When you’re understaffed, it’s hard to keep your company running smoothly. Things inevitably fall through the cracks, employees get overworked, and customers can end up dissatisfied with a lack of adequate service.

When a company is overstaffed, they’re more likely to waste money on unproductive hours. There’s a balance that needs to be found in hiring the right people for the right job, while also hiring the right number of them to do the job.

That’s where workforce management comes in. Workforce management allows you to optimize operations. You can improve productivity and adequately strategize how many employees you need for certain tasks and at specific times of the day. It helps you to avoid understaffing and overstaffing issues.

We know how valuable workforce management is, which is why we use it for our staff. It allows us to make sure that we always have the right people with the right skills representing every company we partner with. One of the ways we do this is by addressing the “service level” needed by the company. We base these service levels on the company’s desired service model and their expectations.

Our workforce management model allows us to ensure that the right agents with the correct skillsets are on the system at the right time. It also allows us to make sure the correct number of agents is available for the anticipated volume of phone calls, chats, emails, or tickets. We use workforce management to verify that staffing levels will meet or exceed service level expectations across all of the client channels.

Workforce management allows us to do this through forecasting, which uses historical statistics, business trends, and known factors,d such as anticipated call spikes due to marketing campaigns. We can forecast the anticipated workload and provide excellent customer service. We can also use it as a managing resource. During the day, analysts can monitor service levels and determine if client transactions are meeting or exceeding agent availability. They can then make real-time adjustments to agent schedules if needed.

Workforce management and scheduling allow us to figure out how to meet your needs and expectations without over or under burdening available resources. It allows us to customize what we have to offer for each company’s needs while keeping customers satisfied.

Learn more about what we have to offer by calling us at: (877) 922-8877. We’d love to discuss what your needs are and how we can meet them.

If you’ve ever been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World Resort, you know that experience is second to none. You’re a “guest” in every sense of the word — and that’s by design.

Disney’s exceptional level of service has earned praise from thought leaders in virtually every industry because they know how to take it to the next level. What can you learn from the global entertainment giant behind the “happiest place on earth”? Here are a few important takeaways:

A curated experience wins the day. As part of its business model, Disney promises a personalized experience at its theme parks — and it delivers. The result is that guests truly feel like they’re special and part of a larger community of Disney fans. It is the Age of the Consumer, after all, so the most successful companies know how to make their product or service feel like it was made for them. Most people have never had a bad customer service experience or encountered a grumpy employee at a Disney theme park. That’s because Disney understands that the hiring and training stage is absolutely critical to producing a superior customer service experience. They don’t skimp in those two areas.

Lean on the power of technology. Some companies have technology integrated and embedded into their product or service. For instance, Disney created an online platform through which customers can do everything from upgrade their tickets to purchase photos taken at the theme parks. Disney apps make it even easier to have a great experience at one of its theme parks. The lesson here? Websites and apps can enhance and strengthen the customer experience, when done right.

Culture is king. Disney is known as a family-friendly entertainment brand and destination and everything stems from that ethos. Culture really starts from within and infiltrates into every customer interaction. That said, it’s necessary to take a step back and consider why you do what you do and how your customers benefit. The “why” can prove to be a powerful narrative that you can leverage to deepen the connection between your company and its customers.

Customer service is a department that shouldn’t be undervalued or overlooked. The way you care for your customers can have a direct impact on your business. An unanswered question could result in a customer going elsewhere for business. An unaddressed concern could result in an angry customer who gives you a bad review online. However, a happy customer could lead to more consumer loyalty and greater customer growth. Those satisfied customers will be more likely to write positive reviews and spread their happy news with others. But what exactly are consumers looking for in a customer service department?

When customers have questions or concerns, they want answers quickly. They don’t want to waste time looking for contact information or waiting on hold. Things tend to move fast, attention spans tend to run short, and decisions can be made in an instant, so it’s important the customer service team delivers solutions fast. That means you need to have an omnichannel approach and offer 24/7 support.

Keep in mind that your audience will be made of people with different schedules and communication preferences. To target all of them, you need to deliver more than one option for customer support. Consider adding more support options other than just a phone number for them to reach out to. For example, chat and email support can go a long way. Also, consider the availability of your customer service representatives. Do you have off-hours or can customers reach out to you 24/7? The quicker you can deliver responses the better the customer-business relationship. Plus, many consumers have come to expect this type of availability.

Beyond just convenience and availability, you can’t underestimate the importance of being friendly and offering a listening ear. When customers reach out to a service department they expect to be greeted by someone who is friendly and willing to help, whether that’s over the phone or behind a computer screen. They want to know that they’re being heard and that their issue is being addressed by someone knowledgeable. Essentially, they want to know that the business cares about its consumers. This means the customer service rep needs to be patient with the consumer, listen to what they say without interruption, and help them the best they can. If the customer service rep is unable to assist, they need to transfer the call to the right person.

Overall, customers expect excellent service from a business they support. If they don’t receive that service they are likely to move on to another business. If you’d like help improving your customer service offerings, please reach out to us at XACT. We act as an organic extension of your customer support team.

People everywhere are working in remote locations. Some are working at home, others in co-working spaces, and some from local wifi hotspots. But, just because many people are working remotely these days, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t feel like they’re part of a team.

Near or far, teamwork is all about feeling like you’re a part of a collaboration. So, how do you continue to boost this collaborative feeling among your remote workers? There are plenty of ways to keep your remote workers satisfied and a part of the team.

One thing is for sure, workers (remote or not) want to feel like their work is acknowledged. They want to know they aren’t taken for granted. People are more inclined to be productive when they feel like they are appreciated by their employer.

The good news is, it’s easy to show appreciation for your employees. It can be something as simple as sending an email that says “thank you” or “job well-done.” You could even take it up a notch and present them with a gift for their good work.

Another way to show you appreciate your employees is to highlight their work. Periodically, you could send out a group email featuring some of your employees’ achievements that month. You can ask your team to participate, requesting that people highlight something they or their coworkers did to help accomplish your goals.

Beyond appreciation, you want to make sure your employees feel like they’re part of a greater team. In other words, you want them to stay connected. You can host periodic video meetings to keep the team collaborating, or you can set-up an on-going group chat through Slack or another similar service. You can even host virtual events like game days, workshops, or exercise classes.

Continue to show your employees that they are seen. Remember days that are special to them. For example, consider sending a happy birthday email, card, or gift when their special day arrives. Give them a shoutout when their work anniversary approaches. Remembering the “little” things can go a long way toward keeping remote workers a part of the team.

One more thing to keep in mind is that your remote employees need the right gadgets to get the job done. If there are tools your employees need to work more efficiently, consider supplying them to help boost productivity.

These are just a few ways you can help your remote workers excel in their job and stay connected with your overall team. We hope you’re able to put a few of these tips to good use.

There are so many reasons to survey your customers. It can provide you with a lot of relevant, impactful information that can help your business succeed.

Surveying your customers allows you to gain knowledge about how you’re doing as a company. You can find out if customers are happy with what you have to offer. You can ask questions about the services you offer or the products you sell. You can survey them about how functional your website is.

You can gain perspective about how well your customer service department represents your brand. You can gain knowledge about your customer base, including your target audience and what they’re interested in. And, you can ask your customers for feedback on products they’d like to see in the future. Plus, if you ask for feedback on a regular basis, you can see the improvements you make result in increased customer satisfaction.

Implementing surveys doesn’t have to fall on the shoulders of your in-house employees either. AT XACT, we offer survey and response. Using platforms like email and social media, we can contact your customer lists and engineer campaigns to market, survey, respond and interact. We can use multiple touchpoints such as phone and SMS to follow-up with your customers. This allows you to engage in a deeper, more meaningful way that can improve satisfaction and give your brand a competitive edge.

If you’d like to learn more about what we can do for you and how we can help your business succeed, give us a call at (800) 670-XACT. We’re here to meet your needs with customized solutions.