Nick Smith at Calabrio gives 3 compelling reasons why RTA is here to stay

Scheduling disruptions are an everyday occurrence for frontline operations and a major headache for contact centre leaders everywhere.  Employees call in sick or run late to their shift, the latest promotional marketing campaign is so successful that product demand and call volumes are going through the roof or it’s just after Christmas when business is flat and too many agents are hanging around doing nothing.  There was a time when managers were forced to process exceptions manually just to keep staffing levels where they needed to be but all that changed with the arrival of automated Real Time Adherence (RTA).

What an invention! RTA practically transformed contact centre operations overnight.  Real-time information from third-party feeds, such as an ACD, is used to update agent schedules automatically when adherence issues occur.  Gains in efficiency and time are matched by employee compliance and customer support – allowing team leaders to see the bigger picture and focus their resources on more strategic tasks.

The latest WFM solutions with embedded RTA capabilities perform a variety of tasks effortlessly, including:

• issue email or SMS notifications to people with the right skills to ascertain if they can work at short notice and plug any gaps
• monitor agent adherence to schedules and compare them with the live ACD status – wherever you are, using a variety of desktop, tablet or mobile devices
• flag up when schedules are in danger of being breached with automated alarms
• offer a real-time data feed, updated in seconds, to enable fast decision-making and action.

What is more, RTA offers a three-pronged approach to maximising the performance of the contact centre, making it a popular choice for ambitious contact centre leaders.

Here are 3 reasons why RTA is here to stay:

1. Stay in control

Performance and compliance issues are no longer able to slip through the cracks because managers are immediately alerted to them as they happen and are given valuable insight into how agents work on a day-to-day basis. This puts managers in complete control, giving them the power to make changes that have an immediate impact on call centre performance. The faster these reactions occur, the easier it is to achieve and maintain targeted service levels.

2. Handle the unexpected

Automated tools such as RTA give organisations all they need to be prepared for, and handle, the unexpected.  High visibility of dynamic data makes tracking agent adherence and adjusting schedules to maintain service levels at all times, effortless. Graphics mean it is easy to spot developing trends as they happen allowing for fast re-forecasting or last-minute optimization.

3. All round business benefits

Research shows that companies who have implemented Real-Time Automation (or Intraday Automation as it’s known in the US) enjoy a 55% year-on-year improvement in staff utilization rates compared to those who haven’t.  The technology identifies periods in the day when staff can be safely withdrawn from the front line to receive training or coaching without risking service levels. Better skills mean happier staff, as well as better resolution rates and sales conversations. As a result, customer satisfaction rates often improve by 37% with the same companies reporting a 3-fold increase in revenues.

Finally, don’t just take our word for it!

There are many success stories around that cite the benefits of RTA.  What is more, the most recent innovations encourage smarter ways of working.  For example, when the contact centre’s work (calls, emails, webchats etc.) varies from the forecast and staff attendance is not what is expected on the day, people can be moved around to where they are needed most – be it training or strategic offline work. This is indeed a major breakthrough when you factor in the intricacies involved – different agent skills, preferences, contracts, schedules and breaks.

When all is said and done, effective management is all about staying in control of the day and being ready to handle the unexpected.  RTA can do this and so much more.
What’s not to love about it?