In the call center world, there are a number of different call center management tools that can help to drive an optimal performance. The challenge for many call center decision makers is weeding through all of the offerings to determine what they really need to drive results and what is truly just fluff meant to boost the revenues of the vendor.

In all reality, there are a number of valuable tools available that improve the overall performance of the center. For our purposes today, we will examine four of those tools and the role they play – and associated benefit – to ensure the overall call center can perform as expected. These four tools include workforce management, automatic call distribution; call center monitoring and performance optimization.

Workforce Management

Workforce management tends to be that one software tool that baffles upper management. They don’t always understand what it is or how it benefits the call center and therefore, it is one of the most difficult tools to get simply because of the approval process. This isn’t for lack of value that call center management tools deliver, but instead in the understanding of why it is necessary.

The call center is a complex environment that relies on both technology and people to make the whole big puzzle work properly. Workforce management is part of that technology that takes the human element and incorporates a plan for optimal performance. For instance, the workforce management call center management tools forecasts anticipated call volumes, understands the available work staff for any given shift and schedules according to anticipated workload.

Automatic Call Distribution

When call centers first emerged on the scene, a live operator would take the call and then transfer the call to the individual who was either available or could best answer the question or resolve the issue. The sheer volume of calls into the call center makes this type of process cumbersome and obsolete. As a result, we now rely on an automatic call distributor system in our call center management tools to ensure the right call gets to the right person.

Call center management tools not only know how many agents are available to take a call, but also the skill set of that agent, the problem or issue involved in the call and how long the call can stay in the queue. The call center management tools that ensure the call is properly routed so that first call resolution is strong within the center.

Call Center Monitoring

What was once considered intrusion has now become an essential practice for call center management tools. Call center monitoring helps to capture the interaction between the agent and the customer so that the experience can be properly measured and the agent can be aware of potential areas of improvement.

Call monitoring solutions also help line managers to understand the performance of their agents and display reports according to the agent, the team and the overall center. Call Center management tools help to keep performance in perspective so clear goals can be set and agents can be empowered to meet those goals.

Performance Optimization

Additionally, call center management tools ensure performance is optimized. The most effective method for performance optimization are those call management software solutions that allow the call center agent to receive a real-time view of their performance, and then provide the tools so they can improve on that performance. Tie improvements to financial incentives, and you’ll immediately see results.

As was mentioned earlier, not all call centers function on the same call center management tools, but those listed here can deliver significant benefits to truly drive results.