Featured Articles

1. What’s Impacting Your Bottom Line? 9/11/2015

   The difference between profit and loss can be a delicate balancing act. One area that can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line is the contact center, often the first point of contact for customers. By Bob Webb, Pipkins, Inc.

2. Workforce Management Tools Needed For Remote Agent Success 8/5/2015

   There are three primary reasons for remote agents: lower contact center costs; improved customer service; and, improved employee satisfaction and retention. Operating costs associated with remote agents include lower starting wages and reduced benefits, less need for brick and mortar facilities and support staff, increased labor pool with flexible scheduling options, and reduced training costs associated with increased agent retention. By: Bob Webb, Pipkins, Inc.

3. Workforce Management Myth Busters 6/24/2015

   Workforce management is the foundation of contact center success. Contact centers that utilize workforce management solutions understand its importance and the value it brings to overall operations.

4. What Is Appearance Worth? 4/27/2015

   There are numerous examples of products that are attractive on the outside but inadequate on the inside. By Bob Webb, Pipkins, Inc.

5. Three Steps For Ensuring You Have The Right People, In The Right Place, At The Right Time 1/28/2015

   In his seminal book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins used the analogy of filling a bus to emphasize the importance of having the right people, in the right place, at the right time.  Collins researched how companies go from being good to great and concluded the key is utilization of the right people.

6. Service In 2012: The Continued Search For Revenue 2/16/2012
   For the previous 24 months, service revenue has topped the agenda of Chief Service Officers (CSOs) polled by Aberdeen. The 2010 State of Service Management research survey, and polls conducted at the 2010 CSO Summit, both found that service revenue was the top goal for CSOs to attain in 2011.
7. Two Roads To Mobile Workforce Management: Choosing Between On-Premises And Cloud Delivery 2/1/2012
   Companies with mobile workforces face two important technology trends. One is the use of mobile workforce management solutions that can add critical support to business strategies. The other is the growth of cloud-based solutions as an alternative to traditional on-premises deployment. Combining the two through cloud-based mobile workforce management can make sense, depending on the specific circumstances and goals of a company. By taking into account the technical market drivers and strategic considerations, a company can decide whether a cloud or traditional onpremises solution is the best fit.
8. Accurate Forecasting: The Heart Of Call Center Success 12/28/2011
   Accurate scheduling is dependent upon the forecast correctly estimating anticipated call volume and determining the number of agents required to meet service levels. How does this affect profitability? In a real life scenario, if call volume is underestimated to the extent that 100 callers out of 1,000 hang up before they speak to an agent in a sales environment where the average order is just $50, $5,000 in lost revenues will occur per day, $150,000 per month, or a staggering $1.8 million per year.
9. White Paper: Back Office Scheduling — A Critical Component For Improving Organizational Efficiency 5/9/2011
   When it comes to staffing requirements and operational performance goals, every organization is vastly different. Ensuring you have the proper number and types of employees scheduled to manage your back office at any given time can be a challenge, especially if you have little to no visibility into what you needed yesterday, last week, or last season to use as a basis for forecasting. By Bob Webb, Pipkins, Inc.
10. Back Office Scheduling — A Critical Component For Improving Organizational Efficiency 5/9/2011
    When it comes to staffing requirements and operational performance goals, every organization is vastly different. Ensuring you have the proper number and types of employees scheduled to manage your back office at any given time can be a challenge, especially if you have little to no visibility into what you needed yesterday, last week, or last season to use as a basis for forecasting. By Bob Webb, Pipkins, Inc.