Points to Consider Before Implementing Performance-Based Scheduling

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Published:  July 30, 2012

Most call centers use one of three criteria for schedule selection:  seniority, rotation, or performance (or some combination of these).  Performance can be defined in many ways, but can include such items as adherence, quality, productivity, and attendance.   If your organization is evaluating the potential of migrating to performance-based scheduling, there are several key points to consider.

Performance-based scheduling can result in increased productivity and employee satisfaction, but also a certain level of employee dissatisfaction from those who are no longer getting the best schedules after implementation. However, considering the following questions can minimize the impact to morale:

  • Does the entire management team support the move to performance-based scheduling?
  • Are you prepared to involve front-line employees to gain much-needed buy-in?
  • What are your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
  • What weight or priority do you give each KPI?
  • Will you include seniority as one of the components in performance-based scheduling?
  • Are you willing to experience some turnover of lower performing employees or provide these agents with coaching on improving their performance?
  • Should you give employees a trial run to illustrate the impact their performance would have on their schedules?
  • Will you offer a monetary incentive in addition to pick of schedules?

Obviously, this is not an all-inclusive list but is a good starting point as you consider the impact of implementing performance-based scheduling. You must also consider your cultural tolerance (what management will support) when proposing or implementing this.

Our SWPP survey statistics showed that 41% of the respondents include performance ranking in schedule selection criteria.  Twenty-eight percent of those who don’t say that fear of the impact on agent satisfaction is the reason.

Look for some “pros” and “cons” of performance-based scheduling in my next blog post.

 

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