At NICE CXone’s last user’s conference, someone said to me, “Workforce Managers are the dentists of the call center.” While I am not sure that the suicide rates are the same (I hope not), I do know that the workforce manager is often an unpopular position. After all, you are the mean parent of the contact center that denies time off requests and makes the lives of others miserable, right??
Now, I don’t really believe that. You’re not a heartless contact center dictator. Quite the opposite, I’m sure. In fact, it is your LOVE for the contact center that makes you great at what you do. You want the service levels to stay in line. You want your agents to like their schedules, and you want your contact center managers and directors to see that you are passionate about hitting targets!
Could it be that you’re just misunderstood? You need some good publicity. Let’s get your story out there! For starters, we need to tell the world (or at least your center) what you’re all about. It’s not the thrill of denying a PTO request that excites you, but rather, seeing the agents actually in adherence! It’s watching customer sat go up as calls are answered in a timely fashion because you scheduled the right agent in the right seat at the right time. Yes, this is what drives you! Now get the word out!
You hold the wand to create schedule magic, therefore, you should schedule time to meet with your agents (with the approval of your contact center management) and explain to them what your role is, how you make your decisions, and what they can do to help the cause. Give your agents the chance to ask you the hard questions (Why are you SO mean?) and give yourself the chance to really delve into the art and the science that is workforce management.
Whether or not you able to win their hearts over, at least you will have the opportunity to get the facts straight, and perhaps, find those rare jewels that like the idea of workforce management. It just takes a few advocates in the agent pool to take you from diabolical schemer to brilliant scheduler extraordinaire.
I challenge you, this week, to get outside your cube, interact with the contact center, and take the time to get your side of the story heard.
