Beyond the Numbers Game

摘要

When you encounter a phrase like "workforce optimization," it's understandable if your first impulse is to dismiss the term. The idea of optimizing something as abstract as a workforce seems to come from a mindset that perceives call center agents only as units of labor. But in practice, we don't aim to optimize agents. Instead, we aim to optimize how agents use their time. For a call center, the ability of agents to manage their time has greater implications than whether agents follow their schedules. Call center managers expect that, at a minimum, agents are available to assist customers. But agents' schedules don't revolve entirely around work. Many agents seek employment in call centers so that they can have flexibility outside work. Like call center managers, agents have expectations. At a minimum, agents want their employers to recognize the circumstances when they are most productive. For call centers, the cost of not offering flexible schedules is turnover.