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Workforce planning has come a long way from the days when employees were recruited based on gaps in the company organization chart. Successful organizations are making workforce planning a strategic process – one that is based the business strategy of the company and supports both short-term and long-term goals.

Absenteeism is a not-insignificant challenge for the typical contact center. Unplanned absences are a constant plague, with 29% of managers naming them as their greatest challenge in workforce management.

It's tempting to put 2020 behind us and move on, but before you get out your shovel and put it in the ground, you should do some honest lessons learned about the past year and use the information to guide your 2021 contact center investments.

If you are managing sales compensation, then you know there are several key challenges involved. Companies of every size want to reduce payment errors, ensure faster and more accurate compensation, improve control and increase transparency. However, as volume increases and sales teams grow globally, achieving these goals becomes more and more complicated.

If you work in a contact center, you know that business is different now compared to before the pandemic struck. The most obvious difference may be that most of your agents started working from home – and almost a year later, likely still are. But you probably also noticed a change in your call volumes and patterns. Many organizations experienced a spike in volume at the beginning of the lock downs as well as an increase in handle times. And the timing of when those calls came in changed for many as well.

We connected with our team of subject matter experts to get their opinions on the top issues facing the 2021 contact center and what customer experience leaders need to keep in mind as they brace for the future. Here’s what they had to say.

Is yours a company that engages in strategic workforce planning and as a result, is reaping the benefits of having the right people in the right jobs at the right time? If so, you know the makeup and capabilities of your current workforce. You’ve planned for future scenarios based on company growth. And you constantly review and take proactive steps to align your workforce with the future you foresee.