WFM Delivers Measurable Help Desk & Service Desk Improvements

Help desk and service desk managers often struggle to juggle the many things they need to consider in creating agent schedules. These managers also typically have low or no visibility when it comes to agent adherence, average time to handle a cases, and other key metrics.

So managers in these environments may waste a lot of time setting schedules – and those schedules may mean help desks and service desks have too many, too few, or the wrong kind of agents at any time. Plus, managers may not have a handle on whether, and to what extent, their agents are sticking to the schedules and meeting service levels.

Workforce management systems can help. They make life easier for these managers. And WFM can provide measurable improvements to help desks and service desks – and the businesses that operate them.

Workforce management systems provide managers the ability to understand what has happened, is happening, and is likely to happy at their help desks and service desks. That way managers can be sure to assign the right employees the right tasks at the right time, and make adjustment as needed as situations change.

WFM does that by collecting call and case history data, and identifying call and case patterns during the day, through the week, for various seasons, and for other windows of time. WFM can call out special patterns associated with holidays and other events and times of year.

WFM can also define service level, ASA, and average handle time; calculate workload; define staffing requirements; take into consideration both call and non-call activities; and allow for flexible breaks and shifts, and small-increment scheduling. All of that can allow help desk and service desk managers to calculate staffing requirements and create appropriate schedules.

Additionally, WFM can be used to monitor and manage adherence in real time. It can track exceptions and changes throughout the day. And WFM can apply collected data, analyze reports, and investigate causes for under performance so managers can both keep tabs on what’s happening and adjust as needed.

So what kind of results are businesses seeing with WFM? Let’s take a look.

Studies suggest WFM allows for 2.5 percent more accurate and efficient staffing. WFM can allow for 10 to 20 minutes of increased schedule adherence per agent per day. And it enables accurate schedule adherence tracking across multiple channels.

WFM supports intraday management for ease of adjustment. It helps prevent over and under staffing to keep business costs in check and help enable more positive customer experiences. And it can lead to enhanced agent productivity and satisfaction.

Edited by Maurice Nagle

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