In managing your workforce there is not more important a stat than adherence. Schedule adherence is how closely your agents are following the work and break schedules you have set for them, even minor deviations from which can result in a net productivity and time loss.

Workforce Management software, like that offered by Monet Software, allows call centers to monitor agents, recording how well they are following their schedules. By monitoring adherence in real time, call center managers can make scheduling changes that best accommodate the needs of the agent and the schedule.

Monet’s WFM suite sits atop whatever PBX (News - Alert) or ACD system your company may use and is able to communicate with both as it determines the effective schedule adherence of an agent. By collecting both real time information and historical data on the adherence of your agents you have data to back up.

According to the Monet Integration product description the solution, “provides essential visibility into the data needed for effective decision-making through integration with an ACD or PBX. Analyses of agent work history data from ACD systems are used to calculate a precise forecast for future call volume, agent requirements and average handling time for any time interval of the day, based on service level goals. The ability to correctly forecast enables the creation of optimized schedules that balance service levels, costs and agent requirements to plan for the center's long-term staffing needs.”

Schedule adherence is essential to a properly run call center. With correctly implemented workforce management software enforcement is that much easier.

Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Chris DiMarco