Back-office operating areas that process orders, applications, claims, white mail, payments, etc., have historically been left to develop their own staff planning strategy. Companies have invested in technology to automate their back-office workflow and processes, but little to no effort has been made to enhance the performance of the remaining staff. Senior management perception was that there wasn't much that could be done to improve the performance of these people-intensive but non- strategic operating areas. So, these departments have received limited attention and investment dollars, and in some cases have been outsourced.
Contact centers used to confront similar challenges, before tools and applications were introduced that transformed their cost structure, service quality and the contributions they make to the customer experience. Workforce management solutions, which are used to optimize staffing cost while ensuring that the right resources with the right skill sets are available to meet projected volumes, are the number-one contact center productivity tool. Workforce management solutions are slowly making their way into back-office operating areas, where they are having a similar impact – when properly implemented, they are typically delivering staff-related savings of 10% to 40%.