Among the core values of any successful business, one stands paramount: customer satisfaction. You may offer a product of exceptional quality, ensure your services are cutting-edge, surpass those of your competitors, and maintain an unwavering standard of reliability. However, none of these efforts will truly resonate if you lack the ability to engage effectively with your target audience - your customers. Communication is key; without it, even the finest offerings may go unnoticed.
As a midsize or large business, it's likely you rely on a contact centre to provide your customers with round-the-clock support. Each day, your agents manage a steady stream of inquiries, handling a variety of tasks and using multiple communication channels. Even if, at first glance, your workflow appears smooth, you may eventually encounter an unpleasant reality - negative customer feedback. One of the most common complaints? Waiting. Endless waiting for someone to answer the call.
Imagine this: all you want to do is lodge a complaint or make a simple product exchange. Instead, you’re greeted by that all-too-familiar message, “Dear customer, your call is very important to us, we will connect you as soon as possible.” A minor inconvenience, perhaps, but as the seconds drag into minutes, frustration grows. You started the call with your young son by your side, only to end it much later, facing a moustachioed fellow who’s just returned from a night out, sheepishly informing you, "Dad, I accidentally scratched the car."
The importance of your call is evident, isn’t it?
Imagine you’re a loyal fan of a particular cosmetics brand. Yet, every time you place an order, you find yourself spending far too long navigating the process. Eventually, you’ll seek out an alternative - a company that values your time and makes ordering processes simple. The shaving foam might have been fantastic, but when it takes ages to complete a simple purchase, even the best products can lose their appeal. And just as you would look elsewhere, so too will your current customers if you fail to monitor your agents' performance and productivity.
We believe it goes without saying that your customers’ opinions are vital - no reminders needed. The real question is, how can you capture this feedback effectively? Rather than going over the basics here, we invite you to explore one of our recent blog posts, where we discuss the essential reasons for measuring customer satisfaction in e-commerce.
The second question is: how can you tackle excessive waiting times once you’ve identified it as an issue? The most effective approach is to analyse your call centre workflow, measuring customer activity across various time slots. This will give you a clear picture of how many agents you need - and precisely when - to ensure no customer endures a wait so long they miss watching their children grow into fully-fledged adults.
In the previous section, we explored a common issue that leads to customer dissatisfaction: prolonged waiting times due to a shortage of agents. This section addresses the opposite challenge - agents on standby.
As a CEO or manager, you’re undoubtedly vigilant about costs. What could be more frustrating than missed opportunities for optimisation? For some, these might feel as constant as a monthly mortgage payment - but that doesn’t make them any less irksome.
Previously, we examined scenarios where agents might be underperforming. But what if you discover that a certain percentage of your agents aren’t needed for a particular type of query, as they’re each only managing one or two interactions per day? The solution here is to identify the communication channels that are understaffed and redirect idle agents to support their colleagues where demand is higher. You may wonder how to determine if an agent's skills are suitable for such a reassignment. A smart tool retains this information, matching specific skill sets to individual agents and suggesting optimal ways to keep them actively engaged.
Recruiting and training new employees is a natural part of any business. The reasons can vary - from company expansion and the resulting need for additional staff, to addressing performance issues with current employees, or, in some cases, handling voluntary resignations. The last scenario is often the most challenging, as no one wants to see valuable team members depart. The real question is: where did things go wrong on your end?
You may feel that you genuinely care for your employees and do your best to stay attentive to their individual needs. However, given the fast pace and complexity of a business of your size, you’re likely up against a familiar challenge - limited time. It’s simply not feasible to hold in-depth discussions with every employee to understand and address their unique needs.
Consider your contact centre with its team of 50 agents, each with different working preferences: full-time employees, part-timers, students, and those who can only work a couple of days a week. On top of that, some may start with a permanent contract but, due to changing circumstances, later require a more flexible schedule. So, with a team of 50, you’re continually balancing individual requests with the demands of your business, rethinking shifts and adjusting workflows accordingly.
These tasks demand significant time and effort. And if an employee feels unheard or overlooked in this process, they may reluctantly choose to leave for a place that better meets their needs. It’s not a lack of intent on your part - it’s simply a challenge of time constraints.
In this case, you might benefit from digital assistance - a system where employees can share their individual preferences, and intelligent software can generate a well-balanced work plan. Such a system would assess each agent’s requirements, taking into account their working conditions and availability, and produce an accurate schedule that meets everyone’s needs. You achieve the ideal balance of call centre activity, with agents effectively deployed across various communication channels, while your employees enjoy a fair work-life balance.
And last but not least, smart software will account for all laws and regulations governing work processes in the country where your call centre operates. In other words, the generated work plan will eliminate any risk of illegal overtime, ensure compliance with mandatory breaks, and respect all other required rest periods.
Daktela Workforce Management (WFM) is a comprehensive software solution designed to simplify and optimise call centre operations through AI-driven scheduling, precise forecasting, and enhanced agent experience. It is tailored to manage complex scheduling needs in omnichannel contact centres, where agent roles, skill sets, contract types, and preferences vary widely. By automating these scheduling tasks, Daktela WFM reduces the reliance on complex spreadsheets, minimising manual work for managers and eliminating guesswork.
Theoretically, these kinds of operations could be managed manually or in Excel. But who needs that headache? Sure, you might think you’re “saving” some finances. Yet, consider the hours you’ll spend trying to keep this cumbersome process afloat. To put it in the CFO’s terms - lost time equals lost money.
It's also worth mentioning that our workforce management software is designed with user-friendliness in mind. It features distinct modules with clear formats, icons, and visuals - making it easy to navigate and even customise to suit your needs. Some might argue that functionality is all that matters, but let’s be honest: remember the last time you attempted complex planning in Excel? Let’s guess - by the end of the day, you probably felt like calling a therapist!
We’re not suggesting that WFM requires zero effort, and if you come across software where the sales team promises exactly that, it might be wise to look elsewhere. With our solution, however, the reality is that once it's set up, it runs automatically with minimal need for ongoing attention.
Daktela WFM offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to tackle the core issues leading to customer dissatisfaction, ensuring your business meets and exceeds customer expectations. Here's how it can make a difference:
Eliminating Excessive Waiting Times: With Daktela WFM’s AI-driven traffic forecasting, you’ll have a powerful tool for predicting precisely how many agents are needed at any time. By analysing historical data across all communication channels, Daktela WFM allows you to maintain an optimal staffing level, reducing wait times and improving response rates. This means you can strike a perfect balance, avoiding both under and overstaffing, so that customers aren’t left on hold, frustrated by endless delays.
Optimising Agent Utilisation and Availability: Daktela WFM enables you to create a balanced and responsive shift plan that meets actual demand, while also factoring in individual agent skills, availability, and preferences. By offering agents the option to self-schedule or swap shifts, you’ll see a more engaged and motivated workforce. Additionally, the software helps you dynamically reassign idle agents to high-demand queues, ensuring every channel is covered and customer service remains swift and efficient.
Increasing Agent Satisfaction and Reducing Turnover: High turnover in your call centre can disrupt operations, leading to inconsistent service as new staff undergo training. Daktela WFM directly addresses this by improving the agent experience through features like self-scheduling and shift-swapping, promoting a better work-life balance. When agents feel valued and engaged, they’re more likely to stay, reducing turnover and maintaining the expertise within your team - ultimately leading to a smoother, more consistent customer experience.
Ensuring Compliance and Transparent Scheduling: Compliance with local regulations around breaks, working hours, and overtime is crucial for any business, and Daktela WFM is built with these requirements in mind. By providing a transparent scheduling process that agents can access from anywhere, both agents and management can see their schedules clearly, reducing potential compliance issues and establishing trust within the team.
In a nutshell, Daktela WFM combines advanced AI forecasting, flexible scheduling, and compliance-focused features to create a healthy experience for both customers and agents. By enabling businesses to deploy the right number of agents at the right time, it ensures customers aren’t left waiting, agents remain engaged and satisfied, and management maintains control and compliance across the board. With Daktela WFM, you’re not just meeting service expectations - you’re surpassing them.
Thinking Daktela WFM could become your trusted partner in workforce management? Feel free to reach out directly to our expert on the topic of workforce management, Zdenek Čech. Simply email daktela@daktela.com expressing your interest in WFM - your message will be automatically directed to Zdeněk, who will be happy to provide further guidance.
Once the deal is in place, all personalised technical aspects will be expertly managed by Tomáš Krejčí - Daktela WFM’s lead developer, who knows the software like the back of his hand.
