Almost all Pipkins’ workforce management (WFM) customers achieve ROI well within year 1. Where these savings come from differs depending upon the structure and nature of the organization. Typically, however, they fall into the following categories…

• Contact Center Staff Related Savings
• Service level improvements and efficiencies
• Better use of planning and Admin. staff

For sales based operations, some of the service level improvements will lead to increased revenues.

Contact Center Staff Related Savings

Eliminate Overstaffing

The workforce management system easily and accurately forecasts and schedules for multi-skilled, multi-media contact centers, working out the absolute best possible schedules with available resources. It understands how to blend service targets for blended working where appropriate.

Some organizations use the system to introduce annualized hours, which it handles seamlessly.  This is often very difficult to do manually.

The system will help in optimizing recruitment plans. It can work out scenarios indicating the numbers of additional staff, skills and shift types needed to handle projected growth. It can also help analyse the effects of introducing degrees of flexible working, temps and part-time staff to fill gaps.

Most customers see an improvement in forecast accuracy by about 10%.

Reduction in average payroll cost per hour of handle time

 By eliminating overstaffing.

Improved agent occupancy rate

Typical improvements are between 5-7%.

If the existing Occupancy rate is 85%, an increase of 5% gives the equivalent of at least 3 additional staff members when multiplied across only 75 agents.

Reduced shrinkage

Between 8-10% on average.

Improved ratio of agents to team leader

The self-service tools easily allow the team leader to look after more agents more effectively. The team leader administrative burden is greatly reduced. An uplift of 10% is not uncommon.

Overtime Savings

The system generates the best schedules taking into account demand and absences, and any other exceptions like team meetings.

If service levels can not be achieved with available staff, the system can generate an overtime roster at the touch of a button which will accurately cover any shortfall. By offering overtime via the WebAccess web portal the system ensures that overtime is not oversubscribed. This eliminates guesswork and potential over staffing.

Most customers see are able to reduce overtime hours by 7-9%.

Preference Based Scheduling

Members of staff can specify their start time, end time and day off preferences. The system will automatically and fairly incorporate these where demand allows, resulting in greater staff satisfaction and less rime spent in discussion with team leaders and planning staff.

Reduced Staff Turnover

Introducing web self-service (vacation planning, shift swaps, etc.), incorporating agent preferences fairly and improving service levels empowers agents and enhances the experience for all working in the contact center. A better working environment for contact center staff leads to reduced turnover.

Service Level Improvements = increased sales and/or better customer satisfaction

These are mainly due to good planning; however the Pipkins real-time adherence monitoring tool helps to ensure staff are working according to their schedules.  Planning operations staff can see discrepancies in real time and take action to get agents back on plan.

For Sales queues, increased occupancy, number of calls handled and reduced handling times and shrinkage mean more revenue.

For Service queues increased occupancy, number of calls handled and reduced handling times and shrinkage mean better quality and customer satisfaction.

• Increase in total number of calls answered / transactions processed. By having sufficient staff available when needed. Some organizations have reported up to a 24% improvement.

• Increase in calls answered / transactions processed within service level. The contact center now consistently achieves service level targets. Some organizations have never achieved service target prior to introducing the system.

• Decrease in the average handle time, resulting in a reduction in operating costs. Particularly with telephone calls, there is a correlation between the time a call is waiting and the handling time. The longer the wait the longer it takes to deal with the call. A 5% decrease is not uncommon.

• Reduction in average time callers wait in queue or wait for email responses.

• Increase in total monthly handle time.

• Decrease in calls abandoned between 5-8% on average.

Planning and Admin. Staff

There are massive efficiency savings to be had with the workforce management system handling many of the time consuming administrative tasks jobs associated with running the contact center.

• Forecasting and Schedule production takes minutes instead of days
• Distributing schedules to staff and informing them of any changes is handled automatically
• Leave requests, absences and shift swaps are checked and validated automatically by the system.
• Reporting is automated.

Planning staff are able to spend more time using their expertise to model scenarios, analyse trends, improve recruitment projections, explore new technologies and look after the contact center than just data entry, routine tasks and paperwork.

Across the board (which includes planners, team leaders, other admin. Staff in the center), administrative savings are normally between 10-12%. Planners have more time to plan and managers have more time to manage.

Cultural Changes 

Lower staff turnover

Better planning leads to less stress and better performance. The self-service options empower agents and improve their work experience. Together these have a substantial effect on the working environment and reducing staff turnover. 

Flexible Working

 The more flexibility there is in staff contracts the more efficient the staff schedules can be. Because the system can handle and blend fixed and flexible work rules with ease, and can model the effects of such changes in advance using scenario planning the organization can introduce new programs with confidence and demonstrate the benefits to contact center staff.

Additional Potential Savings

• The Pipkins Notification System that is a component of the workforce management (WFM) package can be used as a center-wide messaging system for any relevant information.  It offers a variety of screen-pop, email, tick and other notification methods that can be used by both team leaders and contact center management.

• All the benefits of the self-service functionality (vacation planning, overtime planning etc) can easily be extended to staff outside the contact center.

• Recruitment planning. The system has all the scenario tools needed for medium and long term recruitment planning. Whether an organization is expanding its product range, markets, growing through acquisition or otherwise, the system can work out, over and above existing resources, how many new staff, with what mix of skills and the best shifts to operate to handle future demand.

ABOUT PIPKINS, INC.: Founded in 1983 and based in St. Louis, Missouri, Pipkins is a leading provider of  workforce management WFM solutions for the contact center industry. Today, Pipkins’ systems forecast, plan and schedule more than 300,000 agents in over 500 locations across all industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.pipkins.com.