Workforce Optimization (WFO)

As the business world becomes more complex and challenging, it is fortunate that cloud-based Workforce Optimization (WFO) software is available at affordable prices to assist even the smallest business in creating and tracking their work processes.

WFO is a business strategy that allows businesses to track and improve employee productivity and efficiency. By implementing these strategies, companies can adopt workforce practices that meet the needs of their customers without over or under-utilizing their employee workforce.

Although WFO originated in call centers, WFO, like Flamingo, has branched out to include manufacturing, financial, Human resources, and retail services. These industries now have a system to streamline operations and increase efficiency.

Workforce Optimization software is an umbrella term that integrates various software technologies into a suite that includes quality monitoring, coaching, performance management, scheduling, and activity tracking.

Although Workforce Optimization software has five core functions—labor scheduling, time and work data collection, leave management, task and activity management, and time and attendance—software companies such as Bright Pattern have integrated additional features that help businesses improve customer experience and retention. This optimizes their business processes.

Workforce Optimization Best Practices

Businesses using WFO Software must follow a few best practices to be effective. The management team, human resources, stakeholders, and leaders must be on board and agree with the company's mission. This allows the company to move forward, support the overall effort and integrate its WFO software without significant issues.

One of the critical elements of WFO Software is scheduling, assigning tasks, and matching skills to specific individuals–all within a given timeframe. This ensures that employees will complete their jobs quickly and efficiently. When implementing WFO Software, department and human resource managers must work together to match tasks to suitable employees. If this doesn’t occur, under or overstaffing can happen, resulting in a high turnover rate.

Human resource managers must carefully consider matching skilled people to available positions because incorrect work assignments can result in under-qualification, overqualification, and high turnover of poorly matched workers.

Benefits of WFO Software

WFO Software has several advantages; most notably, it integrates several systems into a single software suite and alleviates the need to purchase or develop in-house software that doesn’t consistently incorporate properly. It also realizes significant overall cost savings.

Employers are not the only ones benefitting from using WFO Software such as Bright Pattern. Since WFO Software also provides tools, support, and training for employees, it can present clear-cut goals so workers can achieve and even exceed expectations. And, since the software helps to increase productivity, it also can boost the company’s revenue, creating a saving that offsets the cost of the software.

In addition to reducing overall operating expenses, WFO Software can also save time and money by automating many of the processes that businesses were doing previously. It also allows businesses to improve their company communications, collect previously difficult data, and help increase productivity and performance. For businesses that need to legally adhere to compliance rules and regulations, implementing WFO Software can reduce or eliminate regulatory risks.


The Value of Customer Service

Although implementing WFO Software internally has many benefits, the most significant advantage is the increased creation of a positive customer experience. By using WFO Software in customer service departments, managers can assist customers with questions, solve targeted issues, and decrease the time it takes to answer the phone or an email. And when a company delivers excellent customer service, consumers say they’re willing to spend more on those businesses.

Using WFO Software to quickly respond to customers makes the business efficient and professional, improves the customer’s attitude, and increases retention and satisfaction.