Call center Management Chapter 7 Calculating shrinkage and making schedules Chapter7 1
Calculating shrinkage and making schedules Scheduling is a Complex area in today s world. Modern call centers support a lot more products than they did in the past. Technology has automated many simple Transactions The core object of staffing and scheduling remains the same to get the right people. Shrinkage is the calculation of the actual rostered factor Chapter7 2
Calculating shrinkage and making schedules If one perspective is taken, a schedule is a high level Forecast. The scheduling incorporates all of the previous planning steps and Predicts who needs to be where. A schedule that accurately matches agents to work load is a good. The calculation of the Base staff is very essential. The schedules need to reflect the changes in the Workload Chapter7 3
Scheduling Challenge Step1: Choosing the service level Step2: Acquiring necessary planning data. Step3: Forecasting the work load step4 : Calculating base staff Step5: Calculating trunk required Chapter7 4
Scheduling Challenge Thank you for holding our rep are either taking a break having lunch Rebooting their computer Making personal calls On vacation Sick In training Doing after call work Taking to other callers Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold Chapter7 5
Taking shrinkage into consideration At times the rep. needs to do after call work after answering the calls of the customers Some call center managers incorrectly add a fixed percentage to their Base staff The things that keep the staff off the phone Fluctuate throughout the day. The rostered staff factor is also called as the overlay factor The rostered factor is a Numerical that needs to be calculated Chapter7 6
Taking shrinkage into consideration The calculation for the rostering happens after the Base is calculated. The term RSF was first used by the Airlines industry. The calculation of the shrink factor is a variant of the forecasting procedure RSF = On Schedule / On phone The shrinkage factor is calculated in 5 steps Chapter7 7
Taking shrinkage into consideration Step1: Enter the base staff required at half hour intervals Step2 : Identifying the things that routinely keep agents off the phones: Step3: Add base staff to the number of reps that will be off the phone for each half an hour Calculate shrink factor Use the shrink factors when organizing future schedules Chapter7 8
Taking shrinkage into consideration It is necessary to identify the things that Routinely keep the agents of the phone The on-schedule column is the sum of the Entries in the previous columns by half an hour in the context of the shrinkage calculations The usage of the shrink factors is useful when organizing the Future schedules. Absenteeism can be forecasted but a major illness cannot be forecasted Absenteeism like other factors needs to be anticipated for specific times of the day Chapter7 9
Inclusions It is necessary to identify the things that Routinely keep the agents of the phone The on-schedule column is the sum of the Entries in the previous columns by half an hour in the context of the shrinkage calculations The usage of the shrink factors is useful when organizing the Future schedules. Absenteeism can be forecasted but a major illness cannot be forecasted Absenteeism like other factors needs to be anticipated for specific times of the day Chapter7 10
Approaches to Scheduling Strategies such as Staggered schedules and part time agents mean that absenteeism will vary by the time of the day. If the training happens in Predictable proportions to the staff required on the phones, it can be included. The aspect of planning involves identifying the feasible scheduling approaches. The Staggered shifts are required until the center is fully staffed for the busy mid-morning traffic It is very essential to Forecast and plan the regular nonphone work Chapter7 11
Approaches to Scheduling It is essential to have Internal part-timers. It is very essential to forecast the non-phone activities. The agents assigned to the part-time duties can act as Reinforcements. It is a very good option to offer Concentrated shifts. Short, easy calls are the Tougher and more tedious to handle for long hours Chapter7 12
Approaches to Scheduling No additional Training is required and many agents volunteer for extra work. Overtime can be Expensive as an ongoing activity. In the initial start of the call center setup it is necessary to keep the best service level and it can be sacrificed at any costs If the schedules are made very much in advance, they might become more Inefficient If a shorter time frame is used, the scheduling might become less Popular Chapter7 13
Approaches to Scheduling No additional Training is required and many agents volunteer for extra work. Overtime can be Expensive as an ongoing activity. In the initial start of the call center setup it is necessary to keep the best service level and it can be sacrificed at any costs If the schedules are made very much in advance, they might become more Inefficient If a shorter time frame is used, the scheduling might become less Popular Chapter7 14
Bringing it all together Restrictions on the part-time staff, hours worked and overtime pay will have an impact on the alternatives that can be used. Traditionally scheduling has been working towards matching the schedules with the inbound call load As there are more types of works to handle, many call centers are using an Envelope approach The scheduling software can be big help in generating schedules according to established Parameters. Staffing and scheduling is an art, which takes time. Chapter7 15
Calculating shrinkage and making schedules End Of Chapter 7 Chapter7 16