What is Scheduling?

Contact center scheduling is a workforce management activity in which agent work schedules are created based on a variety of factors, mainly expected contact volume and agent availability and skillset. Good scheduling balances customer demands (volume) with efficient use of labor. It can be a complicated balancing act - schedule too few agents and the average speed of answer (ASA) might skyrocket; schedule too many agents and labor costs will grow. It's a classic case of trying to satisfy both the customer and the CFO.

Scheduling is a dynamic process, so even the best schedules are likely to change after they get published. Agents call in sick, queues blow up, volume comes in much lower than forecast, etc. All of these events may require intraday scheduling changes to ensure agents are assigned to the best, most productive activity at any given time and not sitting idle.

Making quick, effective schedule adjustments like this can be difficult for workforce managers if they don't have the right software. But modern solutions allow them to make these changes easily and quickly. Good scheduling tools not only support intraday adjustments - they also enable contact centers to easily promote agent-friendly practices, such as preferred schedules, agent time-off requests, flex schedules, and work from home days. Additionally, the best scheduling tools support agent schedule swaps and shift bidding.