Call center staffing ratios are simply the number of managers or supervisors who are on duty at any given time in comparison to the number of agents working. Finding the ideal call center staffing ratios is important for a number of reasons. If you hire too many managers, overhead costs will unnecessarily increase. Hiring too few supervisors, however, leaves agents without the required support.
Consider the following aspects when determining the optimal call center staffing ratios of managers to agents:
Too Few Supervisors
Some call centers work with a loose span of control. This means that the ratio of managers to agents is very high. As a result, there are few managers on shift to help agents who need assistance. This can create issues in the workplace because agents won’t have access to the support that they need to succeed. Having a loose span of control can also end up costing the call center extra money because of poor call quality. When call center agents don’t perform at adequate levels, it also leads to more call escalations and administrative duties, which must be paid for by the company.
High Number of Supervisors
In other situations, a call center might have a tight span of control. This means that there are plenty of managers on shift at all times, so agents have plenty of support for every call. Managers are also available to provide coaching during their shifts, which improves long-term employee performance. Ideally, you’ll want your supervisors to spend 50% to 60% of their time mentoring their agents. Keep in mind that the company’s overhead costs will be greater because of the higher number of supervisors on staff. However, this center is likely to make the money back through better overall performance.
Peak Hours/Workload
Depending on the nature of the business, busy hours are going to fluctuate. It’s important to staff appropriately based on the typical number of inbound calls. This goes for both managers and call center support. You should always plan, however, to have enough an excess of staff on at all times to handle an influx of calls. The better you mitigate wait-time, the happier the customer on the end of the line will be.
How an Ideal Staffing Ratio Helps
Call centers that have a span of control between 8:1 and 15:1 tend to be much more efficient than those with higher ratios. For many, this is the ideal ratio that call centers should strive to meet. Centers that go in this direction on average have 5% better agent availability and first call resolution. This goes a long way towards keeping customers satisfied with the service. In addition, they have 18% higher sales results, improving the company’s bottom line. Many call centers that have lower staffing ratios also report lower employee absenteeism rates. Also, agents are simply more competent because of the extra attention they receive.
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