It’s that time of year again. The holidays are returning. Those days are back where we all dream of those days off on the horizon, watching the kids explode with excitement, leaving a trail of shredded wrapping paper and boxes in their wake. So, let us begin by saying “Merry (or Happy for our friends in the UK) Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, and of course, Happy New Year. Make sure all your wishes are submitted to St. Nicholas in time, and parents, go to bed early on December 24th, because you know your kids won’t let you sleep in!
We’ve likely already made you familiar with Merlang, our formula which provides more accurate forecasts than the older formula Erlang-C. We are happy to let you all know that we are expanding on our trusted WFM solution with Customer Experience Cloud Solutions, namely Pipkins CCAAS (Contact Center As A Service). The Pipkins CCAAS pairs perfectly with Merlang and includes interactive voice response (IVR), which is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers and gathers information. The omnichannel queue management platform, skills-based automatic contact distribution offers customers the ability to reach out to your contact center using not only the phone, but also email, chat, and social media. Computer telephony integration (CTI) includes call routing, screen popping, and advanced call reporting functions. The Pipkins CCAAS also includes call recording and a feature to evaluate calls and interactions between agents and customers. The CCAAS is just one more piece of the workforce management suite that makes Pipkins, Inc. the ultimate one-stop shop.
While we’re discussing new features, we’re happy to announce that the Automated Editor has arrived and is ready to get to work! The automated editor is a tool that can recognize routine edits and make changes based on your customized requirements. Each day your supervisors or clerical staff must take time to modify schedules for many of the same reasons – aligning start times, lunches, and breaks. It is time consuming, repetitive, and boring. The automated editor can now do those tasks for them.
To give an example, what if your policy was that workers not clocked in by X were considered a no-call-no-show? The automated editor would modify the schedule to reflect a no-call-no-show without your supervisor lifting a finger.
What if the agent is scheduled at 8:00 but doesn’t clock in until 8:03? If your policy considers this a late start, then the automated editor modifies their schedule to late start.
You can make extra complex requirements as well. Let’s say your agent is scheduled for 8:00 and by 8:30 his schedule is modified to no-call-no-show automatically. He then shows up at 8:45 with a good excuse so he clocks in. Automatically the no-call-no-show schedule is modified, and he goes on late start. But what if he heads out to lunch and doesn’t return? The automated editor can modify that schedule once again as an abandoned shift.
Flexible schedules can automatically align once the agent has punched in. Lunches and breaks can align automatically – but only if that is a task you want the automated editor to do. The main point is that there are many edits that can now be done automatically. You can have requirements for different groups as well. This new tool is available now for only $3.00 per agent. Give Alan Mayer (314.469.6106 ext. 1002) or Jim Hogan (314.469.6106 ext. 731) a call to find out how we might be able to help your team.
Let us close out this newsletter and this year with warm wishes, once again, to all of you and your friends & families. We’ll see you all soon in 2020 and beyond. Happy Holidays!