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The Top Five Secrets to Successful Scheduling in the Contact Center

by Heather Turbeville

Are you looking for ways to improve the scheduling in your contact center? If so, you're in luck. In this blog post, we'll share five secrets to successful scheduling that can help you optimize your operations and improve customer satisfaction. By following these tips, you can make sure that your contact center is running smoothly and efficiently. So let's get started!

Define your goals - what do you want to achieve with your contact center schedule?

As a business, our contact center service goals are to provide an efficient, cost-effective, and professional service experience with a focus on service levels, speedy response times, and first contact resolution. We draw upon powerful data insights to build an evolving, customer-centered schedule that is sensitive to changing market needs and consumer behaviors. With this framework in place, our ultimate objective is to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty through the steady delivery of exceptional service.

Know your team - who are the best people to staff your contact center?

Finding the right people to staff your contact center is no easy task. It's important to invest time into recruiting and training individuals who have the soft skills necessary to be successful in customer service roles. While technical competencies are key, soft skills such as adaptability, emotional intelligence, patience, and problem-solving are also vital for top performance in a contact center environment. With a focus on soft skills, you can ensure that your team is well-equipped to provide the best possible customer service experience.

Utilize data - use call volume data and other information to help you make staffing decisions

Data can be an extremely powerful tool when making staffing decisions. Beyond simply looking at call volume data, leveraging other available information helps to get a more comprehensive picture of the customer experience. For example, analyzing customer feedback and complaints can provide insights into why certain customers are experiencing higher times of call volume and how operations could be improved by changes to staffing strategies. Additionally, examining individual employee performance metrics like average customer satisfaction ratings or customer hold times can reveal areas for improvement in training or team-building processes. With an informed approach to utilizing data, businesses gracefully navigate the complexities associated with balancing cost efficiency and quality of service every day.

Be flexible - be willing to adjust your schedule as needed based on changes in volume or other factors

It is important to be flexible and to intraday manage your schedule. This means being willing to adjust as needed based on changes in volume or other varying factors. Being able to anticipate or respond to changing conditions accordingly can make all the difference. It takes a special combination of planning and responsiveness, but it is highly beneficial for those who you work with as well as helping you reach new levels of success.

Train your team - provide clear instructions and expectations for those who will be working in the contact center

As a manager, it is essential to ensure that everyone in the contact center has clear instructions and expectations set for them. Providing your team an understanding of their role within the contact center will help create an organized work atmosphere. By preparing training materials, setting positive standards, and regularly providing feedback on performance, you can make sure that each team member knows exactly what is expected of them and how important their contributions are to the success of the business. Ultimately, investing in a thorough training process for your team equips them with the necessary skill set to provide quality service at all times.

A contact center schedule is crucial to any call center's operations. By taking the time to define your goals, get to know your team, and utilize data, you can create a schedule that will help your call center run smoothly and efficiently. However, it's also important to be flexible and willing to make changes as needed. Finally, don't forget to train your team so they know what is expected of them when working in the contact center. By following these tips, you can develop a successful contact center schedule that meets the needs of your business and your customers.