By Lisa Guerriero
Workforce optimization (WFO) software provides performance management tools and helps to derive actionable data insights to organizations. Often, it incorporates components of workforce management, such as call recording and coordinating staff scheduling.
The outdoors division of ACTIVE Network LLC adopted a WFO solution from Verint Systems Inc. in order to automate administrative tasks and provide insight into call center data to make the most of its staff.
Investing in WFO
ACTIVE Network offers cloud-based activity management, providing a scalable software as a service. It automates back-office tasks such as registration, payments, and communications for more than 47,000 organizations, including sports leagues, race organizers, and camps.
ACTIVE Network adopted a WFO solution from Verint approximately five years ago to manage large amounts of data and scheduling requests, while also improving efficiency.
The outdoors division of ACTIVE Network manages more than 500 employees in over 20 states during its peak call volume season. The organization needed a system that could handle varying state laws and time zones, as well as call sharing across the different locations.
“We really needed something that could be flexible for that,” explains Kristen Hier, traffic and scheduling manager, ACTIVE Network.
Implementation and Fast Improvements
It took a couple of weeks to gather the historical data that would eventually be imported into its new WFO solution. The import and installation were complete in a matter of days.
The call center staff were trained on the WFO system and IT employees were brought up to speed. “There was a little bit of trial and error once implementation happened,” acknowledges Kim Kleinhans, traffic and scheduling analyst, senior, ACTIVE Network.
She says they started seeing results right away, and soon understood how to could make the most of the solution’s functionality.
Prior to Verint, changes often required a flurry of confusing emails. Now, the organization sends one email with a notification that schedules are available for staff to view. The simplified process places less of a burden on the operational team, and also allows them to make changes on the fly.
The solution also allows the center to convert scheduling requests to management from paper to a Web-based system, allowing management to handle changes more effectively.
Due to the size of ACTIVE Network’s call center operations, these administrative changes have a dramatic effect.
Additionally, Verint’s WFO solution enables greater understanding of ACTIVE Network’s call center functions and data. “It’s helped us realize our trends better,” observes Hier.
Prior to using Verint, they didn’t have a function for comparing forecasted volume to actual volume. Now it is able to observe year-over-year patterns and make adjustments based on the data.
An Active Solution
Verint’s WFO solution helps ACTIVE Network automate its ability to forecast and schedule staff for increased productivity. It also provides tools for the company’s outdoors division to understand data and put it to use as actionable intelligence. SW
