Achieving Optimal Contact Center Scheduling: The Power of Flexibility and Collaboration

In the realm of contact centers, have you come across the concepts of on-demand scheduling and agent availability-based scheduling? Traditionally, contact centers undergo periodic shift rearrangements to adapt to varying seasonal demands. This ensures better alignment of associate schedules with the influx of customer interactions.

However, this process is quite involved, as it requires associates to submit their preferences while the business strives to align them with operational needs. Often, a ranking method is utilized, prioritizing top-performing associates' preferences first and gradually addressing the rest. As a result, some associates end up with non-preferred shifts, leaving their preferences unmet.

The question arises: Is it possible to meet all associates' preferences while still fulfilling business scheduling needs? The answer is yes, but it demands flexibility from both the business and the agents.

Flexibility on the Agents' Side:

1. Associates should provide a range of available times during the week instead of fixed schedules. For example, offer flexible windows like "I am available to work 8 hours between 8 am to 7 pm" without insisting on consecutive days off.

2. Be open to increasing availability if business needs change.

3. Be willing to be part of a reserve agent pool for short-notice assignments.

Flexibility on the Business Side:

1. Cross-train and uptrain associates to cover schedule gaps in different lines of business.

2. Consider increasing compensation for non-preferred shifts with insufficient coverage.

3. Implement a system/software allowing associates to adjust preferences, swap shifts, and request time off easily.

Ultimately, scheduling should be viewed as a collaborative partnership between agents and the business. Both sides must embrace flexibility to ensure the success of the business while meeting agents' preferences.