People reaching out to National Debt Relief’s (NDR’s) contact center want to rid their lives of burdensome debt at the least possible cost and re-establish financial stability as quickly as possible. During one of the most anxious times of their lives, any delays NDR customers encounter in connecting with NDR agents aren’t just inconvenient—they quickly can compound an already stressful situation and make matters worse.

But in 2019, NDR couldn’t guarantee enough agents would always be available to answer client calls because it didn’t use any type of workforce planning technology. Managers couldn’t accurately determine how many people would be needed at any given time; agents were allowed to make up missed hours whenever they wanted during the rest of the week; and meetings, trainings and coaching happened all day long. No adequate forecasting tools also meant managers had to rely on “gut feel” when assigning costly overtime.

To become the effective, efficient customer service organization its clients needed, contact center leaders knew they had to creatively streamline and improve their forecasting and scheduling process. It was time to invest in a robust, modern workforce optimization (WFO) platform—that’s when NDR selected and deployed Calabrio WFM.

NDR contact center leaders also implemented deep, ongoing workforce planning training for all workforce leaders and team members, as well as an internship program that helps train aspiring WFM analysts.

Then, to increase transparency during COVID, leaders launched weekly online panels that foster more interaction between and with agents, and allow agents to anonymously ask questions about any area of concern—such as when furloughed workers might return to work or what the latest news from the organization means for their roles.

With Calabrio WFM, NDR’s Client Success contact center now maintains a service level of 80/30 with a 5% abandon rate while enabling its agents to meet aggressive individual KPIs. Even more impressively—as the result of smoother, more effective and reassuring client interactions—contact center productivity rose 3% in a single quarter, driving a corresponding 15% increase in NDR’s bottom-line revenue during that same time period.

Workforce planners now can ensure the contact center is always staffed optimally by accurately predicting when and where agents will be needed at any given time. Contact center leaders enjoy a more efficient contact center and shrinking new-hire costs. And better-trained, better-engaged, compassionate and confident agents can manage and change their own schedules as unexpected things happen throughout each day—without negatively impacting the contact center’s service level—while increasing their dials.