Operational Optimization

Operational Optimization

A holistic approach leveraging proven technology, flexible staffing solutions, and innovative processes to deliver highly optimized operations.

We partner with our clients to deliver customized solutions that are pragmatic, cost-effective, and that address all elements impacting operations from site selection to staffing and scheduling through operational delivery and performance management.

Our experience within this sector:

Operational Assessments

Metrics and Results Optimization

Workforce Optimization

Actionable Analytics

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Operational Assessment Framework

Evaluating strategic, tactical, delivery, and infrastructure elements.

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Metrics and Performance Optimization

Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Business, Voice of the Employee.

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Workforce Optimization

Defining and capturing unfulfilled potential.

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Operational Optimization Experience:

McIntosh has successfully leveraged its expertise to refine and streamline operational processes, deploy metrics and measurement systems, and improve tool utilization.

Examples of McIntosh operationally focused engagements delivering best practice results include:

  • Redesign of planning and staffing processes to more effectively allocate workload and improve resource utilization resulting in productivity gains of 5% to 20%.
  • Call flow redesign streamlining call-handling processes, delivering improved resolution rates (5% to 15%), while enhancing customer loyalty.
  • Average handle time (AHT) reduction of 5% to 25% with initiatives focused on reducing customer interaction time while improving the customer experience by identifying and eliminating or minimizing AHT drivers. Through reduced AHT, overall workload is reduced and staffing levels can be reduced.
  • Design and deployment of a centralized intra-day operations center overseeing multi-site operations optimizing productivity through adherence monitoring, increasing/decreasing staffing levels through expanded or contracted schedules (e.g., voluntary time off, VTO), monitoring anomalies and adjusting service levels or skill assignments based on operating conditions. Workforce productivity improvements range from 10% to 25%.
  • Tiering and cross-training of agent personnel for multiple skill sets and workgroups to increase agent productivity, improve service level performance, and reduce operating costs by up to 25%.
  • Self-service optimization diverting or deflecting calls normally handled by the live agent environment to well designed web, mobile and automated voice applications with self-service becoming the preferred channel of choice for many customers. Call volume deflections may approach 25%-50% dependent upon the functions being supported.
  • Assessment of potential sites for call center operations focused on labor market affordability and sustainability and alignment between market skills and our clients’ staffing profiles. Labor savings of up to 20% may be realized.
  • Redesign of scorecards and operational reports to provide real-time and historical visibility into performance results and provide the underlying data to enable root cause analysis.
  • McIntosh has worked with firms in the transportation, hospitality, financial services, cable/media, and telecommunications industries to design recruiting processes that identify and deliver excellent candidates. We customize our approach to evaluating labor markets and the skill sets required to each client. The most significant improvement has been in retention rates that exceed 90% in the first year of employment.
  • For clients across a wide range of industries, we have developed new hire and remedial training curricula designing client specific training that devotes 50% of classroom time to modeling and practicing real call handling scenarios. McIntosh’s innovative approach to new hire training and the introduction of new hires to the operational environment, accelerates the learning curve and delivers confident and competent agents to the operational floor.
  • McIntosh has managed over a dozen workforce optimization engagements delivering savings and improved service level performance to firms in the telecommunications, media, and broadband market segments. We focus on effective planning and staffing driven by accurate forecasts and the deployment of flexible workload management processes that support planned workload volumes and provide elasticity and the flexibility to manage unplanned, excessive volumes.  Our intra-day management expertise includes the design and implementation of network operations centers that successfully manage multi-site, insourced and outsourced operations with over 4,000 agents in both brick and mortar and virtual settings.

Consulting Insight:

Managing Complexity

Managing call center operations is an exercise in managing complexity. Call centers experience real time volatility in volumes and staffing levels driven by technology hiccups, media driven frenzies, marketing promotions, bad weather, and other factors beyond management’s control. However, highly effective organizations prepare for all contingencies and have the ability to inject staffing flexibility into their operations. Reductions in staff for low volume periods are achieved through advance and current day offers of voluntary time off (VTO) with unexpected increases in volumes handled through extended part-time hours, leveraging of home agents or outsource partners for spikes, or in a worst case scenario, overtime for existing staff. Decision levers are defined and executed with precision and ease.

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