WorkFORCE or WorkFLOW, which will you choose? A tool or a SYSTEM?

International Falls, MN July 17, 2004 -- A typical follower of the “old school” workforce management operations of the call center industry, it was only within the last two years that I realized the importance of workFLOW management. As alike as these two styles may sound, don’t be fooled – there is a HUGH difference!

First, let’s address the workforce side and the many definitions that have been used to describe it recently. “Workforce management in the contact center today is largely concerned with forecasting customer interaction demand and creating agent schedules that meet this demand within targeted service level goals.” Along with this definition, workforce force scheduling has also been defined as: “demands for products and services vary from week to week. The workforce must be scaled up or down to meet these demands…”. And finally, “Workforce management software enables appropriately trained people to generate reasonably accurate forecasts of future contact volume by transaction type”.

Can a software program really do all that on its own? Not bad general definitions, but I would simply refer to as “running a call center.” When it comes down to in the call/contact center, who are the ‘appropriately trained people’? In addition, what exactly constitutes a ‘reasonably accurate forecast’?

After managing call centers for six years, and being outside the industry for another six years, it seems that call centers today are inundated with technical tools to do everything from training TSRs to scheduling projects. Ten years ago, with rudimentary tools – just our brains, a calculator and spreadsheets - we were able to seemingly effortlessly ‘plan the work’ on our own. Now don’t get me wrong; I am a friend of technology, but I prefer technology that gives me clear ROI and adds value to my process. I don’t want another tool that my IT needs to support that no one seems to know how to use.

For that reason, I favor workFLOW management software over workforce management. WorkFLOW provides your center(s) and management teams access to ALL critical planning and analysis data in a single location. A robust system that enables ALL work groups in your organization to manage their piece of the puzzle from project conception to completion.

What would this kind of workFLOW software look like in a call center? It would be a CRM tool for:
1)The sales/account management team
2)An effective dialer and workforce management tool for the operations team
3)A planning and analytical reporting tool for the executives

And access to all of these areas would simply be based on user/group rights.

A integrated software system that provides the must-have tools and information needed to run a profitable call center, without all the expensive products and time consuming manual spreadsheets. Most importantly, it doesn’t mean data entry into multiple systems, or tools that only ‘reasonably trained’ individuals can operate.

After years of selling CRM software, I had to ponder whether or not the current workforce management tools available were meeting the needs of operations teams. Most were certainly not being utilized in a way that maximized the full product’s potential. The disconnect seemed to be between the developer’s design, and the user’s need. I could hardly blame my prospects for not buying a tool that did not accurately allow them to automate their existing sales and marketing processes. After all, isn’t that what technology is for? To automate the processes that businesses (not a software manufacturer) have defined and create ROI and other efficiencies?

I believe the future of software development is highly customizable, AND cost effective. Bringing tools that allow enterprises to create data sharing environments for a fraction of what those “out of the box” workforce management tools want you to spend on another independent solution. I believe in workFLOW Management and therefore believe unconditionally in CHCPro.

CHCPro is a workFLOW management system, not just a single standalone tool, developed by CH Consulting to substantially increase business efficiency in key areas such as operations, project management, forecasting and the well known bear of call centers, scheduling. CHCPro is designed to track ENTIRE projects from their initial conception with a client to their placement within a call center to the completion of the project. Throughout the whole process, reporting options allow telemarketing firms to analyze each project’s progress to provide them with up-to-date information to help increase effectiveness in the planning, deployment, and most importantly, the execution and success of any project.

Christa Heibel, Founder and President of CH Consulting, a full sales and marketing consulting business that provides affordable and effective strategies, implementation and support to its wide and diverse range of clients. CHC was founded on the unique understanding that in order for a multiple-front marketing campaign to be successful, the individual campaign components should be formulated and coordinated to work together toward the end result - a "sale.” CHCPro is revolutionary software, developed specifically by CH Consulting to meet the needs of our clients. It is built on the latest technology and can integrate with existing systems for complete process automation and management, via a Internet Explorer Based User Interface . CH Consulting is based at 1945 Pine Valley Circle, Suite 4, International Falls, MN 56649.



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