3 Reasons WFM and Happy Customers Go Hand in Hand

When it comes to customer satisfaction—or frustration—in 2022, channel access is often the first thing that comes to mind. Did we lose that customer because he couldn’t chat with us in his preferred channel? Was our new video banking channel the reason we earned that 5-star rating?

In an age where omnichannel engagement has become the holy grail for customer service teams, it’s common for brands to stand up multiple channels in an effort to drive CX improvement. Afterall, channel frustrations are a major cause of customer churn in 2022. The customer surveys prove that out. But channel access doesn’t tell the whole story.

At the core of happy customers are positive experiences. Here, at Avtex, we think about this a lot. So, what is the recipe for a positive experience? Positive customer experiences come from the human-to-human interactions that take place throughout the customer journey. In other words, you can’t inspire happy customers without happy, helpful agents on the other end of the line.

The Role of Workforce Management in Customer Happiness

While Workforce Management (WFM) tools don’t necessarily have a direct, visible impact on the customer’s experience, they do play a role in facilitating the positive environments that lead to positive experiences each time an agent answers a call.

Here’s an example: Without a strong WFM solution in place, your contact center’s scheduling team routinely underestimates call volumes at key times throughout the week, which leads to long hold times. Each time this happens, your agents rush from call to call to support a new customer—creating situations where the customer is already frustrated, and the agent is already frazzled. WFM can help deliver more accurate forecasts that empower agents to start off each call on the right foot.

With these indirect benefits in mind, let’s take a look at a few ways contact centers can set up their WFM solutions to maximize customer happiness:

Accurate contact volume forecasting

Like the example above illustrates, the tone of a customer interaction starts before the interaction even occurs. Waiting hours vs. just a few minutes can be a powerful indicator of how the rest of the engagement will go. This plays right into one of the greatest strengths of WFM—allowing contact centers to not only predict FTE needs based on historical data from a certain date or time of day, but also adapt to fluctuating needs in real time.

More confident, knowledgeable agents

It seems like a no-brainer. Knowledgeable agents solve customer challenges more efficiently. But many contact centers miss the mark when it comes to creating a knowledge base and prioritizing agent development. In many cases, scheduling is part of the problem. The forecasting and scheduling features in leading WFMs can help make regular training and skill development a higher priority. For example, identifying low points in customer call volume can help pinpoint ideal times to schedule routine agent development. Pairing this strategy with supplementary workforce optimization (WFO) analytics and quality management features, can drive the topics and lessons that agents would benefit from most.

Positive agent attitudes

Happy agents create happy customers. Employees who feel like they have a say in their work environment and working hours are more likely to feel invested in the business. Which, in turn, can inspire a more positive attitude on the job. According to a 2021 work study by Harvard Business Review, 59% of respondents touted flexibility as equally important as their salary and many other benefits. In the call center, WFM can help foster scheduling flexibility that makes agents feel in control. For example, integrating automated time-off request processes into your WFM solution can help speed PTO decisioning and make agents feel like their request was considered in an unbiased way. Add to the mix additional shift swapping, shift bidding tools, and break options, and agents can quickly get more access to the flexible work/life balance they are looking for.

Even in 2022, agents remain the number one asset in a strong customer engagement strategy. Prioritizing their development and happiness alongside larger digital transformations represents a powerful opportunity to turn your brand’s service arm into every customer’s last best experience.