Workforce Management Featured Article
How Workforce Management Helps the Competitive Advantage
In the contact center space, we often think of workforce management solutions as imperative to driving access to forecasting data, keeping agents scheduled appropriately for projected demand and accessing data whenever an exception happens. It’s often viewed as a tool for internal purposes, keeping everyone on track in a fast-paced environment.
When this thinking is the only approach taken we miss the opportunity to actually affect customer-facing initiatives that can lend support to your efforts for that competitive advantage. As technology continues to advance, however, we tend to look at the self-service customer as the representation of the norm and forget how to deliver great service.
For instance, there are actually companies out there producing solid profit margins that have no respect for the customer. In some cases, the customer-first approach works simply because there is no alternative to their product or service. Or, the target consumer base is so focused on getting the best price that they don’t care that they give up access to great service. This segment certainly exists, but can you drive profitable numbers if the only focus is price?
The answer could be a yes all day long if you make up the difference in volume and keep your costs down because you don’t have to hire qualified individuals to keep the customer happy. Workforce management isn’t even an issue as the warm bodies brought on to fill the roles you need must do little more than breathe to be effective. It’s a great way to keep costs down and also a great way to land the company on top 10 lists for poor customer service.
Susan Willett recently mentioned this list in a Wilmington Biz article, pointing to the disappearance of quality customer care. The companies topping the list for poor service include telecom and cable companies and banks. The utilities tend to follow the thinking that if there is no competition, why should they invest in the efforts to keep a customer happy? While this may be easier for the electric company than the cable company, the changing competitive environment for the latter demonstrates how quickly things can change.
At one point, if you wanted access to extended programming for your television viewing entertainment, you were stuck with the local cable company. Today, you only need access to high speed Internet and your programming options are virtually unlimited. Long-term contracts are a thing of the past and the race for better packages, more competitive bundle pricing and additional perks will quickly put those unwilling to play along out of business.
Workforce management applies today for those who truly care about the customer experience and want to put the competition out of mind for the consumer. It’s all about designing workflow and schedules around what the customer needs. If this isn’t top of mind, it could be for the quiet competitor ready to take your share.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi