Workforce Management

The earliest definition of contact center management that I know of came from Gordon MacPherson, founder of the Incoming Calls Management Institute (ICMI) in 1985. Gordon authored the Essentials Skills and Knowledge course, which...

Contact centers have long emphasized a strategy that is customer first, and for good reason. Delivering an outstanding customer experience is essential to driving brand loyalty and equity. Often neglected however, was the agent....

It is a good news/troubling news story for contact centers. How they and their supplier partners plan and respond will help determine how well the industry succeeds in the post-COVID-19 pandemic “new normal” era. On...

Everyone likes simplicity, especially in the world of customer service. The best contact center agents will simplify difficult situations for callers, and smart contact center managers will simplify training and workforce development for their...

Admittedly, I have not worked in a lot of different industries, but it is hard to imagine there are many that have a greater penchant for acronyms than the contact center space. When I...

Old and in the way, That’s what I heard them say. They used to heed the words he said, But that was yesterday. I had a birthday in June, and it suddenly struck me that I’ve lived for...

Artificial intelligence has become common in many households and workplaces. Popular AI personal assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, Alexa and Bixby have played a big role in rapidly reshaping consumer attitudes about how...

Frontline focused! To make it in the future, contact center leadership needs to get down to the business of being “frontline-focused.” The competition for contact center resources has never been greater; this puts contemporary...

Our workforce management (WFM) landscape is changing at breakneck speed. Many organizations are now 100% work-from-home or have a workforce divided between brick-and-mortar and virtual agents (82% are WFH since July 2020—Gartner). This presents...

At Pelorus Associates, we have studied the workforce management (WFM) space for over a decade. Our biannual reports delve deeply into the size, composition, market shares, trends, drivers and obstacles. The reports are quantitative...

Contact Center Pipeline's SPONSOR WALL OF FAME Company name: Human Numbers CEO/Founder: Tiffany LaReau, Certified Workforce Manager & Owner When founded: 2008 Describe your company: We create forecasts, generate schedules and develop staffing models for all kinds of contact centers. What is...

As companies realign their workforce during these disruptive times, work-from-home (WFH) is quickly redefining the concept of “business as usual.” Both companies and employees benefit from WFH strategies. A Stanford University study found that...

The upheaval created by the Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented. Your customers are understandably concerned and confused, and are likely coming to your organization with many questions, most of which are different from what your...

Contact Center Pipeline's SPONSOR WALL OF FAME Company name: WFMSG (The Workforce Management Software Group) CEO/Co-Founders: Daryl Gonos, CEO; Todd Cotharin, COO; Peter Schmidt, CTO When founded: 2005 Describe your company: WFMSG provides a unique and simplified approach to forecasting and...

Whew! You made it. Your team made it. Another holiday season is behind you. Despite all the challenges, despite all the: Product inquiries Order status checks Incorrect orders Lost shipments Website problems Higher customer contact volumes Agent sickness and holidays Holiday season...

No matter the size of your contact center, your team is focused on making sure you have the right number of agents to process the transactions within the targeted grade of service while controlling...

Workforce management is a blend of art and science—and without a doubt, an effective WFM strategy is vital to the successful operation of any contact center. What was on the minds of contact center...

The more career-centered workforce managers I meet, the more alike I notice that we all are. We share the same traits, with experience level being the main difference. That is because, regardless of the...

Trends drive business and social behavior, which is why we are always interested in observing and analyzing those that will impact contact centers and their suppliers now and into the future. Following are five over-arching...

If you’re in the market for workforce management (WFM) software and you don’t know how to get started, consider these two approaches: Use a WFM request for proposal (RFP) questionnaire with multiple vendors. Give...