Differentiating Between Schedule and Performance Adherence
In the fast-paced environment of call centers, adhering to schedules and maintaining high performance are critical to operational success. While schedule adherence and performance adherence might sound similar, they address different aspects of agent behavior that significantly impact both efficiency and customer satisfaction. As a contact center professional, differentiating between schedule and performance adherence can help streamline operations, optimize staffing, and enhance the overall customer experience.
What is Schedule Adherence?
Schedule adherence refers to how well agents stick to their assigned schedules. This includes being at their workstation and logged into the system when they’re supposed to be, as well as taking breaks, lunches, and logging out at designated times. Essentially, it ensures that agents are in the right place at the right time to meet customer demand.
In practice, this means that if an agent is scheduled to begin their shift at 9:00 AM, take a lunch break at 12:30 PM, and log off at 5:00 PM, schedule adherence measures how closely they follow this timeline. Deviations, such as taking a longer lunch or showing up late, negatively impact adherence rates and, consequently, call center performance.
For example, when an agent is late returning from break, it can lead to longer customer hold times and increased workload for their colleagues. This can trigger a domino effect, where delays in schedule adherence cause service disruptions, increased customer dissatisfaction, and higher operational costs.
What is Performance Adherence?
Performance adherence, on the other hand, focuses on how well agents follow the expected performance metrics during their shifts. This involves elements like handling call volume, after-call work (ACW), hold times, and maintaining appropriate auxiliary states, such as being available to take calls or on break when appropriate. Performance adherence ensures agents are meeting the performance expectations required to maintain service levels and customer satisfaction.
For example, if an agent spends excessive time in ACW, fails to follow the call flow, or frequently moves into non-call-related auxiliary states, it can negatively affect their performance adherence. This might result in missed performance goals like Average Handle Time (AHT) or First Call Resolution (FCR), which are key indicators of success in a contact center environment.
Why Both Adherence Metrics Matter
Both schedule and performance adherence are critical to the smooth operation of a call center. Schedule adherence ensures that the right number of agents are available to handle the expected call volume, preventing understaffing or overstaffing. On the other hand, performance adherence guarantees that agents are working efficiently and effectively during their shifts, ensuring that customers receive the best possible service.
For instance, if agents adhere to their schedules but frequently fall out of compliance with performance metrics—by taking too long in ACW or putting customers on extended holds—the overall customer experience can suffer. Similarly, excellent performance adherence can be undermined by poor schedule adherence if there aren’t enough agents available to handle the workload.
How Automation Tools Like Intradiem Can Help
Automation solutions like Intradiem offer real-time monitoring and proactive management of both schedule and performance adherence. Intradiem alerts agents to upcoming breaks, end-of-shift times, and other pre-scheduled events, allowing them to adjust their activities accordingly. This proactive approach ensures that agents stay on schedule and reduces the manual work for Workforce Management (WFM) teams.
By continuously monitoring net staffing data, Intradiem can make real-time adjustments, like offering Voluntary Time Off (VTO) or Voluntary Overtime (VOT), to keep agent supply aligned with customer demand. Additionally, automation helps manage agent auxiliary states, sending reminders to agents and notifying supervisors when performance thresholds are exceeded, such as long after-call work or extended hold times.
Conclusion
Balancing and differentiating between schedule and performance adherence is essential to running an efficient and customer-centric call center. Solutions like Intradiem not only ensure that agents are where they need to be when they need to be but also that they’re performing at their best during every shift. By automating these processes, contact centers can enhance agent engagement, boost efficiency, and ultimately improve the customer experience.
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