How to Boost Agent Productivity Using Workforce Optimisation

Contact centre workforce optimisation (WFO) equips you with all the tools you need to maximise the potential of your agents and manage talent effectively. The primary components of WFO include quality management, scheduling, and workforce engagement – all of which serve to increase the productivity of your contact centre.

Understanding the Factors Contributing to Agent Productivity

Agent productivity relies on a number of variables, ranging from technology/equipment access to optimal schedules, and rewards or incentives. Some of the key factors you need to remember when looking to improve productivity are:

• Data visibility and self-assessment – Agents must be aware of the targets set and tangible KPIs, monitoring their own progress against these indices. Without knowing what to aim for, productivity is likely to plateau
• Scheduling efficiency – When agents are empowered to choose their best-fit schedules, they are more willing to go the extra mile instead of feeling a sense of compulsion. Scheduling empowerment, even if it slightly reduces agent availability, influences per agent throughput
• Ready to use checklists – The availability of clear and concise checklists at hand, without having to look up assets in a complicated knowledge base, makes a big difference to productivity. Agents know exactly which action items to follow to unlock the desired outcomes
• Motivational aids – In large teams and especially in a WFH environment, it is easy to lose interest and investment in the job at hand. Tactics like real-time coaching, gamification, recognition, etc., therefore influence productivity significantly
• Agent happiness – Ultimately – no matter how optimally you define your schedules or set KPI targets – agent productivity comes down to workplace happiness, job satisfaction, and individual wellbeing. Remember, the agent experience is directly linked to CX quality in 75% of cases

Workforce optimisation solutions can push the needle on all of these factors in the right direction.

4 Tips to Leverage WFO for Greater Agent Productivity

Contact centre WFO is often erroneously considered to be an operational tool, designed to maintain business as usual. In reality, WFO solutions give you enormous opportunities to generate value, driving individual agent productivity and efficient operations that reflect on your bottom line.

1. Use AI/ML for scheduling

Creating agent schedules for large, multichannel/omni-channel contact centres can be a daunting task, and even a small error would have a ripple effect on productivity. AI/ML can ingest data on peak volumes, historic demand patterns, shrinkage, customer behaviour, etc., to recommend the schedule that best aligns with your business targets.

2. Offer self-service scheduling and shift swapping

These two features empower contact centres agents and allow them to choose a shift during their most productive hours. Without worries around work-life balance or having to juggle multiple obligations, agents are likely to be more productive.

3. Equip agents and managers with analytics data

Agents and managers could overlook key improvement areas if the right performance data isn’t available at hand. Interaction analytics and screen analytics can together provide a holistic picture of agent productivity and if they are able to reach the desired outcomes.

4. Simplify tasks and motivate agents

Finally, WFO can reduce agent efforts by automating tasks such as call summarisation, knowledge retrieval, etc., and its engagement capabilities via gamification can drive productivity further.