COACH’ S CORNER
Then, the real kicker: the agent condescendingly informed me that I could make the whole payment through my customer portal. I assured them I had already tried that route before calling.
Flustered, they put me on hold. Several minutes later, they came back and, mercifully, processed my payment over the phone.
Oh, golly, that was a nightmare! Just to be sure, I checked my bank account immediately to confirm the transaction went through and kept a close eye on my account for the next week, just in case.
Needless to say, as soon as my warranty expires, I won ' t be renewing. Why, you ask? Maybe because if it took me this long to give them money, what would I have to go through to submit a claim?
If you’ re thinking the same way as I am you ' re absolutely right. A lot was happening during that call, but one thing stands out: every minute a customer spends on hold chips away at their experience and your brand ' s reputation. Along with the likelihood of staying as a customer, let alone referring others to them.
Did you know that a 2012 study identified 60 % of customers wouldn ' t wait on hold for over a minute? At five minutes, over 90 % would hang up altogether.
And let ' s be honest, customers today have even less patience. I ' d bet that at least 75 % wouldn ' t wait past a minute, and at four minutes, nearly all of them would hang up.
WHERE WFM COMES IN
This is where workforce management( WFM) comes in. Every thriving call or contact center has a foundation of solid WFM, the true backbone of the customer experience( CX).
It ' s not just about putting agents in seats. It ' s about having the right agents ready at the right time to create a smooth, satisfying interaction for every customer.
When done right, WFM keeps calls short and sweet and builds trust and loyalty. It helps you prove that every minute a customer spends with your brand is well spent.
So, how do top centers execute WFM well? From what I ' ve noticed, they use a mix of strategies and cutting-edge technologies, from forecasting tools and intelligent scheduling to real-time adjustments and AI-driven tools that help agents focus on the customer.
Before looking at some strategies to reduce wait times through effective WFM, we need to understand the difference between WFM and workforce planning( see FIGURE 1) and how to measure your current service numbers. I will be discussing those numbers-related topics here in Part 1. Then I will be outlining the strategies, specifically identifying the root causes, and taking action, in Part 2.
IDENTIFYING THE NUMBERS Service Level( SL)
Formula: SL = Calls answered within target time / Total calls x 100
Example: If 200 out of 250 calls are answered within the target time( e. g., 20 seconds), the service level is 200 / 250 x 100 = 80 %
Purpose: Measures how well your call or contact center meets its goal of answering calls within a set duration.
Average Handle Time( AHT)
Formula: AHT = Talk Time + Hold Time + After-Call Work( ACW)
Example: If a call involves three minutes of talk time, one minute of hold time, and one minute of ACW, then AHT = 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 minutes.
Purpose: Helps determine the average time an agent spends on each call, which is useful for staffing needs because it helps determine the number of agents needed to meet demand while maintaining service quality.
Occupancy Rate
Formula: Occupancy Rate = Time on calls and ACW / Total available time x 100
Example: If agents spend 45 minutes of each hour on calls and after-call work, occupancy is 45 / 60 x 100 = 75 %
Purpose: Shows how busy agents are. A high occupancy rate( 85 % – 100 %) can lead to agent burnout if maintained for too long. If it is too low( below 70 % – 75 %), it increases operational costs since agents are waiting longer to engage with customers. It also leads to agent disengagement. An ideal rate would usually be between 75 % – 85 %. SEPTEMBER 2025 13