
3. ADV different types of shrinkage and plans to meet
service level in all months
Ties results into customer experience and
4. MAS validates results with payroll hours

Where Are You Now?
Post-Assessment

1. Staffing: Long Term/Budget Planning

Any surprises?

Scheduling
0. N/A Schedules created/maintained by supervisor or manager
Manually building schedules based on “seat of pants” feel
1. EMG
of busy periods. Little or no off-phone work scheduling
Possess Erlang based WFM tools, but scheduling not tied
2. INT to workload. Schedules are generated based on employee
preference or cost-basis.
Scheduling based on interval workload and agent
availability preferences. Scheduling off-phone work and
3. ADV
have balanced net staffing results. Accounting for
shrinkage factors
Different schedules sets for seasonality, continual
tweaking for events and hiring/attrition, adherence
4. MAS
reviewed regularly and used to improve future schedule;
balance of interval service level and employee satisfaction

Where Are You Now?
Post-Assessment

1. Scheduling

Any surprises?

Real Time Management
0. N/A Do not monitor real time performance
“Calls in queue” focused, react when calls are in queue,
1. EMG
but not much focus when there are no calls in queue
Focus on adherence in the current interval, most off-
2. INT phone activity not scheduled, so time spent “hunting
down” people
All off-phone work is scheduled, beginning to focus on
3. ADV future intervals, however real-time “fire fighting” is still
taking up large amount of time
Utilizes escalation plans based on call thresholds,
4. MAS monitoring real-time, but majority of focus is future intervals
and making adjustments to ensure target performance for
future intervals

Where Are You Now?
Post-Assessment

1. Real Time Management

Any surprises?

What Should My Team Look Like?


Workforce Management Team Sizes
• Overall ratio: 1 WFM per 45-60 agents
• Factors that complicate that…
– Number of forecast groups
– Number of groups to staff
– Complexity of workload
– Amount of automation/self service
– Bizarre business rules
– Number of sites

WFM Structure
WFM Leader
Tactical- Long Term Plan
Strategic- Enterprise Integration and Consistency
Accountability- Long Term Staffing and GOS

Forecasting Scheduling RTM Reporting
T-Interval T-Schedule all T-Proactive T-Operational
FCST shifts planning Reporting
S-Long Term S- Shrinkage S-Real Time S-Data
Reaction Plan Administration
FCST A-Planned A-Actual GOS A-Report
A-Forecast GOS (shared with effectiveness
Accuracy Management)


Workforce Management Job Descriptions
Workforce Forecaster Scheduler Real-Time Manager Reporting
Management Administrator
Leader
Team’s primary Collects & stores Generates Maintains daily Produces & presents
contact for WFM- historical data. schedules using roster changes for WFM reports on a
related issues with Cleans & forecasts non-discretionary regular basis:
other departments documents data instances Forecast Accuracy,
Financial Service
Level & Agent
Coordinates training Researches Assigns Plans & schedules Ensures availability of
and cross-training forecast drivers schedules to events like raw data flow from
on the WFM team agents meetings, training & system to forecaster,
vacation forecaster to
scheduler, etc.
Establishes & Generates Regularly Optimizes net
reports on goals & forecasts: interval, optimizes breaks staffing with
milestones for WFM daily, weekly, and lunches overtime and flexible
team &quarterly/annual scheduling
basis; re-forecasts
if/when needed
Reviews forecast Maintains Manages schedule
accuracy schedule roster adherence
changes due to
attrition/hiring

WFM Role Banding

Report
Forecasters
Developers

Report
Schedulers
Clerks

RTM Data Admin


WFM Hiring/Training : Myth or Fact?
1. They must be math geeks
2. Your supervisors can run the system themselves
3. They can train their replacements
4. Hire the person with Excel experience
5. You learn everything you need to know in the
initial training
6. The system can do it all for you!
7. You only need 1 Administrator
They are all myths!

Hiring Workforce Managers
What makes a good workforce manager?
– Loves numbers
– Is sensitive to people
– Leads from within
– Fosters mutual respect
– Appreciates collaboration
– Values the opinions of others
– Is by nature a detailed, analytical planner


Hiring Process
1. Provide them with some “clean” data (not too
clean but not crazy bad either); ask them to
create forecast and
2. Provide actual (after you get the forecast)
Have them create a presentation of Forecast
and result
3. Conduct live presentation

*Important note: Always check with and get Human Resources involved prior to
implementing any new hiring/screening process


How Can We Tell If They Are Doing
A Good Job?

WFM KPIs
Business Need KPI Definition Sample Goals
Forecast IAP- Interval Percent of intervals 80% of intervals
Accuracy Accuracy within +/- given within +/- 10%
Percentage percent
Scheduling Scheduled SL Percent of intervals at 80% of intervals
Effectiveness by Interval end of schedule with predicted SL
process that project between 75%-
within goal range 95%
Service Level Actual SL by Percent of intervals at 80% of intervals
Performance Interval end of day within goal with SL between
range 75%-95%
Long Term Workload Workload hours 45%-55%
Planning Percentage divided by Payroll
Effectiveness of Payroll hours (incl. OT)
Hours

Create A Dashboard
• A Good Start: Create an internal dashboard for
your WFM team and review it on a monthly
basis

• A Great Finish: Integrate and communicate
with other parts of the organization!


How Do We Get The Rest Of The
Organization On Board?

Balancing the System and the People
WFM System Wants Agent Wants
• Variable start times • Consistent schedule
• Flexible hours per day stat/stop
• Flexible days per week • Breaks and lunches with
friends
• Flexible breaks and
lunches • Weekends off
• Off phone time planned • Guaranteed hours
around workload • Ability to switch when they
• Exceptions in advance want
• Consistent meeting times

Where Is WFM in the Big Picture?
1. The Final Authority
– Creates a nasty, calls-per-hour culture
– Results in an unbalanced focus on
efficiency
2. The Disenfranchised Guru –
suggestions on what to do if you know
everything, but no one is listening
3. System Administrators – danger
ahead


Where Is WFM in the Big Picture?
4. Balanced Workforce Management
“Plan it … prove it!”


Top 10 Pitfalls To Avoid
1. Trying to do too much, too fast, too soon
2. Viewing WFM software as THE answer to all
our challenges
3. Forgetting the human element
4. Isolating the WFM team from the rest of the
center and the organization
5. Not communicating the WIIFM


Top 10 Pitfalls To Avoid
6. Backdating exceptions and focusing on
“catching agents”
7. Not measuring and reporting on the WFM
function
8. Having the wrong people in the roles.
9. Wrong tools, processes, methods, models
10. Don’t know what we don’t know…doing what
we’ve always done

Try something new!
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll
always get what you always got.“

- Anonymous


Thank you!


Sites/tools mentioned during the
presentation and/or Q&A…
• www.erlang.co.uk - FREE Erlang add-in for MS Excel (the
“erlang97.zip” works for all versions of Excel [97 and newer])
• EZForecaster - Forecasting add-in for MS Excel
www.ezforecaster.com
• ICMI - www.icmi.com
• cc-Modeler - www.kooltoolz.com
• Pipkins - Cloud based WFM solution www.pipkins.com


ICMI
102 South Tejon Street, Suite 1200
Colorado Springs, CO  80903  US

US and Canada: (800) 672-6177
Brent Haferkamp: brenth@icmi.com

icmi.com
Copyright © 2010 International Customer Management Institute (ICMI).
All rights reserved.

ICMI assumes no liability for error or omission.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the International Customer Management Institute
(ICMI), with the exception of trade publications reporting on the data. In such cases, credit must be given to ICMI.

The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is a registered trademark of United Business Media Limited in
the United States and other countries. ICMI is a part of UBM Live, a division of United Business Media Limited.


Workforce Management - ICMI @ Dreamforce 2010 Handout - Brent Haferkamp

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Workforce Management - ICMI @ Dreamforce 2010 Handout - Brent Haferkamp

Similar to Workforce Management - ICMI @ Dreamforce 2010 Handout - Brent Haferkamp (20)

More from ICMI

More from ICMI (7)

Workforce Management - ICMI @ Dreamforce 2010 Handout - Brent Haferkamp