Workforce management is the process of getting the ?just right? number of staff in place every hour to maximize service and minimize cost and it?s one of the most important planning and management functions in the call center. In this session, you?ll learn the implications of getting the numbers wrong, as well as the step-by-step process of effectively forecasting calls, calculating staff requirements, creating staff schedules, and tracking daily service and performance. You?ll hear about the critical tradeoffs between staffing, service, and cost and how each of these tradeoffs affects the final staff count. Attendees will also learn the impact that each and every person can make in terms of achieving service goals for the day.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Define workforce management and its implications on cost and service.
Describe why call center staffing is such a unique kind of problem.
Outline the step-by-step process of forecasting calls, calculating staff, and creating workforce schedules.
Identify the impact that every single individual has on meeting service goals and balancing workload.
Outline ways to improve attendance and schedule adherence.

Call Center Math: Understanding and Managing By the Numbers / June 23 / Sept 15

Benjamin Disraeli said, ?There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.? There are many truths told in the vast array of statistics available today in the call center ? and the successful manager or supervisor will be the one that understands how to manage by the numbers. This session provides a useful set of formulas and calculations for understanding call center math. Attendees will learn about the most common measures of performance and how to calculate and analyze them. The session will present the most important calculations associated with determining staffing numbers and evaluating cost and service tradeoffs. Attendees will also see various methods for analyzing the numbers and presenting them to senior management.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify the most critical measures of call center and agent performance and how to calculate them.
Describe the statistical implications of ?average? versus ?below/above average.?
Define the formulas and rationale behind the most common staffing models.
Identify the most common math mistakes made in call centers today.
Identify common ways to ?paint a picture? in presenting call center statistics to management.

Call Center Top Twenty:
The 20 Key Performance Indicators for Call Centers
/ /

So many reports?so little time! This session will address what to measure, how often to do it, and who should see the results. We?ll address performance from three different call center stakeholder perspectives - you?ll hear about what customers, frontline agents, and senior management all deem most important, and how you must manage each of those concerns to keep a healthy, happy balance in your center. We?ll cover the top twenty key performance indicators (KPIs), with special attention to the top ten you can?t afford not to measure.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Define the concerns of each major call center stakeholder (customer, agent, senior management).
Identify what each stakeholder group cares about most and the associated measures of performance.
Describe how to prioritize performance measures based on business needs.
Identify where to find the information and how often you should measure it.
Outline different ways to assimilate the data to isolate significant trends and identify problems.

Call Center Technology 101:
A Beginner?s Guide to Understanding the Call Center Technologies
/ July 14 / Sept 29

This session will provide an overview of the many technologies used in the incoming call center to improve customer service and maximize efficiency of the center. Three categories of technologies will be presented:. First, the various call routing and delivery mechanisms for getting the call to the agent desktop will be presented. The second part of the workshop will focus on related call center technologies that benefit the organization as the center grows in size and complexity to manage performance. Finally, the third category of technology presented will be the wide array of CRM technologies to support the customer experience. The session will also include tips on procuring and implementing these technologies in the call center.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Define the three basic functions of technology: call delivery, performance management, and customer interaction.
Identify what alternatives are available for routing calls and contacts to the agent?s desktop.
Describe the technologies that are available to help manage the performance of the center and the staff.
Describe the latest in front-office and back-office CRM technologies.
Identify some inexpensive technologies that could benefit your call center immediately.

Report and Communicate:
Developing an Effective Call Center Communications Plan
March 24 / August 4

Call center managers and supervisors have dozens (maybe hundreds!) of reports available to them with which to manage call center performance. Deciding which reports to review and how often can be mind boggling, not to mention translating the information into reports for others to see. So where do you start in formulating a reporting system for your call center or team? This session will review the types of information available and guide you in determining what to view on a real-time, daily, weekly, and monthly basis. You?ll learn how to look for exceptions and trends in performance and report them appropriately. Hear tips on communicating results to senior management, other departments, employees, and customers in ways most relevant to each of them.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Define the various types of performance reports available.
Identify what reports to view most often and determine whether customized reports are needed.
Describe how to look for performance exceptions and trends.
Outline different options for presenting performance results to senior management.
Identify what communication is useful to employees and other departments and how to best accomplish it.

ABCs of Outbound Calling:
Fundamentals of Outbound Call Center Operations
March 31 / August 25

Organizations of all types and sizes have outbound call center operations. But it?s not just telemarketing anymore! Businesses use outbound calling as a strategic advantage for proactive customer service, revenue collection, market research, and more. In many cases, outbound call operations are handled as part of the inbound center, and the call center manager must adapt to this new aspect of business. In this session you?ll learn about the differences in managing an inbound versus outbound center. You?ll be able to recognize and define outbound calling terms, describe outbound dialing technology, and discuss some of the critical issues in list and outbound campaign management. You?ll also see the differences in workforce management in forecasting and scheduling staff for an outbound call operation.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify the five main differences in inbound versus outbound calling.
Identify the various types of automated dialers and how they work.
Outline the basic components of ?Do Not Call? legislation and its implications on outbound operations.
Describe various data-mining techniques and how these are used to design outbound calling campaigns.
Outline how forecasting and scheduling for outbound calling is done differently than inbound.
Describe the benefits and dangers of blending inbound and outbound calling.

Outsourcing Essentials:
What To Know Before Outsourcing Your Calls
April 7 / July 21

One of the key decisions to make about handling customer contacts is whether to handle them internally or outsource the call-handling process to a third party. Many organizations today elect to outsource some or all of their customer contacts to reduce costs and expand availability, leaving them to focus on their core business. Outsourcing is a smart business decision for many organizations if all aspects of the relationship have been thoughtfully planned and carefully managed. This session will outline the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing calls. It will also provide a checklist for creating and negotiating a service level agreement and managing the ongoing outsourcing relationship.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify situations where outsourcing is a viable alternative.
Contrast the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing customer contacts.
Identify what to look for in an outsourcing partner.
Describe the critical components of a service level agreement and how to negotiate one.
Describe alternative outsourcing arrangements, such as contract staffing agreements.

Effective Email Strategies:
Developing Email Management Practices and Systems
April 14 / August 11

Are you providing the same quality service to your email customers as you are with your customers that call in to speak to a service representative by telephone? Customers who prefer email have a different set of expectations and the call center responding to these messages will require a set of policies, systems, and performance measures to ensure these non-verbal contacts get handled efficiently and effectively. This session will show you how to implement an email quality-monitoring and performance management program that will ensure high levels of customer satisfaction across your email channel of communication. You?ll also hear tips on writing an email policy and disclaimer statements that support both marketing and legal guidelines.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Define customer expectations in terms of a quality email transaction.
Align your email quality standards with your corporate and contact center goals.
Construct a customer-centric email response experience that has a personalized and professional tone.
Outline the elements of an email policy, including disclaimer statements and performance measurement steps.
Identify skill requirements to help in the selection of agents that respond to emails.
Design effective email monitoring practices.

Saving the Day:
Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery Strategies
April 21/ July 28

Recent weather and man-made events have caused organizations around the globe to reevaluate their standard mode of operations. And the call center is one of the areas getting the most attention. How well could your organization communicate with its employees and customers if a disaster hit? This session will help you evaluate your readiness in the event of small mishaps as well as a major disaster. You?ll hear how several call centers responded to the challenges of recent weather disasters and evaluate how your own contingency plan might weather the storm.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify who should be involved in creating a call center disaster plan.
Outline the five major components of contingency planning and disaster recovery.
Define the elements of facilities, network, and systems protection.
Describe the major risks and steps of prevention for each major call center component.
Estimate the cost of a major outage in terms of cost and service.
Describe perspectives of IT/telecom, workforce planners, call center management, and frontline staff.
Identify long-term preventative steps as well as real-time reaction strategies if a crisis hits.

Telecommuting That Works:
Building a Business Case and Implementing Remote Staffing Solutions
April 28 / September 1

One of the toughest challenges facing call centers is always the ability to match up the available workforce to the peaks and valleys of call workload. Another challenge is retaining a call center workforce over the long-term. Many call centers today are finding that a remote staffing arrangement where some or all of the call center agents work from home is an effective solution to both these problems, in addition to reducing office space. In this seminar, you?ll learn to build a business case for telecommuting workers, including a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of remote staffing, along with the cost implications. You?ll get a checklist of the ten components in setting up a successful telecommuting program and hear five case studies of companies that have successful work-at-home solutions.

Seminar attendees will learn to:
Identify situations where telecommuting is a viable alternative.
Outline the advantages and disadvantages of remote staffing, from both a staff and company perspective.
Identify the cost components of setting up this arrangement and calculate potential savings.
Outline the operational components of implementing a remote solution.
Identify what to do and not to do in setting up remote agents from companies who do it successfully.

Seminar Access
Access to all seminars in the Masters Series is provided via an Internet connection and a separate audio (telephone) connection. Two days prior to each seminar, The Call Center School will email access instructions for the web portion and the telephone number to call. An unlimited number of students may participate around a single web/audio connection.

Seminar Cost
The cost of each individual seminar connection is $275 for a 90-minute session. Buy 5 or more seminars or connections and get each one for only $250. Buy 10 or more, and get each one for only $225 each. You can pay by credit card (or by invoice for 5 or more sessions).

Certification
Attend all ten sessions in the Operations Track and take our Mastery Exam to earn certification. Students achieving an 80% or higher score on the exam will receive certification from The Call Center School. This series also tracks with CIAC industry-wide certification and will prepare students to take the assessment in the Operations Management domain.