Will workforce management revolutionize with chatGPT technology?
Currently there is a revolution going on in artificial intelligence. ChatGPT is disrupting many markets including customer contact markets. What will be the impact of these robotic type of activities, is this really going to replace human interaction? This question...
“Unlocking Success in WFM Digitalization: Overcoming Challenges in the Manager’s Journey”
As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of customer service, it is crucial to adapt and embrace new technologies and software that can transform WFM environments as contact centers into efficient and customer-centric hubs. Let’s share today some insights on the...
Why you should stop using Erlang97
Many people in the contact center and workforce management industry still rely on the Excel 97 add-in to perform their Erlang calculations. However, the Erlang97 add-in is quite limited in its functionalities, and some of them are downright incorrect. For example,...
A letter to Intra-day managers in modern contact centers
This year is difficult for all of us. The unforeseen COVID catastrophe has changed the way we work, the way we live, and even the way we love. Despite this, we are also fighting hard with a positive mindset to...
Why Excel is not suitable for Forecasting
Excel is an amazing tool that allows users to organize data in spreadsheets and manipulate it using a large selection of functions. However, many WFM departments also use it as forecasting software for their time series. There are reasons why...
Why more information does not always give a better Forecast
Call center forecasting is a fascinating field where science and business intersect to create stimulating challenges. However, business requests sometimes contradict scientific reasoning such as using external variables to predict call volumes. As a forecasting specialist, I often receive an...
The Forecaster’s Luck
I am lucky not to be a forecaster… because they really have a difficult job. They have to differentiate between the effects of many factors, such as day-of-the-week, week-of-the-year, long-term trend, marketing events – without being able to tell exactly...
The Maths of Adherence
Agent scheduling is neither the first nor the last step to make sure your agents do the right thing at the right moment. Before you need budget and capacity planning; after it you need real-time performance management. An important part...
The Challenges surrounding Flexibility
Today, as I’m writing this blog, is the first really warm summer day in Holland. Every WFM professional knows that this means less calls which arrive earlier in the day (unless you’re in airco sales). This results in overstaffing, especially...
White paper ‘More precision with less data: a new approach to intra-day patterns’
Wout Bakker MSc, Giuseppe Catanese MSc, Ger Koole PhD, Siqiao Li PhD, Alex Roubos PhD CCmath bv, Amstelveen, Netherlands Introduction In call centers forecasts have to be at the 15-minute level to staff the right number of people at the right...