Resource management

Your customer comes first. This obviously does not mean that you can allocate limitless resources to customer interaction.

 Resource management – formerly workforce management – helps you make accurate staffing requirement forecasts, so that you can plan resources optimally. This is not a one-off exercise, but an ongoing process of planning, implementing, measuring, evaluating and adjusting.

A good forecasting process requires a database that contains reliable data covering a substantial period. An up-to-date planning package is indispensable in this respect: you need to know the current marketing activities in order to have the correct number of agents in the call centre; with complex customer services you need to carefully match skills with needs; and you will obviously also want to include recruitment, induction schedules and training in your planning. Another aim is to create a good work–life balance for your employees. Without a planning package it is almost impossible to translate your ‘master plan’ into an effective individual plan for each of your employees. TOTE-M can give you customized advice to resolve this.

It is important to know when deviations from the plan are permitted. Who makes that decision and which communication channels are used? To complete the resource management process, all deviations from the original plan must be measured and analysed, thereby ensuring that the next forecast is even more accurate and that your organization – centring on your customers – keeps moving in step with the changing market.