When it comes to agent scheduling in contact centers, flexibility is the name of the game. On the one hand, employees are always searching for flexibility in the hours they work. Contact centers, on the other hand, require flexibility so that they can supply the appropriate number of agents to keep up with varying demand. For both of these interests, it is useful to have a certain amount of flexibility built into the shift patterns and schedules.
To achieve flexible scheduling, companies employ a variety of tactics including reserve shifts, “on call” agents and banked hours. Depending on the strategy, overtime may or may not be offered to the agents for the work they are doing. In the end, though, providing more flexibility can actually result in a reduced number of employee absences.
While the term can be applied differently in different organizations, the basic principle of banked hours is that agents can save hours at a time they’d rather not work on the condition that they will be made up later. By “banking” these undesired hours, the agents are not forced to work at an undesired or inconvenient time and the company has someone to call on in the case of an unexpectedly high call influx. Each company can set a limit for how long the banked hours can last, depending on its own needs.
By banking hours that an agent has already been paid for, they are essentially in debt to the company. For this reason, it can be helpful, and sometimes necessary, to officially set a limit on the amount of hours an agent can bank before they have to start paying them back. If there is no rule in place, agents will continue adding up their hours with no end in sight.
This is one of the major risks of the banked hour technique for adding flexibility to scheduling. Keeping this risk in mind, a number of contact centers only allow hours to be banked over the course of one week, and those hours need to be made up by the end of the next week. For example, if one agent worked 5 hours less than their normal 40-hour workweek, they need to work an extra 5 hours over the next week. With this technique, the company can avoid employees taking advantage of the system.
While the banked hours system adds a degree of flexibility for the employees and the company, it can make it difficult to create an effective employee schedule. It is important to strike a balance between the needs of the business and the needs of the agents. There are ways, however, to account for banked hours in the normal schedule. For example, short and long Saturdays can be implemented. With this technique, all agents begin work at the same time, but they are allowed to leave at a variety of times, depending on the amount of time they owe. Someone who didn’t bank any time can leave at 2 pm, while someone who banked 3 hours will leave at 5 pm. This way, the contact center can be sure the hours will be made up at the end of each week and without any added difficulty for normal scheduling purposes.
Does your contact center need help with scheduling? Contact us today for more information about our workforce management software and to learn how it can help you improve your business.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of things to consider when running a contact center. From choosing the best equipment to hiring agents to optimizing the scheduling, it can be easy to get caught up in the details. Successful contact centers, however, know how to balance all of the requirements along with all of the extra little things that set their contact center apart from the rest. Below, we take a look at some of the secrets that successful contact centers share.
Many contact centers focus on a hierarchical system of management where the agents report to the managers who report to higher management. With such distinct levels of operation, it can sometimes be overwhelming for agents to be evaluated or critiqued by their superiors. In successful contact centers, management removes themselves from the equation when it comes time for evaluations. Instead, they form groups of agents together to listen to the call of a fellow agent and give the appropriate feedback. Many organizations have found that, even if management and the peer agents are saying the same thing, the criticism is received more constructively when a peer delivers it.
To continue with quality scoring tactics, many contact centers also have an agent evaluate him or herself. After receiving feedback from fellow agents, it can be difficult for agents to recognize those mistakes in their everyday work. If they have the opportunity to listen to their own calls, often times, the critiques they heard from their peers become clearer and the agents are more motivated to make an improvement.
A side effect of a hierarchical system is that the agents at the bottom can often feel overwhelmed by management at the top. They might feel uncomfortable making suggestions, identifying problems or asking questions if something is unclear. For this reason, it is imperative to promote an environment of involvement in your contact center. Sometimes it can be helpful to nominate a representative for the agents who they can go before presenting their voice to management. Another way to promote involvement is to have a monthly meeting where agents are encouraged to join. They will build a connection with the company when they feel that their ideas are being listened to and sometimes implemented as well.
Once the employees are content with the working environment, it is time to shift the focus to the clients. Providing a service that the customer wants is one of the keys to providing a high level of customer service. In order to know exactly what the customer is looking for, it can be helpful to monitor social media, a place where consumers rarely sensor their true feelings about a company or a product. Based off of customer’s posts, your contact center can make improvements to your business operations.
To ensure that each aspect of the business continues running smoothly, successful contact centers typically implement some type of reward system. Allowing agents to choose their schedule or selecting an “Agent of the Year” or “Agent of the Month” award can be effective ways to promote a positive work environment that yields results.
While each of these secrets is a good starting platform, each contact center needs to tailor them based on the needs and individual environment of your office. If you are looking for more ways to improve your contact center, contact KOVA to explore its workforce solutions today!
Virtual agents are a quickly growing trend, forcing many companies to consider the option for their company. While there are a few compromises and downsides to having virtual agents, there are a host of advantages as well.
Not only are agents working from home shown to be more productive than those in a physical office space, they facilitate scheduling, typically have access to more bandwidth at home and are, in general, much happier with their jobs. The happiness may come from avoiding the daily commute, working in their pajamas or even a combination of the two. At the end of the day, adding virtual agents to your company is something to seriously consider.
For companies with a mix of in-office and virtual agents, it is important to balance the communication systems so that all employees are kept in touch with and up to date on all of the happenings of the company. The following three tips can help to ensure that virtual agents are kept in the loop.
With the power of technology, it is easier than ever to host a meeting in a virtual conference room. While all of the attendants of the meeting are not physically in the same location, they are able to interact, discuss and make decisions in the same way. Virtual meetings allow for real-time answers to questions that can be recorded and referred to at a later time.
Although virtual meetings can be helpful, it is often necessary to send more frequent updates than a bi-monthly virtual meeting, for example. For regular, periodic updates, email newsletters can be entertaining and informative. Whether they’re filled with animations, feel-good customer stories or more business related topics such as metrics and goals, email newsletters are a great communication medium.
Often, the virtual agents are not made up of managers or general upper management. It can be difficult to manage the communication with virtual agents if a person has never been one, so a good technique is to require managers to work at least one day per week from home. They will develop a different mindset and understand the needs of the virtual workers, thereby improving their overall managerial performance.
Through all of the trials and tribulations, it is important to remember that working remotely doesn’t mean working in isolation. Just because virtual agents are not physically present in an office space, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to contact managers or fellow agents whenever they need to. Whether it is less-than-happy customer or a personal concern, virtual agents should receive the same timely feedback as the other agents.
Maintaining this continuity can be one of the most difficult aspects to balance when working with both virtual and in-office agents. Once you find the most suitable balance for your company, you can start to reap the rewards of increased productivity and an improved overall happiness in the employees.
For additional software programs that can contribute to the success of your contact center, read about our workforce optimization solutions. Contact us today for more information on how we can help you improve your contact center!
This November, KOVA is honored to recognize the bravery of the veterans of the United States Military.
I am a veteran.
I sacrifice myself to protect you. To protect your mother, father, brother, sister and your way of life. I live to serve.
I have said goodbye to my family for months at a time, looking into their tear-filled eyes without knowing if I’ll see them again.
I have been the person in uniform at the airport, anxiously waiting to board the most important plane ride of my life.
I have traveled around the world, proudly wearing the uniform of the United States of America.
I am a veteran.
I have seen the looks of devastation, death and suffering on the faces of children and adults alike, as they watch fires burn their homes and flee to refugee shelters.
I have witnessed ambushes, bomb explosions and gunfights.
I have looked the enemy straight in the eye. I have battled him and made it out alive.
I am a veteran.
I have rescued civilians from the terrors that have overcome their communities. Carried children and adults alike to safety in the wake of gunfire and constant bombings.
I know first-hand the devastation of war and fighting. It is physical destruction. It is emotional destruction. It eliminates the feeling of safety and security for the rest of your life.
Through it all, though, I learned how to bond on a human level. No matter the differences that exist, I learned to sympathize and endure alongside the civilians of the region.
Just like them, I didn’t know when I would take my last breath. Would it be today? Would it be tomorrow?
But I endured. I survived.
I am a veteran.
I have heard the prayers of Americans, praying for our well being and safe return home.
But, I know men and women who did not make it home. Their lives were lost in the battle to create a better world for you and me. While I wear the badge of veteran proudly, they gave the ultimate sacrifice.
War is real. It destroys. A fight between two sides turns into a decimation of a way of life for hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the middle. But it doesn’t only affect civilian’s lives; it changes soldiers as well.
I am a different person since my return from war, gradually adjusting back into civilian life. But I know that the phone can ring at any time, necessitating my return to the battlefield. If that call comes, I will be ready.
No matter what I’ve faced and where I’ve been, I will always be a soldier.
I am a parent. I am a sibling. I am someone’s child.
I am a hero.
I am a veteran.
Making the decision between a softphone and desk phone can be a difficult one. Having already made the switch from a traditional switched phone network to a VoIP system, your contact center has proactively taken an important step in the process. By working on a VoIP system, you are essentially working over the Internet, which allows your employees to be more mobile and the system itself is more reliable and scalable as the company grows. The VoIP system works anywhere you have Internet access and providers ensure that their networks are extremely reliable, reducing the risk of dropped or missed calls.
Adjusting to a VoIP system is a step towards the future, showing your confidence in the business that it will continue to grow for years to come. After deciding to invest in the future of the company with a VoIP phone system, it is time to decide between a softphone and hard phone.
What are the benefits of a softphone?
A softphone is a software program downloaded onto your computer or smartphone that allows your employees to send and receive phone calls. The most well-known softphone program is Skype, which allows users to make phone calls from a PC utilizing only the Internet. This type of software necessary for a softphone is low cost, easy to install and allows an incredible amount of flexibility for agents to work from a variety of locations.
What are the benefits of a hard phone?
In contrast to a softphone, a hard phone is a piece of hardware that looks like a “regular” phone that connects to the VoIP network through an Ethernet cord instead of a regular phone jack. While hard phones are typically more costly for a company to purchase and install, they offer a variety of benefits that require consideration before making a final decision. A hard phone provides employees with something physical to hold while speaking and, it is possible that many employees actually prefer to work with a “real” phone in hand as opposed to just a software program. In addition, hard phones are typically built to provide better call quality with echo cancellation already included.
An important difference to note is the reliability. If your contact center deals with emergency calls or situations on a regular basis, a soft phone may not be the best choice for your business. Softphones, when attempting to dial 9-1-1 or other local emergency numbers, may require that the contact center agent login and navigate to a specific screen in the software program, wasting valuable time in an emergency situation. The ease of dialing 9-1-1 from a hard phone is extremely easy and comparable to dialing from a regular phone connected to a traditional phone network.
All in all, it is important that your contact center takes some time to consider its specific needs before deciding between a softphone and a hard phone since there are pros and cons with each option. Regardless of the phone chosen, KOVA can help optimize your center with our WFO solutions.
Contact centers are a rapidly changing environment with more and more responsibility being placed on the managers who lead each individual center. These changes, which come in order to follow a customer based approach, pushes each center to evolve into a more dynamic and complex environment. Managers are expected to understand and command these complexities, balancing administrative tasks with motivational ones, all in an effort to keep the contact center running smoothly.
There are a variety of ways to keep contact center managers motivated to stay on top of their game and, below, KOVA will highlight three of the most important.
Communication may seem like an obvious aspect to keeping managers happy and motivated to work hard, but it’s not always as simple as it sounds to execute open communication in large-scale organizations. For contact center managers to be successful, it is imperative that they are kept up to speed with the overall business strategy and objectives. A manager plays an important role, linking the agents at each individual center with the upper management who make the strategic decisions. How can a manager be an effective and motivated leader to contact center agents if they are not aware of the objectives and strategy of the company? Keeping this line of internal communication open and, at times, involving them in upper management decisions, is one of the keys to keep contact center managers happy and motivated.
Training is an integral aspect to keeping all employees motivated, but it is especially relevant for managers. In a continuously evolving world and contact center environment, it is important that managers stay up to date with the progress and development, both on a company and industry level. By providing managers with continuous training, customer satisfaction can also increase, as they feel that knowledgeable and highly skilled leaders are helping them. Short, informal training sessions will contribute to incremental changes on a weekly or monthly basis as more than one, large training session per year that may require a large overhaul in order to implement changes. Providing people with knowledge is a form of empowerment and a surefire way to motivate your contact center managers.
While it may seem out of context to suggest creativity in the contact center industry, in this setting, creativity can be interpreted as problem solving skills and the imagination necessary to deal with the always-changing environment of a contact center. Creativity means thinking of innovative ways to inspire contact center agents to improve their performance, whether it is by rewarding good work or creating a competition in the office. A good contact center manager will identify the environment in which its agents will thrive, and will use their creativity to create that environment.
Together, these three methods are reliable ways to motivate contact center managers. Not only will they feel more connected to the upper management, they will feel more prepared to help agents and customers, resulting in increased employee and customer satisfaction. Motivated managers are a key to running a successful contact center, so start putting these methods to work today!
When outfitting a new contact center, or refreshing the technology used in your existing contact center, it’s a good idea to take a look at how the latest hardware and software can help to make your organization function as smoothly as possible. From team member comfort and ease of use to the experience that will be provided to your customers, the equipment and technology you choose will have a significant effect on your contact center’s performance. Whether it’s the headsets your agents use or the training software you purchase, weigh the pros and cons of each carefully before making that final decision.
One such consideration? The monitors your agents will be looking at all day. LCD, or Liquid Crystal Display screens can be an added benefit to your contact center. They have a variety of characteristics that have caused demand to increase over the past several years. Being lightweight, aesthetically appealing, energy efficient and long-term cost effective, are just a few of the reasons that many contact centers now prefer to use LCD monitors.
More Advantages
Disadvantages
However, there are also disadvantages to LCD screens, just like any other product. These are:
Key Benefits of an LCD Display
Get the most out of your contact center by incorporating LCD screens. And if you are looking to upgrade your contact center software, contact us here at KOVA today. We’d be happy to discuss your organization’s specific needs and customize a package of solutions just right for you.
When many people think of first responders, police officers, fire fighters and EMTs come to mind. Although they may not be first on the scene, 911 dispatchers are actually the first responders to the emergency, listening to and helping people through difficult and often life threatening situations. Dealing with frightened callers and emergency situations can make the life of a 911 dispatcher extremely stressful. With a high turnover rate due to burnout from stress and dealing with tragedy, it is important to remember that there are ways to handle that stress so that you can keep working as a first responder and saving the lives of others.
Before Starting a Shift
Even before you arrive at work for your shift, there are ways that you can help to manage your stress. The most important thing is to make sure you are getting enough sleep each night. Although this may seem like a simple idea, many people don’t get the recommended 8 hours of sleep each day. This can cause your brain to work more slowly than normal, simple tasks become more difficult, and it can be more challenging to remain calm in a frustrating or problematic situation. While these effects are detrimental in any profession, they are especially harmful for a 911 dispatcher who is dealing with high stress situations under a lot of pressure to help the person on the other end of the phone line.
During a Shift
In between calls, it may seem like there is not enough time to take stress-reducing measures - but think again! Deep breathing exercises, talking a walk outside during your lunch break, or meditation can all be great options to center yourself and prepare for the next incoming call. In general, increasing the oxygen in the brains helps to lower the heart rate and reduce muscle tension, all clear signs of stress. If you start to experience any of these signs of stress during your shift, take a few, slow breaths or meditate while at your desk. After a particularly difficult call, it may be worth it to take a break outside with some fresh air.
After a Shift
Once you leave work after having dealt with numerous calls over the course of your shift, it is important to find ways to unwind and unload the stress that you felt that day. Some proven stress-relieving options are exercise and journaling, for example. Exercise, no matter what kind you prefer, allows you to expend the extra energy that is pent up in your body due to stress. If you’re not keen on exercising after a long day of work, journaling can be just as effective. Getting out your thoughts, fears, and worries about the outcome of the calls you dealt with can be extremely beneficial to your mental health and to reducing your overall stress levels.
At the end of each day, it is important to remember that you are a 9-1-1 dispatcher, a job that comes with a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of rewards. You, as a first responder, play an important role in hundreds of emergency situations per week, making a difference in an enormous amount of lives. In order to continue playing this important role, it is important that you take time each day, whether it is before, during or after your shift, to deal with the stress that the job will inevitably cause.
Do you have other tips for managing stress? Share them with us in the comment section below!
Although it may not seem like it, the furniture in a contact center is pretty significant. Finding the perfect furniture for a contact center has actually been shown to produce improvements in productivity and eliminate stress and injuries in the workplace.
The demanding environment of a contact center is especially in need of comfortable chairs and other furniture set-ups that assist in agents in doing their job while also being safe and efficient. With agents working productively and efficiently, stress is eased away from contact center managers.
To find the perfect chair, here are some guidelines to consider.
The Importance of the Chair
Furniture that is flexible and that can be adjusted for each user is important.
If you have ever sat in an office chair for hours at a time you know that selecting a comfortable ergonomic chair is very important to the comfort and safety of the user. A chair is a key component of an ergonomic work environment.
The Importance of Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of people’s efficiency in a work environment. If agents are working more efficiently and effectively, that helps minimize caller dissatisfaction and provides better customer service.
Ergonomics play a huge role in the selection of the correct chair. The chair should adjust to fit a variety of users. Typical adjustments are height, seat depth, lumbar, and armrest height and width. Matching these adjustments to the user will allow them work comfortably and safely.
Standard Elements to Consider
Some options depend on the contact center, for example, if one person or multiple people sit in the chair each day. If multiple people sit in the chair, the chair should feature a multi-shift upgrade package for durability; however, regardless of the shifts, the chair should be adjustable.
There are different levels of adjustability in chairs. A few different types of chairs are: basic, intensive task, and multi-function. A typical chair with basic adjustments will allow height and adjustable back depth adjustment. An intensive task chair offers many more adjustments, typically including back height adjustment, seat and back angle adjustment, and height adjustment. A multi-function chair will feature all of the adjustments of an intensive task but will add tension control, forward tilt, and an infinite tilt lock.
Mistakes to Be Aware Of
One common mistake made when purchasing a chair is buying a cheap and poor quality task chair. These chairs usually do not last as long as higher quality chairs; less expensive chairs tend to fall apart in a year or two and require replacement.
A chair that is of higher quality and good reputation is more expensive but it will also last longer.
Health Risks to Consider
Not choosing the proper chair may cause a person to work with improper arm, wrist, and back angles. This can cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpal tunnel, and back problems.
The Right Chair Improves Performance
It is not only about having the right chair, but also knowing how to properly adjust said chair so agents are able to perform better. Healthy and comfortable agents will ultimately perform better than those that are suffering from health issues due to improper or improperly adjusted equipment.
Share your thoughts below if you have any more tips on choosing the perfect chair for your contact center. For any other contact center management questions, we at KOVA would love to chat with you. Contact us today.
Your computers already have enough tangled cords coming out of it. You can get rid of the majority of them by going wireless. The best ergonomic keyboard for your contact center will help ease carpal tunnel. However, it may not look like your traditional keyboard. Some may be wireless or have the keys rearranged differently from what you’re used to. A good ergonomic keyboard, for example, will pull apart in the middle and tent vertically, which allows contact center agents to find the perfect fit for them. A good keyboard and mouse can go a long way towards improving customer satisfaction.
Here are a couple things to consider when picking the best mouse and keyboard for your contact center needs.
Check the Range
If you are considering switching to a wireless keyboard and mouse (that is if you haven’t already), be aware that the power and range of different keyboards and mice varies. Some wireless keyboards, for example, can operate through walls; while other keyboards need to be in the same room as your workstation in order to operate. The farther from your workstation, the more interference your wireless keyboard or mouse will experience.
Think Ergonomically
Some wireless mouse designs are ergonomically designed for whether you are a right-handed or left-handed user. If you need a wireless mouse that is usable by both types of users, check for extra thumb buttons or a wireless mouse shape that might make the mouse exclusively right- or left-handed.
Standard keyboards in the U.S. are based on the familiar QWERTY design, so named for the order in which the letter keys appear from left to right on the top row. This setup was prevalent on typewriters. All keys are arranged in a straight line across the device. A standard mouse may take any number of shapes, but all are used by positioning the hand above the mouse to manipulate it. In either case, the wrist is typically turned at an awkward angle, which is a prime cause of carpal tunnel syndrome.
The Type of Keys Used
The type of keys used will also have an influence on both typing comfort and the durability of the keyboard. Many keyboards opt for silicone dome switches, which use bubbles or domes in a rubbery layer of silicone membrane as the switches beneath each key. Silicone dome switches are used frequently because they are inexpensive, but they also lose their springiness and responsiveness over time. Other keyboards will use a variation on this style which adds a mechanical stabilizer to each key called a scissor switch. These hold up a little better, and offer a more comfortable typing experience, but underneath it is still a silicone membrane.
Mechanical key switches, on the other hand, have a separate spring-backed push-button switch beneath each key. There are many varieties of mechanical key switches, designed to provide different typing feel and sound, but all tend to be far more durable and comfortable than keyboards using silicone dome switches.
Make your contact center agents more productive throughout the day with the perfect keyboard and mouse. There are also headsets available that can also help agents provide more efficient customer service.
Do you have any other tips on choosing the best keyboard and mouse? Share your thoughts below.
