Contact Center Staffing: Absenteeism And AdherenceUnderstanding YOUR Shrinkage Annual Hours Days or % of work Full-time hours 2080.0 260 Vacation 80.0 10 Holiday 64.0 8 ... Definition

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©2012 International Customer Management Institute (ICMI). All Rights Reserved icmi.com I 800.672.6177

Welcome to…

Contact Center Staffing:Absenteeism And

AdherenceFebruary 3, 2012 2:00-4:00 PM EDT

Presented by: Kelly Brickley


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Today’s Agenda

• Absenteeism– Why it occurs

– How to prevent it

– What worked for others

• Adherence to Schedule– Measuring

– Setting realistic goals

– Getting agent support

– Managing


Polling Questions

1. How many people are listening today?a. I’m alone c. 6-10 b. 2-5 d. Over 10

2. Do you have multiple call centers in your environment?a. Yes b. No

3. How many agents are there in your call center?a. Less than 20 d. 101-200b. 21 – 50 e. Over 200c. 51 - 100

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Incoming Call Center Management Is...

The art of having the right number of properly skilled people and supporting resources in place

at the right times, to handle an accurately forecasted workload, at service level and with

quality.


Things You DON’T Want

“If it has a pulse, we employ it” - Manager

“We just need a person to fill the job, we’ll worry about performance later” – Former Manager

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Recruitment – Right from the Start

As you consider our offer, please say “no” if you cannot agree to work here for any of these reasons:

1. PLEASE SAY NO if you cannot meet the minimum attendance standard we’ve discussed, which is no more than ___ absences over the period of ___ months. This includes absences for any reason, regardless of whether you become sick or a family member needs you

2. PLEASE SAY NO if you cannot work each of the shifts we described for a period of at least 3 months, including nights and weekends


Planned Hours(X per week)

Unavailable(Absent)

(X hrs/wk)

Available(X hrs/wk)

Non-productionUtilization (including

all breaks)(X hrs/wk)

Scheduled forPhones

(X hrs/wk)

Non-adherence(X hrs/wk)

Manned (login) time(X hrs/wk)

Idle time required tomeet service level

(X hrs/wk)

Call Handling andWrap-up

(X hrs/wk)

Talk Time(X hrs/wk)

Hold Time(X hrs/wk)

After Call Work time(X hrs/wk)

A week in the life of an agent

13 hrs/wk

21.4 hrs/wk

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Understanding YOUR Shrinkage

Annual Hours Days or % of work

Full-time hours 2080.0 260

Vacation 80.0 10

Holiday 64.0 8

Other Paid 48.0 6

Hours in Building 1888.0 236

Training 76.0 4.0%

Breaks 118.0 ½ hr per day

Meetings 76 4.0%

Coaching 30.0 1.6%

Other Assignments 113.0 6.0%

Unproductive 76.0 4.0%

Available Hours per Year 1399.0 67.3%






Talk Time 629.6 45% (13.3 hrs/wk)

After Call Work 125.9 9% (2.7 hrs/wk)

Idle Time 237.8 17% (5.0 hours/wk)

Time unaccounted for 427.8Check for hours in the

building!

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Polling Questions 4 & 5

4. Do you have an attendance policy in place?a. Yes, our agents and management both love it b. Yes, our agents love it, but management grumblesc. Yes, our agents grumble, but management loves it d. Yes, our agents and management both grumblee. No

5. Do you have an incentive plan for perfect attendance?

a. Yes and there are no exceptionsb. Yes and some exceptions are allowedc. No, but we are considering itd. No


Definition

ab·sen·tee·ism (ăb'sən-tē'ĭz'əm) n.

• Habitual failure to appear, especially for work or other regular duty.

• The rate of occurrence of habitual absence from work or duty.

http://www.answers.com/topic/absenteeism?cat=biz-fin

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Whiteboard Discussion

What are some of the biggest factors of absenteeism in your center?


Reasons for Absenteeism

• Rigid work schedules• Lack of commitment, buy-in or understanding• Basic needs not met• Ergonomics, office environment• Management style• No repercussions• Viewed as an entitlement• Occupancy, burnout• Stress

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Prevention

• Educate upfront

• Actively monitor attendance

• Plan around reality

• Survey the staff and react to the findings


Prevention

• Talk about the power of each individual

• Set reasonable expectations and communicate them

• Learn what is stressful in your environment

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Task Force

• Players – 3 agents from each center (and a variety of skills), 1 supervisor from each center, an HR representative, WFM, account manager

• Full disclosure of the issue

• Special considerations

• Deliverables


Impacting Absenteeism

• Tracking instances of absence

• Special vacation, holiday rules

• Visibility

• Point system

• Swap boards

• Schedule changes

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Tools That Help!

• Web enabled schedule viewer– Also allows agents to view their

schedules and make requests

• Tracking sheets

• HR performance management systems

• Specific Key Performance Measurements

• Ergonomic facility design and training


Polling Question 6

6. How do you track absenteeism? (Check all that apply)a. By agent

b. By supervisor

c. By skill group

d. By center

e. By month

f. By week

g. By day of week

h. By time of day

i. By reason given

j. Planned vs. unplanned

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HR Policy

• Must ensure regulatory compliance

• Must support call center operations

• May be different from other parts of the organization– Holiday schedule

– Extended hours of operation

– Work is “on demand”

• Applies to rewards and recognition


Painful Practices

• Unlimited PAID sick days

• Salaried agents

• “Use it or lose it” paid time off

• Inconsistent supervision

• Complex bidding processes

• Multiple systems for tracking that are not integrated

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Next Steps

Summarize agent time utilization –(See slide “A week in the life of an agent”)

Assess absenteeism for patterns

__________________________________

__________________________________


Adherence to Schedule

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Talk Time 629.6 45% (13.3 hrs/wk)

After Call Work 125.9 9% (2.7 hrs/wk)

Idle Time 237.8 17% (5.0 hours/wk)

Time unaccounted for 427.8

Check for hours in the building!

Now look at what people are doing in the

building!


Adherence to Schedule

A general term that refers to how well agents adhere to their schedules. Can include both A) how much time they were available to take calls during their shifts, including the time spent handling calls and the time spent waiting for calls to arrive (also called availability), and B) when they were available to take calls (also called compliance or adherence).

- ICMI’s Dictionary definition

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Calculating Adherence

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


1.How much time in total?

2.When? At the right times?

Log-off

Log-on

Allowance factor

Adherenceafter removing lunchand breaks

Adherence FactorBreak

Lunch

Break

Adherence to Schedule: Two Important Components

Log on 8:00, Break 10:00, Lunch 12:00Break 2:15

Log off 4:30

Log on 8:05, Break 10:15, Lunch 12:00Break 2:15

Log off 4:35

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Polling Question #7

7. How does your center measure adherence to schedule?a. Both total time and when

b. Only total time

c. Only when

d. Not at all


Measuring Adherence

Individual Team Skill Center

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Performance Period

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Low Adherence?

Examine your

processes

and procedures


Educate

• Fundamental resource planning (why the schedules look the way they do)

• If everyone comes to work as scheduled, you won’t have to work as hard!

• Prioritize

• Plan

• Empower for success

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Talk Time in Seconds = 180After Call Work in Seconds = 30

Calls per Half Hour = 250Service Level Objective in Seconds = 20

30313233343536373839404142

Agents97%94%91%88%86%83%81%79%77%75%73%71%69%

Occupancy2097538211385321110

ASA24%45%61%73%82%88%92%95%97%98%99%99%100%

Service Level

Erlang C Calculation


Make it FUN!

• The blanket game

• Ping pong balls (Knock, Knock!)

• Chair in the air

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Measure and Track

• Understand your starting point

• Out of adherence – off phone

• Out of adherence – on phone

• Look for trends


Set Reasonable Expectations

• Simple to calculate (or no one will do it)

• Simple to explain

• Simple to understand

• Realistic

• Attainable

• Fair

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Managing Non-Phone Activities

• Include all job duties in the plan

• Prioritize activities

• Consider “sharing”

• Email management

• Intranets, knowledge bases

• Establish thresholds

• Escalation plan


Communicate

• Share concrete service level, response time and adherence objectives

• Invite feedback and input

• Share real-time information and train on how to read and interpret the information

• Make sure everyone understands and believes that they make a difference

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Safeguard Your Adherence

• Use technology wisely

• Address weak policies

• Work with supervisors…


Work With Supervisors

Perform

Support

TrustTrain

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Polling Question #8

8. How does your center give incentives for adherence? (Select all that apply)a. Individual

b. Team

c. Call center as a whole

d. Not at all


A Sample Policy

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Define it

• Why a policy is needed

• How it impacts an individual

• Categories of absence

• What happens if…

• Call in procedure defined

• Consequences

• Signature page


Why a policy is needed

• Reliable attendance of personnel is one of the most important factors in providing top quality service to our customers.

• The issue of how to fairly and consistently manage attendance is one of the most controversial topics

• Goals of this policy: – To fair and consistent with all associates – To strike a work-life balance– To meet customer expectations

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How it impacts an individual

• Agents are responsible and accountable for managing his/her time

• Call center employees do earn paid time off each month

• The company encourages employees to use paid time off wisely.

• The system strives to accommodate occasional problems

• If a pattern does begin, the system is in place to address it


Categories of absence

• Two different categories:– Prearranged Absences

– Unexpected Absences

• Reason: Prearranged absences can be considered well in advance when creating a daily staffing plan

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What happens if…

• Excused pre-approved days off

• Unexcused day off

• Excused Tardiness

• Unexcused Tardiness

• Leaving Early, Unexcused


Call in procedure defined:

• Proper Call-in Procedure

• Manned

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The Final Touches

• Consequences

• Signature Page


Disciplinary Actions Sample Steps

Occurrence Points Progressive Discipline Level

½ - 1 Verbal Discussion

1 ½ - 2 Verbal Warning

2 ½ - 3 1st Written Warning

3 ½ - 4 ½ Final Written Warning

5 Termination

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Questions and Answers


• WFM Vendors– The Big Guys

• Aspect eWFM (TCS)• IEX• Witness (Blue Pumpkin)

– The Newer Guys (just a few)

• Monet• Emvolve• Pipkins• GMT

• Hosted Solutions

• HR Vendors– Sage HRIS– PeopleSoft– Jazz

Tools

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Next Steps

Review policies to drive the right behaviors

Assess job requirements for inclusion in adherence

___________________________________

___________________________________


Reading Room

“How To Assure Adherence”, Anne Nickerson, Call Center Magazine, November 2005.

“Measuring The Things That Matter”, Greg Levin, Call Center Insight, March 2007.

“Where is Everybody?! How to Accurately Predict Schedule Shrinkage”, Brad Cleveland, Call Center Insight, June 2007.

“Now You See 'Em: Proven Tactics to Slash Agent Absenteeism and Up Adherence”, Greg Levin, http://www.icmi.com/knowledgecenter/details.aspx?id=1174

Queue Tips: http://www.icmi.com/knowledgecenter/queuetips/default.aspx

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Contact Us

International Customer Management Institute (ICMI)121 South Tejon Street, Suite 1100

Colorado Springs, CO 80903USA

800-672-6177719-268-0184 fax

[email protected]


More Virtual Classroom Training…

Contact Center Training: Designing Effective Training for Agentswith Kelly Brickley

February 10

Contact Center Agent Training: Managing Difficult Customerswith Linda Riggs

February 17

The Role of Social Media in the Contact Centerwith Elaine Casio

February 24

For more information, visit www.icmi.com.

Documents

Contact Center Staffing: Absenteeism And AdherenceUnderstanding YOUR Shrinkage Annual Hours Days or % of work Full-time hours 2080.0 260 Vacation 80.0 10 Holiday 64.0 8 ... Definition