CUSTOMER PROFILE
THE CHALLENGE
Conduent’s contact centers, operating in several markets worldwide, were using various different solutions for their workforce management. Each center handled scheduling, forecasting and performance monitoring differently and essentially as isolated silos.
This posed a challenge in defining and tracking key performance indicators that could be measured comparatively across the enterprise. It also tended to blur the relationship between performance and forecasting on a large scale. This, in turn, impacted the quality of global strategic planning and schedule adherence goal-setting. In addition, the disconnected solutions in use by the various contact centers made global reporting and performance data sharing extremely difficult.
With over 55,000 frontline contact center employees serving over 220 clients worldwide, Conduent needed a common workforce management (WFM) solution it could implement consistently across the organization.
THE SOLUTION
Conduent’s need for a comprehensive, world-class and globally scalable solution led them to NICE Workforce Management. The training, consulting and best practices toolbox NICE brought to the table also ensured that the necessary corporate culture change would take place efficiently and that adoption would be a success.
Based on the initial consultations with NICE, Conduent anticipated a $42 million annual benefit after full implementation of NICE WFM.
Rollout in Half the Time
The initial rollout of the WFM platform affected 42,000 agents worldwide (80% of Conduent’s frontline staff) and 60% of the company’s client base.
As an integral part of the implementation, the NICE team provided application training and consulting, as well as business advisory consulting, to ensure the company got the most out of WFM. During the first year, NICE also maintained managed services and network operations center monitoring for Conduent’s new WFM solution.
There was close collaboration between NICE and Conduent throughout the NICE WFM implementation. The result was that it took half the time initially assessed and resulted in adoption skyrocketing by 45 percentage points in the space of four months.
Scheduling and Performance Advantages
NICE WFM is driving Conduent’s improved scheduling and forecasting:
- Automatic updates of schedule changes, as well as instant communication with agents.
- Scheduling rules can be defined per employee, per work type, or per shift.
- Scheduling can be set weekly, based on time-sensitive requirements, or within date ranges.
- Real-time adherence monitoring across multiple locations and business units from a single screen.
- Adherence data can be captured from multiple channels (phone and text).
NICE WFM further optimizes staffing forecasts by accurately identifying which agents have which skills, with enhanced performance insight. This includes the capability to drill down into the data on specific work items and scheduling periods.
The solution’s visibility provides insight into the performance of each agent, as well as into wider performance issues. Processes and agent performance can then be more effectively targeted for improvement.
Faster and More Cost-Effective: The Numbers
Conduent has seen measurable improvements with NICE WFM supporting their business goals, including saving time and streamlining operations.
WFM automation and the benefits of a coherent global platform have made it possible for Conduent to provide dramatically faster service. The company reports a full 50% reduction in the time needed to initiate live outsourcing for its clients.
Based on best practices and the performance insights provided by NICE WFM and the NICE team, Conduent was able to identify 15 specific and actionable process improvements.
Implementation of NICE WFM, the identified best practices, and the actionable process improvements have had direct financial benefits as well:
- Opportunity benefits equaling 10% of annual revenue were identified ($10 million for 3,000 seats).
- A profit margin increase of 14% was identified.
Ongoing Advantage
With NICE WFM, Conduent now has a more accurate global strategic view of its operations. This gives the company the means to constantly improve in response to changing workforce circumstances or needs.
More efficient workforce management and faster customer service gives Conduent practical advantages from which it expects to reap the rewards well into the future.
