Schedule Adherence is a measurement of how much time an agent spends on a call, wrapping up a call or available to take a call during his shift. In the simplest form, the calculation is:
(Talk Time + After Call Work + Available Time)/Shift Time
The above calculation has a few problems. First of all, shift time needs to be defined by an organization (do agents log off during breaks or do they put themselves in an unavailable mode). Furthermore, it is extremely important that the center defines how all activities conducted by agents should be logged and enforces those rules as standards. It is also of importance that centers define exactly what constitutes shift time. Do you include time spent in “approved and planned” non-phone activities (training, meetings, coaching, etc)? Additionally, adherence does not measure whether or not the agent worked the assigned schedule.
Another aspect of schedule adherence is setting the goal. It must be realistic and attainable or you will encourage agents to attempt to play the system, leading to a distortion of the real activities of the agents. Some centers choose to back all auxiliary time out of the shift time. While this has the impact of not penalizing agents for “approved and planned” non-phone activities, this blanket deduction also allows for a multitude of “sins” to be hidden and creates very high adherence numbers. A much better practice is to define the auxiliary work codes that an agent needs for all aspects of his job (from bathroom breaks to assigned projects) and then determine which if any auxiliary codes should be subtracted from shift time.
If your systems will not allow for tracking at that auxiliary level of detail, take the time to set realistic adherence schedules. Is some centers, it is in the 70's. In most centers it is in the 80's. If you are striving for and reaching a goal in the 90's, it is possible that you are either not looking at the complete picture OR you are burning agents out.
A final note: Consider looking at schedule compliance as a measurement. This measurement allows call center managers to consider how closely agents are working to their schedules.
No comments:
Post a Comment