SWPP Tip of the Week for May 8 is from Call Design!

The Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP) is a membership association designed specifically to facilitate education and networking among workforce planners and managers in the contact center. They are an amazing group whose can’t-miss annual event is coming up May 15-17 2023 in Nashville! Be sure to catch Call Design there, and don’t miss our own Dan Smitley’s speaking session “Managing More Than Just Your Workforce: You’re Taking Care of Everyone Else, But Who’s Taking Care of You?” on the 15^th at 11:00! 

One of the benefits of signing up with SWPP is the timely views and advice in their Tip of the Week. It just so happens that May 8’s Tip of the Week is from Dan. Check it out and follow Call Design (as well as Dan’s own LinkedIn) for more insights on leadership and employee experience!

Is your forecast accuracy above goal? Yep! Are service levels being met consistently? Yep! Are you absolutely killing your role and yet it doesn’t feel like anyone is paying attention? Also, yep.

In WFM we are used to being at the crossroads of so many teams: Finance, HR, Operations, IT, Marketing, on and on and on. We are excellent at consuming these different voices and producing a plan that meets our goals. The problem is that we’re used to receiving this information and then forget we also need to push the information back out. Or worse yet, we push out information and no one is paying attention! Here are two things to help you make sure you are receiving and sending information well.

1. Don’t assume. Just because you know what the marketing team is doing doesn’t mean the operations team does. Just because HR has put a focus on X doesn’t mean that finance is aware. Work to be the middle person that shares the knowledge across teams. Position yourself not just as a receiver of information but as a giver as well. Don’t assume everyone knows what you know.

2. Listen and help. Sure, you need to know the information to adjust your forecast and staffing plans. Along with listening to the information to inform your plans, make sure you’re also listening and adding value to their environment. Marketing says they need to improve Product X and so they are going to take Action Y. Don’t just add Action Y into your plans, help them refine it to make sure it’s the best action possible.

You can have the best plans and the best information to share, but if no one is listening then it doesn’t matter. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of simply executing our job descriptions. Making sure our roles and responsibilities are covered. When we position ourselves as someone that receives and gives good information, people will start to listen. When we start investing in other departments’ environments, helping them improve ideas and actions, then people will care what you have to say.

– Dan Smitley