Introduction
Greetings to all call center managers and staff! Staffing is one of the most critical elements in the operation of your contact center. The right number of agents can make or break your business, impacting customer satisfaction, retention, and revenue. However, calculating the optimal staffing level can be a real challenge.
Luckily, there is a powerful tool that can help you tackle this problem easily and efficiently – the staffing model excel template. In this article, we will explore all the benefits, features, and use cases of this tool in depth, so keep reading!
What is staffing model excel template?
Simply put, a staffing model excel template is an automated spreadsheet that helps calculate the required number of call center agents based on different variables, such as call volume, service level, average handle time, and shrinkage. By inputting these variables into the template, it generates a schedule that shows how many agents are needed for each hour of the day to meet the desired service level.
Why do you need a staffing model excel template?
There are several reasons why you should adopt a staffing model excel template for your call center:
- Accuracy: The template uses complex algorithms to ensure that the staffing levels are accurate and optimized for your business needs.
- Efficiency: Compared to manual calculations, the template saves time and reduces errors, allowing you to focus on other important tasks.
- Flexibility: The template can be customized to suit your specific call center requirements, such as different shift patterns or skills-based routing.
- Scalability: The template can handle different call volumes and growth projections, enabling you to plan for future staffing needs.
- Transparency: The template provides a clear and transparent view of the staffing plan, allowing you to communicate it to your team and stakeholders easily.
How to use a staffing model excel template?
Using a staffing model excel template is easy and straightforward. Here are the steps:
- Download a reliable and proven template from a reputable source, such as Call Centre Helper or The Real Time Contact Centre.
- Input your historical or forecasted call volume, service level goal, average handle time, and shrinkage factors into the template.
- Customize the template to fit your call center’s operational needs and constraints, such as breaks, lunches, or skills requirements.
- Review the generated schedule and adjust it as needed based on your business goals, staffing preferences, or budget constraints.
- Communicate the schedule to your team and monitor its performance regularly, making adjustments as needed to maintain or improve service level.
What are the features of a staffing model excel template?
A staffing model excel template typically includes the following features:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Call volume forecast | The projected number of incoming calls for each interval of the day or week, based on historical data or future trends. |
| Service level goal | The target percentage of calls answered within a certain time threshold, such as 80% answered within 20 seconds. |
| Average handle time | The average duration of a call, including hold time, talk time, and wrap-up time. |
| Shrinkage factors | The expected or actual percent of time that agents are not available to handle calls, such as due to breaks, lunches, training, or meetings. |
| Shift patterns | The different start and end times of shifts for agents, such as 9-5, 10-6, or 12-8. |
| Skills-based routing | The ability to assign agents to specific call types or queues based on their skills or expertise, such as billing, technical support, or sales. |
| Real-time adherence | The capability to track and monitor actual agent activity and compare it to the schedule, allowing for adjustments and coaching in real-time. |
What are the benefits of a staffing model excel template?
A staffing model excel template offers several benefits for call center managers and staff, including:
- Improved service level: By ensuring that you have the right number of agents at the right time, you can meet or exceed your service level goals and enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Reduced costs: By minimizing overstaffing and understaffing, you can optimize your labor costs and improve your profitability and ROI.
- Increased efficiency: By automating the scheduling process, you can save time and resources and devote more attention to coaching, training, and quality management.
- Boosted morale: By providing a fair and transparent schedule that takes into account agents’ preferences and needs, you can enhance their engagement and retention.
- Better planning: By forecasting your staffing needs accurately and proactively, you can prepare for seasonal trends, marketing campaigns, or unexpected events.
What are the best practices for using a staffing model excel template?
Follow these best practices to maximize the benefits of a staffing model excel template:
- Collect accurate and detailed data on your call center performance, including call volume, AHT, service level, and shrinkage factors.
- Collaborate closely with your team and stakeholders to understand their needs and preferences regarding scheduling, breaks, and shifts.
- Monitor and measure the effectiveness of the schedule regularly, using metrics such as adherence, occupancy, and utilization.
- Stay flexible and adaptable to changing conditions and variables, such as new products, regulations, or customer demands.
- Invest in training and development for your agents to improve their skills, productivity, and satisfaction.
Staffing Model Excel Template – The Ultimate Solution for Call Center Staffing
Now that we’ve covered the basics of staffing model excel template, let’s dive deeper into its features and benefits. Here are the seven critical components of this powerful tool:
1. Accurate Forecasting
The heart of a staffing model excel template is its ability to forecast call volume and other variables accurately. By using historical data, statistical models, or machine learning algorithms, the template can generate a precise estimate of how many calls you are likely to receive at any given time, day, week, or month. This foresight is crucial to avoid understaffing or overstaffing, which can lead to longer wait times, lower service levels, and frustrated customers.
2. Customizable Parameters
Another key strength of a staffing model excel template is its flexibility and adaptability. You can customize the parameters of the template to suit your unique business needs and constraints, such as varying shift patterns, multi-skilled agents, or different service level goals. You can also adjust the inputs based on your forecasting accuracy, real-time data, or agent performance. This customization allows you to fine-tune your staffing plan and optimize your resource allocation.
3. Real-time Adherence
A modern staffing model excel template should also offer real-time adherence functionality, meaning it can track and compare the actual activity of agents against the schedule in real-time. This allows you to monitor their performance, identify issues or discrepancies, and take corrective action immediately. Real-time adherence can also help you provide coaching, feedback, or recognition to your agents and enhance their engagement and motivation.
4. Multi-channel Support
In today’s omnichannel world, call centers must handle various customer interactions across different channels, such as voice, chat, email, or social media. A robust staffing model excel template should be able to accommodate these different channels and calculate the staffing needs for each channel based on its characteristics, such as volume, duration, or complexity. This capability can help you provide consistent and seamless service across all channels and increase customer loyalty and advocacy.
5. Scalability and Integration
As your call center grows and evolves, your staffing model excel template should be able to scale and integrate with other software or systems, such as workforce management, quality management, or customer relationship management. This integration enables you to streamline your workflows, avoid duplicate data entry, and access valuable insights and analytics about your call center performance. It also allows you to automate many repetitive tasks and focus on strategic and high-value activities.
6. Agent Empowerment
A staffing model excel template can also empower your agents by giving them more control and visibility over their schedules and preferences. By allowing them to request time off, swap shifts, or bid for preferred shifts or tasks, you can increase their autonomy, flexibility, and satisfaction. This empowerment can also reduce absenteeism, attrition, and burnout, and improve your overall agent performance and retention.
7. Continuous Improvement
Finally, a staffing model excel template should support a culture of continuous improvement and learning. By regularly reviewing and analyzing your call center data, metrics, and feedback, you can identify opportunities for improvement and make appropriate changes to the template or process. This continuous improvement approach can help you achieve and maintain operational excellence, exceed customer expectations, and differentiate your call center from the competition.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between a staffing model and a workforce management system?
A staffing model is a tool or method that helps you calculate the optimal number of agents needed to meet your service level goals based on different variables. A workforce management system is a software platform that automates and integrates many aspects of call center operations, such as forecasting, scheduling, real-time adherence, performance management, and reporting.
2. Do I need a staffing model excel template if I already have a workforce management system?
While a workforce management system can provide many benefits and features, including staffing optimization, a staffing model excel template can still complement and enhance its functionality. A staffing model excel template can offer more flexibility, customization, and transparency in terms of staffing planning and communication. It can also serve as a check or validation of the workforce management system’s output, helping you identify and correct any discrepancies or errors.
3. How often should I update or refresh my staffing model excel template?
The frequency of updates or refreshes depends on various factors, such as your call center’s seasonality, growth, or changes in products or services. However, as a general rule, you should review and adjust your staffing model excel template at least once a month or when significant changes occur, such as new marketing campaigns, promotions, or regulations.
4. How can I ensure the accuracy of my staffing model excel template?
To ensure the accuracy of your staffing model excel template, you should follow these best practices:
- Use reliable and up-to-date data for your inputs, such as call volume, AHT, service level, and shrinkage factors.
- Validate and test the model’s output against real-world data and feedback from agents and customers.
- Review and adjust the model’s assumptions and parameters regularly based on your operational and strategic goals.
- Collaborate and communicate closely with your team and stakeholders to ensure their buy-in and input.
5. How can I encourage my agents to use the staffing model excel template?
To encourage your agents to use the staffing model excel template, you should:
- Train and educate them on its benefits, features, and usage.
- Provide them with access and visibility to the schedule and their preferences.
- Solicit and address their feedback and concerns regularly.
- Recognize and reward their compliance and performance related to the schedule.
6. Can I use a staffing model excel template for other industries besides call centers?
Yes, a staffing model excel template can be used in various industries and contexts where staffing optimization is critical, such as retail, healthcare, hospitality, or transportation. However, you may need to adjust the variables, assumptions, and features of the template to fit your specific business needs.
7. Where can I find a reliable and proven staffing model excel template?
There are several sources of staffing model excel templates, such as:
- Call Centre Helper
- The Real Time Contact Centre
- Excel Skills
- Microsoft Templates
Make sure to choose a template that is compatible with your version of Microsoft Excel, easy to use and customize, and has a good reputation and user reviews.
Conclusion
As a call center manager, staffing can be a daunting and complex task, but it doesn’t have to be. By adopting a staffing model excel template, you can simplify and optimize this critical element of your operations and achieve significant benefits in terms of customer satisfaction, cost reduction, agent empowerment, and continuous improvement.
Remember to follow the best practices, customize the template to your specific needs, and collaborate closely with your team and stakeholders. With the right tools and mindset, you can transform your call center from a cost center to a value center and a competitive differentiator.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. The author and publisher assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages of any kind arising from the use or reliance on this information. The reader should seek professional advice before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the contents of this article.