9 Workforce Optimization Hacks To Boost Your Call Center Efficiency

Are you looking to optimize your call center workforce?

The industry has around 3 million employees with all the smaller off-shore operations included. While it may look like a lot of people, you’ll realize that other call centers will also try to recruit them into their employment. With the fierce competition for workers, you should learn how to optimize those already under your employ.

Workforce optimization is the best way for you to increase the efficiency of call centers even with a limited workforce. How will you do this in your call center, though?

Read what’s below to learn how you can increase the efficiency of your workforce. Use these hacks to keep your call center working smoothly.

1. Train Employees From the Get-Go

The best way to ensure the quality of your worker’s output is to train them from the start. From the day you recruit them, it’s best to show them how your company works. Giving them the basics allows them to become self-sufficient along the line. 

You can also take this opportunity to teach them the proper processes of your company. Teaching them how you handle things and the company’s voice and persona allow for consistency among workers.

It’s also a good idea to provide coaching from time to time. No matter how good a worker is, they’ll tend to forget about some things. Doing this is a great way to ensure they keep the workflow going.

2. Ask and Accept Employee Feedback

Another way to optimize the call center for efficiency is to ask for the feedback of your workers. It’s a staple for every manager to ensure that employees are content with their workplace. This is why you should also accept every bit of feedback that your agents give you.

Use this to construct a better workplace for your agents. It’s also a good way to address the needs and requests of your workers.

3. Consider Workplace Automation

In a call center, there are some tasks that will take up a lot of your workers’ time. These are often tedious tasks that cause workers to break away from their main job. Among these tasks are call logging, dispatch and delivery of printed materials, and making follow-up calls.

Automating these tasks is a great way to reduce the time needed to get these done. It allows agents to focus on their main tasks. This also ensures that there’s no downtime for employees between tasks.

4. Allow Flexible Scheduling for Workers

Do you want to ensure that your employees bring their A-game as they enter for work? Giving them a schedule to follow isn’t the way to go. Some agents have a problem with the schedule they’re given, and will often have to force themselves to go to work.

Giving them some control over their schedules is the way to go. One way is to give employees the chance to schedule their own shifts. As long as the office stays manned at all times, there should be no problem with this.

5. Provide Incentives for Good Performance

Giving some incentives to your workers is a great way to ensure they do their best in the workplace. Rewards will motivate your workers to reach a certain quota in different factors. Setting incentives for things like attendance and performance is a great way to increase workplace efficiency.

Another way for you to do this is by setting up a competition between agents. Giving rewards to the best-performing employee in the month is an option. Each agent is sure to pour their best efforts into the job. 

6. Hold Social Events

Another way to optimize your workplace is by making sure your agents get along well. A good way to do this is by allowing them to get to know each other beyond the workplace. This is why it’s a good idea to hold social events on the regular. 

What’s great about this is that employees get to socialize with each other. This opens up the possibility of agents helping each other out in the workplace. They can even exchange tips and insights with each other. 

7. Give Breaks During Work Hours

Agents also experience burnout while on the job. Dealing with unreasonable customers can take a toll on an agent’s mental health. When this happens, giving them a much-needed break is the best way to help them cope.

Offer them a set amount of time for them to use however they want. A long enough break is enough for them to relieve themselves of any stress or burnout they’re feeling. Make sure that this is separate from their lunch break, though. 

Managing breaks is also a great way to help agents and the company at the same time. It’s an effective way to reduce the possibility of shrinkage. Check this guide about call center shrinkage to learn what it’s all about.

8. Show Them How Well They Do

Do you want your employees to improve their output at work? Show them how well they’re doing on a regular workday! No one can convince workers that they need to improve more than themselves.

When they see they’re falling short of their expected performance, they’ll make more of an effort to make up for it. If you’re going to do this, though, it’s important to let agents know beforehand. This will them from feeling like your attacking them for their poor performance.

Workforce optimization software allows you to make a visual representation of your agents’ performance. You can use these programs to come up with a comprehensive way to calculate performance scores and such.

9. Decorate the Workplace Well

Most people don’t know that a well-designed workplace will increase productivity. This is because it will serve as a refreshing break from the typical cubicle-office scene. Some better decor will only improve the mood of your workers. 

Once they’re in a good mood, you can be sure productivity will increase. It’s a great and easy way to improve the look of the office and the mood it enforces. 

Use These Workforce Optimization Hacks Today

Workforce optimization is the best way for you to improve the quality and efficiency of your call center. Use the guide above to know about the hacks you can use to optimize your workforce today!

Do you want to improve your business management skills? A great workforce optimization solution can only get you so far. Check out our guides to learn how you can manage your workers and their schedules to further improve workplace efficiency now!