Flexible Scheduling Reimagines Workforce Management
The time has come for flexible scheduling, especially for contact centers where inflexible scheduling practices are a top driver of agent dissatisfaction and attrition. There are many approaches to flexible scheduling, including inviting employees to participate in setting all or part of their work schedules. The idea is to introduce the on-demand scheduling practices that work for the gig economy into contact centers.>
Here are a few ways in which flexible scheduling can be applied:
- Full agent schedule autonomy: Agents are invited to request the days and times they are available to work, and the WFM administrator can schedule them only during these times. (As agents are asked to provide all options, WFM administrators can select the dates/times that best match the organization's needs.) This includes allowing employees to select their lunches and breaks, which can be different each day. Additionally, agents can change their workdays and times as needed, as long as it's done within established guidelines. This approach gives agents full control over their work schedules.
- Partial agent schedule autonomy: Agents are allowed to request specific workdays and the hours in which they are available. This method gives agents control over when they do and do not work, and it gives the organization flexibility in scheduling agents.
- Lunch and break options: Agent schedules are assigned based on the organization's needs within the hours each employee has agreed to work each day. However, agents are allowed to select their lunch and breaks and can change them when needed, as long as it's done within designated guidelines. This technique enables companies to hire agents to cover specific days and hours, but it also gives employees the flexibility to select and change their lunches and breaks.
- Hybrid agent schedule flexibility: Agents select their work hours on certain days, and work times are selected by the company on others. This gives agents full or partial scheduling flexibility on a pre-specified number of days and the contact center WFM administrator full oversight on other days. As the company can assign different flex days to agents, they are well-positioned to balance their staffing needs.
There's a broad range of options, and the challenge is for contact centers to find a balance between their staffing requirements and their employees'; needs for scheduling flexibility. It will require trade-offs.
The Business Case for Flexible Scheduling
Contact center agent attrition rates are high, typically ranging from 35 percent to 50 percent and exceeding 100 percent in some outsourcing companies. While onboarding and training costs vary by organization and country, DMG estimates that in most organizations in North America, the two weeks dedicated to training new agents cost between $3,000 and $4,000 per agent. If scheduling flexibility reduces agent attrition by a conservative 25 percent, contact centers that employ 500 will save many thousands of dollars per year while also enhancing the customer experience and agent engagement, as their staff will be better-trained.
But there is much more to the story, as introducing flexible scheduling will improve the atmosphere and culture of the department. The flexibility will position your contact center as a preferred employer. People will want to work there because of the scheduling flexibility. This positivity will carry over into how agents interact with customers, truly setting apart your contact center for customers, employees, and likely your bottom line.
The Catch
There are a variety of factors to consider when deciding how to introduce flexible scheduling options in your contact center. A workforce management solution that enables your selected approach is required, as are updated processes for managing the process. Your company's HR department will likely need to be brought into the discussion to sanction the new staffing approach.
The other major issue is that flexible scheduling might require contact centers to hire more agents than would have been needed if scheduling engines were fully optimized for staffing efficiency. However, the benefit of a highly engaged and satisfied staff with a much lower attrition rate is expected to offset any additional costs.
Donna Fluss, founder and president of DMG Consulting, provides a unique and unparalleled understanding of the people, processes, and technology that drive the strategic direction of the dynamic and rapidly transforming contact center and back-office markets. As the foremost analyst and visionary dedicated to the contact center and back-office markets, Fluss has provided expert guidance for more than 30 years to technology leaders as well as disruptive newcomers, investors, and enterprises that want to build next-generation AI-enabled contact centers. She can be reached at Donna.Fluss@dmgconsult.com.