Haier Smart Home leads the way in Europe’s domestic appliance market. From washing machines to microwaves, they’re synonymous with quality and innovation.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Gardner – Resource and Planning Manager at Haier Smart Home, in a recent webinar with the South West Contact Centre Forum and SVL, a contact centre consultancy with over 55 years of experience, in which we discussed emerging forecasting and scheduling trends, employee engagement and contact centre insights.

Back in 2019, Haier Smart Home lacked any sort of workforce management infrastructure and had to resort to using manual paper slips for shift communication and holiday requests. The absence of workforce management software allowed agents to pick and choose their calls, while the outdated and cumbersome processes hindered productivity.

In an effort to improve its operations, Haier Smart Home turned to a WFM solution, but the limited insights and functionality it provided left room for further development. In 2022, Haier Smart Home’s and SVL’s partnership began. Paul shares his experience working with SVL, “Apologies for me quoting the Spice Girls, but SVL said to us to ‘tell us what you want, what you really really want’. So, we did exactly that. We explained that we wanted a solution that is not only going to improve efficiency in our team, but will empower our agents and managers. SVL had the perfect solution – Calabrio!” Just shy of a year after first implementing Calabrio, Haier Smart Home’s 120-agent contact centre team has already seen the impact. “Our agents have been questioning why we never got Calabrio sooner,” shares Paul.

Haier Smart Home plans to further transform the rigid schedules agents were once bound to. Currently, agents are on fixed shifts, but shift swaps are being piloted at the end of April 2024 with a view to going live across the call centre by the end of Q2 2024. By allowing agents to input their preferred work hours and breaks with self-scheduling tools, move breaks and lunches and apply for leave using the self-serve capabilities of Calabrio, Haier Smart Home can then use these preferences to create schedules that accommodate both business needs and individual preferences and moves, changes and time-off can be automatically approved, if available.

This empowers their agents and gives them more autonomy and control over their work/life balance, hence greatly improving employee engagement.

“With Calabrio in place, requests can be effortlessly submitted, and responses are received immediately. Agents are now able to see their colleagues’ schedules, making it easier for shift swaps and lunch coordination – driving agent morale,” explains Paul.

A privacy feature has also been added, ensuring discretion when agents choose to share their out-of-office status for personal reasons. These subtle adjustments have significantly improved agent satisfaction, creating a sense of autonomy and empowerment.

Back in May 2023, Haier Smart Home went live with Automatic holiday approval. Since turning on this feature, they’ve received 1300 holiday requests, and half have been automatically approved. Paul shares his excitement, saying, “In 2024, they’ll all be approved by the system. What are we going to do with all this extra time!”

It’s not just holiday pots that the agents love; the team love the Calabrio app, too. “They can do anything on the go, including holiday requests,” comments Paul.  

In an effort to continue to improve operational efficiency, Haier Smart Home has automated absences and overtime tracking within their payroll system, which has significantly reduced the need for manual processes and allowed for more valuable time and resources to be directed towards strategic initiatives.

As of last month, the Haier Smart Home team have also been piloting a real-time agent adherence dashboard, providing agents with adherence data for previous weeks and days. In September 2024 more data will be added to help agents proactively manage their workload and work towards the company’s adherence goal of 92%. This will foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and productivity.

Through the integration of automation, real-time monitoring, and strategic planning, Haier Smart Home is committed to operational excellence and innovation, ensuring they remain agile and resilient in an ever-changing market.

To find out how Calabrio can help you drive operational efficiency and employee autonomy, book a custom demo today.