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Predictive agent management tools are finally eclipsing traditional methods
CX leaders have long struggled with agent management. How many agents are needed now, and how many will the business require later in the year? When will demand spike, and should the company contract with a business process outsourcing (BPO) agency for flexibility? Poorly reasoned decisions about staff levels and training can wreak havoc on a support operation and have downstream effects that can harm the bottom line.
However, leaders now have agent management tools at their disposal that can take a lot of the guesswork out of running a support operation. These tools can offer both operational and strategic foresight, helping managers make better staffing and training choices. But as 66 percent of CX leaders state, the transition from an operational view to a more strategic approach is proving painful. To ease this rocky transition, 79 percent of CX leaders plan to increase their budget for more strategic agent management tools. And of the 75 percent who already use more strategic tools, the positive ROI has been notable.
69% of CX leaders say that forecasting future labor requirements accurately remains a significant challenge
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![](./assets/images/pill_headers-3.0f56d6e80c75.png)
Predictive agent management tools are finally eclipsing traditional methods
CX leaders have long struggled with agent management. How many agents are needed now, and how many will the business require later in the year? When will demand spike, and should the company contract with a business process outsourcing (BPO) agency for flexibility? Poorly reasoned decisions about staff levels and training can wreak havoc on a support operation and have downstream effects that can harm the bottom line.
However, leaders now have agent management tools at their disposal that can take a lot of the guesswork out of running a support operation. These tools can offer both operational and strategic foresight, helping managers make better staffing and training choices. But as 66 percent of CX leaders state, the transition from an operational view to a more strategic approach is proving painful. To ease this rocky transition, 79 percent of CX leaders plan to increase their budget for more strategic agent management tools. And of the 75 percent who already use more strategic tools, the positive ROI has been notable.
69% of CX leaders say that forecasting future labor requirements accurately remains a significant challenge
“Tymeshift has helped us become better staffed. Previously, we were guessing almost, based on some of the numbers that we had. But now we have specific numbers, and Tymeshift helped us figure out exactly the head count that we need for each part of the seasons that we go through.”
Erik Jansen, Support Team Supervisor
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That ROI comes in the form of more precise staffing forecasts, which leads to improved operational efficiency. There’s a direct correlation between those gains and better customer experiences (reduced wait times, less organizational stress). These advanced agent management tools also provide key insights into skill development, which reveals clear training paths for improved agent performance. The value of those insights cannot be overstated—with customer expectations on the rise, companies must field a team of agents that are highly trained in both technical and soft skills.
Agent management tools also promise to boost a company’s ability to respond promptly to customer needs—not simply due to more accurate staffing, however. The targeted training paths it reveals will help agents understand how to resolve a customer’s issue more quickly and greatly decrease the chance that a customer will have to reach out again to get the problem fixed.
As CX leaders lean into advanced agent management tools such as Tymeshift, they’ll be empowered to refine their strategies in ways that align perfectly with both business objectives and customer demands. As a result, CX leaders stand to upend a long running narrative about support operations being cost centers, not profit centers. Agent performance tools will lead to better customer experiences, increased customer retention, and crucially, higher profitability.
“Tymeshift has helped us become better staffed. Previously, we were guessing almost, based on some of the numbers that we had. But now we have specific numbers, and Tymeshift helped us figure out exactly the head count that we need for each part of the seasons that we go through.”
Erik Jansen, Support Team Supervisor
![](./assets/images/screen_shot_2024-01-25_at_51729_pm.5a1ccf90b8c0.png)
![](./assets/images/zendesk-spots-08.f88a2b85aba4.png)
That ROI comes in the form of more precise staffing forecasts, which leads to improved operational efficiency. There’s a direct correlation between those gains and better customer experiences (reduced wait times, less organizational stress). These advanced agent management tools also provide key insights into skill development, which reveals clear training paths for improved agent performance. The value of those insights cannot be overstated—with customer expectations on the rise, companies must field a team of agents that are highly trained in both technical and soft skills.
Agent management tools also promise to boost a company’s ability to respond promptly to customer needs—not simply due to more accurate staffing, however. The targeted training paths it reveals will help agents understand how to resolve a customer’s issue more quickly and greatly decrease the chance that a customer will have to reach out again to get the problem fixed.
As CX leaders lean into advanced agent management tools such as Tymeshift, they’ll be empowered to refine their strategies in ways that align perfectly with both business objectives and customer demands. As a result, CX leaders stand to upend a long running narrative about support operations being cost centers, not profit centers. Agent performance tools will lead to better customer experiences, increased customer retention, and crucially, higher profitability.