The majority of costs associated with a call center are attributed to personnel, making it imperative to get just the right number of staff in place.  Call center staffing, commonly referred to as workforce management, is one of the most critical functions of managing call center service level, costs, and ROI.

The workforce management process is both an art and a science.  It's an art because it is, in essence, predicting the future.  While the accuracy of any staffing plan will be based in part on judgment and experience, an understanding of the science is essential to balancing call volume, staff scheduling, service levels, costs and the caller experience.   A working knowledge of the step-by-step mathematical processes behind workforce management, and the specialized statistical techniques involved, is critical for call center supervisors and managers.

The Call Center Workforce Management Web-Based Training and Certification Series is designed specifically for the specialized training needs of analysts and those management professionals and leaders responsible for call center staffing.  In five targeted sessions, participants will learn best practices in forecasting workload, balancing staffing costs and service tradeoffs, scheduling, and managing intra-day service levels.

Don't miss this one-time opportunity to hone your workforce management skills and expertise, and to network and share real-world experiences with other call center management professionals.  Taught live by leading experts from the RCCSP Professional Education Alliance, and presented virtually in a classroom near you, the Call Center Workforce Management Training and Certification Series brings the best the US has to offer in call center forecasting and scheduling techniques directly to Guatemala City.  The classroom program includes post-session Question and Answer segments and reviews of practice exam questions.

Can't make it to Guatemala City?  Then learn more about in-house training options.  Tune-in over the internet, and train your entire supervisory team!  Learn more below.

This US management seminar series will be delivered in English.

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Series Schedule

Thursday, October 22, 2009 -- 2:00-4:00 PM

Data Collection and Analysis

The most critical step in the workforce management process is the first one: data collection and analysis. The best predictor of future call workload is past data, and knowing what data to gather is critical to the workforce management process.

Participants will learn where to look for data and how to determine whether it is appropriate for inclusion in the forecasting process. The course will present mathematical techniques for analyzing data and making needed adjustments, and will also focus on the role of business drivers and how to incorporate them into the planning process.

Seminar attendees will learn:

• Basic principles of data-gathering in the workforce planning process.
• Sources of call center planning data.
• How call routing and button usage can impact data.
• How to identify data aberrations and adjust for them.
• What business drivers most pertinent to the planning process.

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 -- 2:00-4:00 PM

Forecasting Fundamentals: Proven Practices for Predicting Call Workload

Without a solid forecast in place, the best staffing designs and schedule plans just aren't relevant. While forecasting approaches range from simple gut feel to complex mathematical modeling, there are several that every call center manager should know about.

This session reviews the most popular techniques used for forecasting and the advantages and risks of each. Attendees will learn about the step-by-step approach used by most call centers called time-series analysis, including a case study and an exercise to complete after the class. Tips will be provided on forecasting short-cuts and when to use them. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Describe the importance of accurate forecasting and cost implications of doing it poorly.
• Identify the preferred techniques of data gathering and analysis.
• Outline the different approaches used by call centers today and which is most widely used.
• Outline the step-by-step process of time-series analysis.
• Calculate trend rates and identify seasonal patterns.
• Identify some popular forecasting shortcuts and when to use them.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009 -- 2:00-4:00 PM

Calculating Call Center Staff: The Math of Call Center Staffing Tradeoffs

Getting the "just right" number of people in place at the right times to handle the contacts - it's every call center manager's dream. However, figuring out the right staffing mix to maximize service to customers, while minimizing cost, can sometimes be a nightmare.

This session outlines the step-by-step approach to call center staffing. Attendees will learn about setting service goals and how to use Erlang techniques to determine the right number of bodies in chairs. The session will also discuss the most critical staffing tradeoffs, such as cost versus service concerns, the effect on service of plus/minus one person, the impact of large groups and economies of scale, and effects of staff occupancy. All attendees will receive free QuikStaff planning software.

Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify factors in setting service level goals and what factors contribute to speed of answer expectations.
• Use Erlang calculations to pinpoint staffing needs.
• Identify service and cost tradeoffs and ways to improve service without adding staff.
• Describe the most common mistake call centers make in determining staff numbers.
• Identify ways to incorporate multi-media contacts into the staff planning process.
• Use free QuikStaff call center planning software.

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Thursday, December 3, 2009 -- 2:00-4:00 PM

Scheduling Principles and Problems: Solutions to Scheduling Challenges

Have you managed to arrive at the delicate balance between efficient schedules and staff preferences? Don't worry - you're not alone! It's the age-old problem that workforce planners and call center managers continue to struggle with week in and week out. And just when you've got it figured out, throw in skill-based scheduling, extended hours of operation, or the need to cover emails and web chats in addition to calls.

This session outlines the most common scheduling problems call centers face and will provide some traditional solutions as well as some creative new ones to help with your scheduling dilemma. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Describe schedule efficiency versus acceptability conflicts.
• Identify the ten most common scheduling problems call centers face today.
• Describe options that have worked for other call centers in solving scheduling problems.
• Examine schedule horizon tradeoffs.
• Identify long-term scheduling strategies as well as real-time reaction strategies to meet service goals.
• Describe the latest workforce management software capabilities for solving scheduling problems.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009 -- 2:00-4:00 PM

Managing Daily Service Levels: An Intra-Day Guide to Managing Staff and Service

Everything is in place. You've forecasted workload according to best practices and created a staffing plan and set of schedules to efficiently match the workforce to the workload. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. It's critical to track how well the plan is working every single half-hour of every single day to ensure service goals are being met and employees are being utilized effectively.

This session will outline the process of tracking performance within the day and provide overstaffing and understaffing reaction strategies should the plan go awry. Seminar attendees will learn to:

• Identify the components and the process used to track daily performance.
• Outline the steps of developing a communications plan should changes in staffing be required.
• Identify reaction strategies from both a staffing and technology perspective.
• Outline the many types of intra-day activities that affect staff availability and how to track them.
• Identify the most critical measures of intra-day performance and when to use each one..

Who Should Attend

This course is for managers, supervisors, and workforce management specialists who are responsible for service level goals and staffing activities in the call center.  The material is at an intermediate level, and prepares candidates to take the certification exam.

Certification

The Call Center Workforce Management Certification process consists of two parts: attendance in all five sessions of the QA Series and a certification exam. The exam is web-based and open-book.  Candidates are given 2 hours to complete the 40-question exam and must achieve at least 80 percent accuracy in order to obtain certification.  

The Call Center Workforce Management Certification exams are independently scored.  Candidates will be advised of their exam scores within two week following the completion of the exam.

Classroom Location

This US contact center certification series is being hosted by


official member of the
RCCSP Caribbean and Latin America Channel Network

To be Announced

Seminar Start and Stop Times

Classes begin promptly at 2:00 PM and end at 4:00 PM Guatemala time each day (3-5 PM CST). Participants are strongly encouraged to arrive by 1:45 PM each class day to register and network with fellow attendees.

Classroom Registration Fees and Discounts

The per student registration fee for this seminar is $750 USD for the entire series of five seminars.

What’s Included

The registration fee includes participation in the classroom seminars, all training materials, self-study practice examination questions, and CWMP certification examination fees and certificate.

Early-Registration Discounts:

• $495 for paid registrations received by September 28
• $695 for paid registrations received by October 5

Company Group Discounts

• 10% discount for companies registering 3 or more participants. (Enter three separate registrations, one for each person.  Use promotional code "Group Discount" on all three.  Group attendees must be employees of the same company.)

Payment in advance is required for attendance. The registration deadline  for this course is October 16, 2009.

To register, click on the "Book Now" button or call (708) 246-0320.

Per student registration fee for the 5-session series, October 22-December 10, 2009

$750 USD $495 USD

Private In-House Training Options

If facilitated classroom sessions are not available in your area, join the class from your own company training room. A private connection can be an economical alternative for call centers with five or more professionals to be trained in one location.

What's included:

The registration fee includes 5 1½-hr. web-based training seminars and all training materials.

In-House Registration and Fees

Train all of your company's quality professionals for one low price of $1375. Fees for the CWMP certification exam are $25 per person.

Click HERE to register for a private in-house connection to the Winter 2009 Call Center Workforce Management Certification Series.

Payment is due prior to the seminar.

Cancellation Policy.  Registrants may cancel up to fourteen days in advance of the seminar start date for a full refund, less administrative fees of $150 USD.  Or, you may transfer your registration to another member of your company at no additional charge.  Registrants cancelling within fourteen days of the seminar will receive credit, less administrative fees of $150, toward any other Resource Center seminar.  In the unlikely event that a seminar must be cancelled, you will be notified at least one week prior to the seminar date. Seminar provider is not responsible for losses due to cancellation including losses on advanced purchase airfares.