For any business to operate effectively, especially those with large workforces (such as call centers), it is imperative that there are robust processes in place to manage the workforce. However, what is workforce management, and how does workforce management software bring value to your company? As technology replaces manual processes in all industries, management software is proving to be invaluable to employee satisfaction and overall business efficiency.
What Is Workforce Management?
By definition, workforce management is "an integrated set of processes that an institution uses to optimize the productivity of its employees on the individual, departmental, and entity-wide levels." Basically, it is ensuring that the right people are in the right seats doing the right things. Workforce management encompasses everything from scheduling, performance management and forecasting to employee request management and communication. It's bottom line is to help an organization consistently excel in service, operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
Workforce management software consists of mobile and desktop programs that help companies manage the complicated infrastructure of their workforce. More importantly, they provide hard data into the effectiveness of these processes, allowing business leaders to evaluate their workforce against pertinent business metrics. For example, when running a call center, you can evaluate the number of agents needed at a given time, or better track call metrics and provide customer service feedback to employees.
Why Do You Need Workforce Management Software?
According to research firm Gartner Inc., workforce management software serves five primary functions:
- Labor scheduling
- Time and work data collection
- PTO management
- Task and activity management
- Time records and attendance
The data collected around these function serves multiple, important purposes and can have profound impact on services rendered. Properly utilizing workflow management software will allow you to get in front of business decisions by providing forecasts and budget guidelines.
Ultimately, it allows your HR resources to be used more efficiently by eliminating the manual handling of schedules, paid time off, absences and other staff-related information. As transparency around information channels, planning and communication is increased, it brings empowerment to employees and can even reduce staff turnover.
Workforce software allows cohesive management of all aspects of your business. This lowers business expenses and raises revenue through improved customer service satisfaction and higher productivity.
The bottom line? Utilizing automated workflow management software greatly enhances operational efficiency and allows you to make the most out of each employee. There's no longer chances for human error and wasted resource time spent on manual processes when simple, hands-on software can provide value and direction to your business.
