DMG Consulting LLC, a provider of contact center and real-time analytics market research and consulting services, has published the “2009 Contact Center Workforce Management Market Report."

While the recession has been tearing through the U.S. economy, the market for Workforce Management (WFM) in 2008 was very strong. WFM seats/agents grew in numbers by a strong 7.4 percent, from 3,463,571 in 2007 to 3,719,294 in 2008.

Also, while healthy growth was felt among all vendors examined, the greatest growth rates were realized among the smaller vendors and those with stand-alone solutions.

 

According to DMG forecasts, WFM sales will increase by 6 percent in 2009, 7 percent in 2010 and 9 percent in 2011. This growth is in line with what DMG expects from the economic recovery as it gains momentum.

 

This growth in the WFM market is a result of customer-driven innovation and the evolution of WFM solutions to meet the changing needs of contact centers. To ensure their continuing successful growth, vendors are developing and enhancing their solutions.

 

These changes are designed to address the needs of complex multi-site, multi-channel (phone, e-mail, IM/Chat, fax, mail, etc.) and multi-skill contact center environments. Vendors are also introducing WFM modules that deliver enterprise-wide efficiencies for non-contact center uses, including back-office, retail, branches and more.
 
"The requirement to provide a better customer experience while improving productivity and controlling costs is paramount in contact centers during the recession," said Donna Fluss, president of DMG Consulting, in a company statement.

 

"Workforce management continues to be one of the most important contact center productivity tools. By optimizing the use of the new generation of WFM solutions, contact centers can reduce staff related costs by 10-20%, enabling them to come through the recession with minimum impact on service levels and the customer experience."

This 2009 report delivers an in-depth analysis of the WFM market, examining vendors, product functionality, technology, market trends, challenges and opportunities, market share, adoption rates, benefits, return on investment, best practices, customer satisfaction, pricing and additional uses for WFM solutions.

The report also includes new sections on management and agent best practices. A new section has been dedicated to long-term strategic planning, an area of growing importance to contact center managers and enterprise executives. Advice is also offered on how to use WFM to address the challenges the recession presents and to strategically plan for business recovery in 2011.
 
The contact center industry is one area that has been impacted by the slump in the global economy, both positively and negatively. While companies are increasingly looking to offshore options to reduce their cost of customer support, others are recognizing the important role the center plays in protecting the customer base – essential in a recession.

 

As the contact center has gained in importance, companies are also realizing that the efficient management of these centers and agents contributes to a stronger bottom line.

This latest report from DMG Consulting shows that vendors are not only developing the solutions that companies need, they are also properly educating their customers as to the benefits that can be quickly realized with WFM integration. In doing so, they are helping to create and drive strong and sustainable demand.