How To Improve Adherence In A Call Center

When agents adhere to their schedule (login time, breaks, etc.), they will be able to handle more than calls, thereby positively impacting the customer experience.

However, ensuring schedule adherence is not as simple as it looks. Yous take to consider factors that are beyond the agents' control, such every bit calls that overrun into a tiffin suspension.

That said, there are several means to improve schedule adherence in the call center. Just let'due south get-go understand what schedule adherence is and how to calculate it.

What is Schedule Adherence?

Oft confused with occupancy rate , schedule adherence is a metric that helps determine whether or not the agents are working the corporeality of time they are paid to. Schedule adherence takes the time spent on breaks and not-telephone call-related work into account.

For a call middle organisation with 50 agents with an average salary of $12/hour, a 15 infinitesimal of non-adherence would cost $39,000 in lost revenue per twelvemonth.

How to Calculate Schedule Adherence in the Contact Center?

Schedule adherence is calculated past dividing the total time an agent is bachelor to take calls by the time they are scheduled to piece of work.

Schedule adherence = ((Time spent treatment calls + other work-related activity time) / (Shift fourth dimension – (dejeuner/dinner) – (break))) x 100

Here'south an example to help you better sympathise how to summate schedule adherence.

Agents	Shift time (in mins)	Time spent handling calls (in mins)	Time spent in other work-related tasks (in mins)	Lunch/Dinner time (in mins)	Break (in mins)
1	480	310	30	60	20
2	480	340	20	62	28
3	480	315	26	64	31

Adherence for Agent ane : (310 + xxx) / (480 – 60 – twenty) 10 100 = (340/400) x 100 = 85%

Adherence for Agent 2 : (340 + 20) / (480 – 62 – 28) x 100 = (360/390) 10 100 = 92.iii%

Adherence for Amanuensis 3 : (315 + 26) / (480 – 64 – 31) x 100 = (341/385) x 100 = 88.5%

While there is no universally recognized schedule adherence benchmark, an 85-95% rate is considered acceptable.

Best Practices of Schedule Adherence & how to improve it

Now that you know what schedule adherence is and how to calculate information technology let'due south look at eight means to improve it.

ane- Determine the Key Reasons for Your Agents Going Out of Adherence

The kickoff step to improving schedule adherence is identifying the reasons affecting it. Hither are some common reasons for non-adherence of schedule:

• The agent is frequently coming late or taking one-half-24-hour interval holidays.
• Your advisors are unaware of how their behavior (long breaks, late login, etc.) affects their adherence.
• The agent takes longer lunch breaks.
• Your advisors lack the motivation to work efficiently.
• The schedule is very inflexible, creating also much pressure for agents and the need to take actress breaks.

2- Highlight the Importance of Schedule Adherence

When agents know the importance of schedule adherence from day one, they are more likely to follow it. Also, make them understand how adhering to the schedule tin benefit them.

For case, when the counselor doesn't get on the phone on time, the squad's occupancy can rise, meaning that other advisors will have less time to destress betwixt calls.

iii- Let Your Agents to Adjust Their Shifts When Necessary

Employees are less likely to stick to a rigid schedule. Call back that even your best agents could get tardily sometimes. Therefore it is crucial to have tools that allow your agents to conform their shift a few minutes here and there. This can significantly meliorate schedule adherence.

It would also exist great if y'all can give your employees the selection to work from home whenever necessary.

4- Leverage Employee Management Tools

When it comes to improving schedule adherence, technology tin be your best friend. Employee management tools tin assistance yous monitor breaks and active time in the function.

You can likewise prepare business rules to automatically identify agents scheduled to continue a lunch/dinner within the adjacent 2-5 minutes. And so prompt them to start their break early to forbid them from receiving a call that might see their lunch/dinner.

5- Allow Your Agents to Swap Shifts

There comes a state of affairs when we need or desire a day off at the last moment. From the call center's perspective, giving leave at the last moment is not possible every time equally you would need a backup to handle additional calls.

The all-time mode to gainsay this situation is past assuasive your agents to swap shifts with colleagues so they tin can handle personal responsibilities every bit they arise without affecting your business concern.

Many workforce management tools offer a merchandise shift module. It as well allows agents to view their colleagues' schedules, making it easier for them to swap shifts. This helps increase employee satisfaction, which can accept a positive touch on schedule adherence.

half-dozen- Show Advisors Their Schedule Adherence on an Ongoing Basis

This is yet another great mode to improve schedule adherence. Show advisors their schedule adherence regularly, then it stays on the top of their minds every time.

You can also incentivize agents who adhere to their schedule more than frequently than others. This will encourage all the agents in your team to stick to their schedules.

7- Coach Your Agents in Real-Fourth dimension to Build Their Confidence

When agents are confident in their job, they are likely to spend more time on their desk-bound, thereby adhering to the schedule. It likewise keeps them in a position where they can handle customers' concerns better. This makes it imperative to coach your agents in real-fourth dimension.

Past monitoring calls in real-time, you tin ensure they are saying the right things or barge into the calls if an agent needs support. This will better your agent'due south confidence and encourage them to spend more than time attending calls.

Wrapping Up

Improving schedule adherence can have a positive touch on on your contact heart'southward efficiency. Information technology tin can also help enhance the customer experience every bit your agents volition exist nearly of the fourth dimension to handle your customer's queries.

Did we miss any essential strategy to improve schedule adherence? What other ways practice you follow to enhance your phone call center schedule adherence? Let usa know in the comments.

Source: https://callhippo.com/blog/callcenter/call-center-schedule-adherence

Share this post