Provide information that demonstrates Vendor’s capabilities to satisfy the application requirements as described and as requested below:
Configuration:
• Describe the system’s “item” categories, such as agents, skills workgroups, organizations, programs, and how they are organized, and in particular, the hierarchal relationships that can be configured;
• Can the application store seniority data such as agent tenure, and utilize it for schedule award criteria;
• Describe how workgroups and queuing is structured with various service level requirements for multi-media functionality (such as voice, email, and chat);
• Fully describe the applications ability to manage resources at different sites, including adjusting for single center events and time zone differences.
• Name any global settings that the application may have. • Is there a desktop client application for call center agents? Scheduling Functionality:
• Does your application include Agent Self-Service Scheduling Options where agents can schedule changes and time off from the thresholds assigned via a web interface? If Yes, describe;
• Does the application integrate with any of the commercially available email queuing systems, thereby allowing scheduling and adherence of that workload to be managed?; If Yes, describe;
• Does the application integrate with any of the commercially available eLearning/training systems, thereby allowing scheduling and adherence of that workload to be managed?; If Yes, describe;
• Does the application integrate with any other non-phone system, such as document or workflow management systems, thereby allowing scheduling and adherence of that workload to be managed? If Yes, describe;
• Does the application provide the ability to automatically approve or deny time-off requests based on a set of rules? If the answer is Yes, can it be manually overridden;
• Can the application optimize existing breaks through the scheduling process? If the answer is Yes, describe the system’s constraints and rules for optimizing breaks, lunches, etc.;
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• Can non-standard events be scheduled such as vacation, personal, training, etc.; • Can the application generate meetings and other non-phone work slots optimized
against the forecast and agent constraints? Explain;
• Does the application provide the ability to adjust for non-standard events such as national disasters, holidays, etc.;
• Does your application support creation of one weekly schedule that encompasses multiple start times and shift durations on different days;
• Can the system schedule activities in 5, 10 and 15 minute increments;
• Can the application calculate an agent adherence percentage and does it account for approved exceptions;
• Describe how the application supports true skills-based scheduling;
• Does the scheduling engine take into account varying agent proficiencies and individual skill levels and skill priority;
• What capabilities exist for notifying agents of schedule changes, and if only from within the proposed application, must they be logged in to receive notification; • Does the system have the ability to manage and oversee schedule swaps, and if
so, how is this accomplished?; and
• Can the application schedule agents as a team, such as for a team meeting or other activity?
• Can the application generate expected service levels with associated models/schedule runs?; and
• Describe the options for distributing schedules, such as email, intranet, print and manual handout, etc.
Agent Functionality:
• Describe how agents access the system;
• Is single-user log-on capability for agents provided across the suite of products; • Describe how the application supports agent schedule preferences. Can an
agent prioritize his/her preferences;
• Can an agent set their view preferences and will they be retained the next time he/she logs in;
• Can agents access their schedules via the corporate intranet or via browser based access to the application itself;
• Describe an agent’s view of daily, weekly, and monthly schedules; • Describe how the application supports shift-bidding;
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• Can bids be fulfilled on first come, first serve basis;
• What rules or functions exist that enable equitable award of shift bids;
• Can an agent call into the system to have personal/sick time submitted and/or approved automatically?; and
• Does your application provide the ability for agents to submit various types of time off (e.g. sick, maternity leave, personal holiday, etc.)?
Supervisor Functionality:
• Describe a supervisor’s view of daily, weekly, and monthly schedules; • Can a supervisor configure his/her own view;
• Does your application provide the ability for the manager/supervisor/scheduler to easily sort and filter requests to ease approval process;
• Can supervisors view real time schedule information; • Can supervisors create what-if scheduling scenarios;
• Can a supervisor compare different staff groups and analyze cost efficiency; • Can the system calculate shrinkage based on its internal shrinkage history; • Can a supervisor enter, i.e. “hard code”, shrinkage factors?; and
• Can shrinkage be calculated and/or defined differently for different staffing profiles?
Forecasting:
• Is the primary forecasting model based on weekly or monthly periods;
• What is the application’s approach to generate the most optimal forecast while incorporating seasonality factors;
• Can the system import historical data, and if so, in what formats;
• Describe the systems capabilities for long-term planning and modeling; • Can the staff modeling function analyze multiple agent skill mixes and costs; • Can customer forecasts be saved for later use in staff models;
• Explain how different Service Levels can be applied to staffing requirement forecasts/projects within a blended environment;
• Does your application provide the ability to tag and remove certain extraordinary days from forecasting consideration?
• Does your application provide the ability to take a specific period (e.g. Thanksgiving) and apply it to future forecasts (e.g. marketing campaigns);
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using that day’s ACD data and agent attendance;
• Does your application provide forecasting capabilities to meet both virtual and local requirements;
• Does your application provide the ability for the user to define group parameters and be able to forecast for a queue or a group;
• Explain how forecasts are handled in a mixed environment with both single and multiple skill-based routing?; and
• Does your application provide the ability to forecast based on productivity/proficiency levels of individual agents and of skill groups?
Resource Planning:
• What short-term and long-term planning functionality is provided; • Does the application provide the ability to run “what-if” simulations;
• Can staffing models/forecasts be created based upon, call volume forecasts, costs, or other staffing constraints;
• Does the application provide the ability to export planning scenarios to MS Excel for further analysis;
• Can the planning tool evaluate the need for overtime hours; • How does the solution manage work rules;
• Can the application schedule agents as a team;
• Can the planning tool assist in capacity planning by showing the number of physical seats needed based on the FTE requirements?;
• Does the planning tool have the ability to accommodate the trends in productivity associated with new hires, such as a variable AHT based on an agents tenure?; • Does the application support creation of one weekly schedule that encompasses
multiple start times and shift durations on different days;
• Does the application provide the ability to adjust schedules by location to accommodate time changes;
• Can the application test current schedules against future call volume trends; • Can the application optimize existing breaks through the scheduling process; • Can the application export schedules;
• Can the application generate expected service levels with associated schedule runs;
• Is there integration with customer e-mail platforms that provides historical email volume and arrival pattern? How is an email forecast created;
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incorporated into the current or future forecast;
• Can the system track non-phone activities, such as back office work?; and • How are non-phone activities scheduled?
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