Merging Performance Optimization With Workforce Management
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Merging Performance Optimization With Workforce Management
Blue Pumpkin's latest suite upgrade adds benchmarking,
forecasting, and incentive management capabilities.
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Blue Pumpkin has made available its latest Blue Pumpkin Workforce
Optimization Suite, which combines performance optimization with workforce
management capabilities. The upgrades include industry-benchmarking information,
forecasting capabilities, and performance-optimization practices.
"This
is significant for the industry," says Paul Stockford, chief analyst at
Saddletree Research. "Tying performance optimization with workforce
management is the logical evolution of two dynamic software tools. They're
coming together in ways that make sense and that directly and positively impact
call centers."
The latest upgrades include comparative benchmarking
information by industry (provided by Gartner research) and by call complexity.
So call center managers can compare such metrics as the average cost of a phone
call, call handle time, resolution time, and hold times. The benchmarking
information is preintegrated into the Blue Pumpkin suite and updated
semiannually by Gartner. Having this level of detailed information can help
managers to spot problem areas.
"Call centers are trying to move up and
become more strategic, but they are stuck in a crisis management mode of
handling all call volume on a day-to-day basis," says Steve Bernstein, director
of the Solutions Marketing Group for Blue Pumpkin.
After comparing
internal metrics to industry averages, a company needs to determine which
project will yield the best results in a timely manner. Blue Pumpkin's modeling
and forecasting capabilities can help call center managers understand what the
effect of one investment might have on another area. For example, managers can
determine how much of an impact a training initiative might have on customer
service levels, Bernstein says.
Once the company commits to a project,
it needs to motivate agents through performance rewards to help achieve desired
results. Blue Pumpkin chose paid time off as a bargaining chip. Traditionally,
seniority has played a significant role in determining holiday shift
assignments. However, Blue Pumpkin's latest suite upgrades won't let veterans
merely rest on their laurels -- the upgrades make agent performance an
additional criterion for getting choice days off. The application includes a
shift bidding capability that rewards agents bonus points based on their
performance. These bonus points when added to seniority create a total score
that agents can use when bidding for shifts. Those with the highest scores get
preferred shifts.
"It's one of the first and most unique ways of tying
performance optimization with workforce management so that an agent's
performance along with seniority becomes a factor in shift bidding," Stockford
says.
Stockford told CRM magazine that he expects to see companies like
Aspect and IEX also offer capabilities that combine performance optimization
with workforce management capabilities.
