By Bob Webb, VP Sales, Pipkins
Staffing your center during holiday seasons can be challenging. Most agents want to take at least some of their vacation days during the winter holidays. These are typically the times when call volumes are at their highest and the center is vulnerable to over- and under-staffing.
For larger centers, the answer lies in an automated vacation planning system that allows agents to submit requests electronically which will be fit into the available vacation slots based on a set of rules established by managers. With automated systems that are able to handle sophisticated variables ranging from staffing by agent skill set to re-assignment of unused vacation slots, call center managers can easily keep operations running smoothly.
A vacation planner that integrates with your workforce optimization program will be far more efficient and accurate. Staffing needs as determined by the workforce management system can be used to calculate available vacation slots. Vacation schedules stored in the larger system will be instantly accessible to the vacation module, enabling agents to view total slots and slots remaining without manual data entry. Once vacation time is granted, the main system will be automatically updated, and the vacation will be included in the agent’s schedule when produced. If the vacation is cancelled after it has been posted, the system will adjust accordingly.
Benefits for Agents
The vacation planning system should provide a variety of self-service functions to agents which allows them to:
• Check their personal vacation eligibility
• View available vacation slots
• Submit or bid on desired vacation dates
• Check request status
Benefits for Managers
The functionality for call center managers must be more extensive. The system should be able to support highly sophisticated scheduling as well as different corporate policies that will affect vacation booking. Supervisors or schedulers should be able to:
• Import each agent’s vacation eligibility for the year
• Set vacation limits for different times of the year
• Set ‘blackout’ days where no vacation is allowed
• Support both vacation bidding and automatic rules-based approval of vacation requests
• Allocate vacation slots by agent group
• Limit advance booking of vacation requests
Automating the vacation planning process yields a variety of benefits. It allows managers to gain control over vacation requests, with the ability to implement rules in a clearly objective manner. It also reduces clerical requirements and associated costs and gives staff and supervisors instant visibility into vacation schedules. Most importantly, automated vacation planners give call center managers the tools they need to balance agents’ vacation requests with the call center’s business needs. That in turn can help increase agent satisfaction, employee retention, quality of service and the bottom line.
About Pipkins Inc.
Pipkins Inc., founded in 1983, is the leading supplier of workforce management software and services to the call center industry. Pipkins’ systems forecast and schedule more than 100,000 agents in over 300 locations across all industries worldwide.