Reply outsourcing contact center increased efficiency by 10% thanks to the Argus WFM CC system

2024: Implementation of "Argus" WFM CC

Outsourcing contact center Reply increased efficiency by 10 percent thanks to the system. ARGUS WFM CC He announced this on August 21, 2024. Argus STC

Reply Contact Center began its work in 2013. In the first year, it was possible to expand the portfolio by 37 clients, where the priority was to close the task of servicing incoming calls - 80%, and outgoing 20%. Over time, the pool expanded to 100 projects at a time, but already with a ratio of 50/50 incoming/outgoing. The company grew, market needs grew, SLA and technical requirements changed. In 2019, during the pandemic, there was a sharp increase in the call center: in just one month, 200 remote workplaces were organized. In order to correctly predict and plan the load on the contact center in rather harsh conditions, about 10 people were needed. And it became clear that there was no way to do without automation.

After the shock of the first wave of COVID-19, we felt a sharp decline in traffic, from 180FTE to 90FTE. And there was a sharp question - what to do with the 90 operators who were released. Firing is not an option. It was necessary to quickly distribute them somewhere. We understood that the bifurcation point was passed - we need a WFM system that will help in the management and distribution of labor, "said Yulia Spryzhkova, head of the Reply contact center.

When the automation project began, which lasted several years, the main challenge was the team's resistance to change. To steer in this storm, together with the STC ARGUS, a series of trainings was held for all employees, which explained all the advantages of the system and analyzed the scenarios for improving the work processes of each specialist using specific examples. A support team was created with STC ARGUS managers, which can be accessed at any time.

The introduction of a system approach with WFM, of course, required an adjustment to the structure of the company. New processes and roles were agreed. A new staff unit was allocated - the system administrator.

Thanks to the system, administrative staff were freed from routine tasks, such as creating schedules. This is a quick response to changes, as real-time performance monitoring tools have become available. And supervisors can devote more time to supporting and developing employees, - said Yulia Spryzhkova.

As you know, any automation is also optimization. Thanks to more flexible planning, the percentage of absentism has decreased - from 9% to 3% in just a year! Employees now combine work and personal time more easily, which has increased their satisfaction and commitment to the company.

Planning automation has improved service levels and consistently achieved SLA targets. Reply Contact Center successfully handles increased traffic and avoids problems with shift planning. Over the year, SL rose from 78.5% to 82-83%. If we talk about the main indicators that measure the effectiveness of the contact center, then Utilization increased by 10.3 percent, amounting to 87.2%. And the Occupancy (OCC) rate grew by 6 percent to 85%.

All these changes led to a significant increase in production and the implementation of key performance indicators (KPIs), which positively affected the company's financial results.

But most of all in this history of the implementation of the system from the STC ARGUS, I am proud that the average operator's rate before the WFM appeared was about 0.5. Now we have come to 0.61 - 0.75, which in the conditions of uneven loads characteristic of an outsourcing contact center is an extremely good indicator that allowed us to increase margins, "added Yulia Spryzhkova.