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WFM Essentials for Call Centres online training course

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February 2024 WFM Essentials Training Course

Learn Workforce Management Essentials applicable to any contact centre (or retail environment)

Why invest in WFM training in your call centre?

One of the biggest expenses for most businesses is labour. And when it comes to the call centre, in particular, labour costs are typically the largest percentage of your costs. Whilst there is (and will increasingly be) software and systems that can automate some customer enquiries, the majority of call centre and retail work is resource-intensive, and that comes with a high price tag.

Aligning your most valuable resources (employees) with customer demand provides a host of benefits. The most obvious is cost (you need less labour to achieve the same if not better result) but there are also positive benefits to Employee Engagement and Customer Experience. They, in turn, reduce costs by lower turnover, higher customer retention etc.

By understanding and applying WFM principles, you’ll improve the outcomes for your customers, your business and your employees.

WFM Training course for Contact Centres

What you’ll learn

The February 2024 WFM Essentials training course teaches the essentials of workforce management for those working directly in workforce management in a contact centre or retail environment.

Across six modules (refer below), you’ll learn how to forecast, schedule and manage staff as well as contingency planning and communication skills.

And this course isn’t just a bunch of theory – you get the benefit of decades of experience running WFM teams packed into three days of high-powered learning.

Call Centre Workforce Planning Essentials training course benefits
WFM training course suitability

Who should do this course?

The February 2024 WFM Essentials training course is specifically designed for the call centre/contact centre and retail environment.

Typical roles include:

  • Workforce Management Managers
  • Workforce Planners
  • Schedulers
  • Real-time analysts
  • Contact Centre Managers
  • Contact Centre Team Leaders
  • Learning & Development

It’s not required for this course, but if you are in the market for workforce planning software, you can find a list of industry suppliers on the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) Supplier Directory.

Search for Workforce Optimisation Technology Suppliers >

February 2024 WFM Essentials Course Outline

3 Days of Live, Facilitated Learning

The February 2024 WFM Essentials training course has been designed specifically for employees wanting to learn the essentials of Workforce Management in a  contact centre or retail environment.

The course includes six modules listed below delivered over 3 days (online) facilitated by the Workforce Optimisation experts in Australia, CallDesign.

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

The course begins with an overview of the what and why of WFM. Workforce management is vital for getting the right staff in the right place at the right time, with the best possible tools in hand.

But the myriad of factors included within the broader WFM spectrum can be a puzzle to work out alone, especially in fast-paced operational environments.

We dive into the various components of WFM and cover some of the common workforce planning tasks and team structures. In short, this module sets the scene for the entire three-day course.

We will cover:

  1. Introduction to workforce management
  2. WFM team structures

MODULE 2: FORECASTING AND PLANNING

Solid forecasting and planning underpin all best-in-class efforts to ensure staff can cope with demand, and a business does not creak at its seams.

Forecasting has numerous practical applications. It’ll help you compare historical patterns with “what-if” scenarios to estimate shrinkage, plan budgets and predict the number of contacts.

Accurate forecasting will also help paint a complete picture of upcoming staffing requirements.

We explore the formulas and techniques used to analyse contact arrival patterns in order to calculate workload and plan for the future.

We will cover:

  1. Time series analysis
  2. Erlang C
  3. Shrinkage
  4. Attrition
  5. Forecasting for other channels

MODULE 3: SCHEDULING

Forecasting is important, but without a schedule to implement these insights, businesses are still just hoping for the best. With thousands, if not millions of dollars on the line, getting your schedules right can make the difference between success and failure.

Effective scheduling helps ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time and can help reduce stress for the staff themselves.

This module looks at the various scheduling components and flexibility options that are often provided to staff working in contact centres, branches or retail environments.

We will cover:

  1. Scheduling considerations
  2. Scheduling components
  3. Schedule creation

MODULE 4: PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

After you’ve created schedules (i.e rosters), ideally you want to ensure staff adhere to them. Even in a small business environment with just a handful of staff, a lack of performance oversight could mean you’re missing service level targets when you don’t need to.

By monitoring performance, however, you can help find the staff who are out of adherence or underperforming and address these issues with targeted change.

In this module, we explore the processes required to manage and monitor your staff’s performance throughout the day.

We will cover:

  1. Monitoring daily performance
  2. Managing adherence and attendance
  3. Measuring the WFM team’s performance

MODULE 5: REAL TIME MANAGEMENT

You have the plan. Now it’s time to monitor the day and take action if necessary. Real-time management helps to preserve and improve your service quality and customer experience at the intra-day level.

When things don’t go to plan, which levers should you pull to achieve your required outcome?

A clearly defined real-time management plan will help you determine the best actions to take when things don’t turn out the way you expect.

We explore rules and conditions that can be used to manage the changes and impacts on demand and staff at an intra-day level.

We will cover:

  1. Exception management
  2. Contingency planning
  3. Continuous Improvement cycle

MODULE 6: COMMUNICATION

Do you think you’re an effective communicator? You may need to think again. According to a Wrike work management survey, 46 per cent of employees leave meetings not knowing what to do next.

Additionally, CareerBuilder found that a quarter of workers find emails are a time waster, and a similar number felt the same about meetings. Basically, you may think you’re communicating effectively, but your staff might not agree.

So this February 2024 WFM Essentials course concludes with a module on better communication with a focus on how to effectively communicate with peers and manage conflict.

We will cover:

  1. Effective communication
  2. Creating a clear message
  3. Choosing the correct medium
  4. Dealing with conflict

Looking for other workforce optimisation training options?

We offer two other Workforce Optimisation coursesWFM for Team Leaders and WFM Real Time Workforce Analysts

Built for Online Training

This February 2024 WFM Essentials course has been specifically designed to be delivered online (using Zoom, Microsoft teams etc) over three days. There are plenty of breaks scheduled to enable you to stay focused and attend to any urgent matters.   

The course is available for public or private delivery with the differences explained below.

Online Workforce Optimisation training course

Where and when

The February 2024 WFM Essentials training course is delivered online and facilitated by the team at CallDesign. The training date and times are as follows:

  • Tuesday 13th February to Thursday 15th February 2024
  • 09:00 to 17:00 AEDT (Melbourne, Australia)
  • Breaks are included throughout the day
  • Delivered online

Dates don’t suit?

Click here for other available dates or contact us about conducting a private training session just for your team that provides maximum flexibility with the dates, times and duration of the training.

Workforce planning course for call centre managers

About Call Design 

For over 20 years Call Design has been providing Workforce Optimisation solutions for businesses as well as consulting, training, and a range of other services to improve the efficiencies of contact centres and back-office operations.

Their consultants are experts on WFM best practices. They’ve been leaders in the Australian contact centre, retail and back-office industries since 1999 with a reputation for delivering high-quality solutions so we are thrilled to partner with them to deliver WFM courses.

Workforce planning course for call centre managers

Call Design is an Accredited Trainer Provider with the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) so you can be assured the training is of an exceptional standard and the content is tailored for Australian employees.

ACXPA Accredited Training Provider

About CX Skills

CX Skills is a specialist training business that only delivers customer service, customer experience (CX), contact centre, workforce optimisation (WFM/WFO) and workplace wellness courses designed and facilitated exclusively by industry professionals.

We're the official training partner of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA), and we are proudly Australian-owned and operated.

We’re grateful to have been trusted by hundreds of customers, and we’re proud of the amazing customer testimonials we’ve received, so you can rest assured that when you book a training course with CX Skills, your training is in good hands.

CX Skills Australia Training Courses
CX Skills
Excellent
5.0
Based on 33 reviews
Did the introduction to contact center manager course with Justin, it was a fantastic experienceYou could clearly see the passion and joy Justin had for what he was teaching and it was clear to see his experienceI really enjoyed some of the storytelling and practical examples Justin provided, it really helped tie everything togetherStrongly recommend
Response from the owner: Thanks Jim, so glad to hear you enjoyed the course with Justin and yes, he's definately very passionate about the industry! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙏
Just finished the introduction to contact centre management course, i really enjoyed it Justin was excellent as facilitator. Some fantastic content. This course is great for a variety or people in different positions. Team leaders looking to progress would get a lot of benefit but even Contact Centre managers like me who have done the role for a while.It provided some great insights to customer experience and how to help your team leaders to have a greater impact on their people & customers. I'm armed with quite a few practical take aways.
Response from the owner: Thanks Daniel, appreciate the kind words and really glad to hear you enjoyed the course and got some practical takeaways!
I recently had the privilege of attending Daniel Ord's workshop on "Managing Difficult Situations" hosted by Omni Touch, and it was nothing short of outstanding. Daniel's expertise and passion for the subject matter truly shine through in his teaching style, making it a transformative experience for all participants.From the moment the workshop began, Daniel's enthusiasm was infectious. He has an exceptional ability to convey complex concepts in an understandable and relatable way. I left the workshop with a profound understanding of how to navigate challenging scenarios, both in my professional and personal life.What truly sets Daniel apart is his commitment to engagement. Throughout the session, he encouraged active participation and created an inclusive atmosphere where questions and discussions were not just welcome but encouraged. It's evident that he genuinely cares about each participant's learning journey.The real-world examples and practical strategies shared during the workshop were invaluable. Daniel's ability to connect theory to practical application made the content highly relevant and actionable.The workshop was impeccably organized, and Daniel's presentation skills were top-notch. He kept the audience engaged and motivated throughout, making the entire experience enjoyable and enlightening.In conclusion, I cannot recommend Daniel Ord's workshops enough. If you're looking to enhance your skills in managing difficult situations, he is the go-to expert. Thank you, Daniel, for an enriching and eye-opening workshop. I eagerly look forward to attending more of your sessions in the future.If you're considering attending one of Daniel's workshops, don't hesitate – you won't be disappointed!
Response from the owner: Thanks so much for the lovely review Trisha! We're thrilled that you enjoyed the Managing Difficult Customers course and we are very lucky to have Daniel as one of our trainers - as you've articulated, we truly think he's the best in the business and testimonials such as yours certainly help confirm we are not alone in that thinking! For anyone reading this and considering the course, you'll find more information here: https://cxskills.com.au/managing-difficult-customers-course/
I highly recommend this training for anyone interested in a Customer Service role or wanting to improve their skills. Simon has a great understanding of what is required to achieve a high standard of Customer Service. I really enjoyed this training which was also delivered with a great sense of humour!
Response from the owner: Thanks Angela, Simon certainly has a great way of making learning fun! So glad you enjoyed the course and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
The best course I have taken in 4 decades of customer service.
Response from the owner: Oh wow, thank you Alison! We really think Daniel Ord is the best customer service trainer in the world and we are very lucky to have him! We might be a little bias but we really think everyone who deals with customers should complete the Managing Difficult Customers course! Especially theses days with so much angst in the world with price increases, staff shortages, stock shortages etc! Thanks again for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Great Contact Centre Management course. The trainer, Daniel well explained how contact centres works and this is exactly what I needed for my role. It was also great to learn practices and experiences from other trainees as well. Daniel, thank you for the wonderful training. I really enjoyed the 4 days!
Response from the owner: Thanks Kyoko, Contact Centre Management really is a skill that can be learnt with some fundamentals that apply to all centres. Good luck with your contact centre management journey, it's a great job when armed with the right skills which you've now got!
Great company to work with. Excellent training course with trainers that really bring the content to life!
Response from the owner: Thanks Joyi, it was a pleasure to have you on our Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course, your enthusiasm and passion is infectious!
Fantastic virtual environment. Daniel who hosted our course was well articulated and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this CX course and feel ready to apply the skills I gained.
Response from the owner: Thanks Eloise, thrilled you enjoyed the course and put the skills learnt into action! We look forward to hearing about your future successes 🙂
Highly Recommended!
I've participated in several courses with CX Skills now, specifically with Daniel Ord as the instructor. Daniel has a wealth of knowledge around customer experience and his history in customer service is top notch. CX Skills has become my go to for my teams customer service and customer experience development.
Response from the owner: Thanks Todd, it was great to have you personally attend another one of our courses. You're right, we love working with Daniel as he's the best in the business with his experience, training style and passion a great combination. Thanks for the review and I look forward to seeing you on a course again in the near future when we train some of your frontline employees - Justin
Training with CX Skills is always engaging and worth every cent. The team are helpful and the lessons are practical and easy to translate into the workplace.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sheree for taking the time to leave us a review and glad you enjoyed the course!
Attended the Introduction to Contact Centre Management course – found it extremely informative and left with a much better understanding of the world I'm about to step into! The course was well structured and Justin was a great teacher. His wealth of knowledge (and passion) absolutely shone through. Am keen to learn more!
Response from the owner: Thanks Keira, was great to meet you on the course and I wish you all the best with the new adventure and hearing about your progress! - Justin
I did the management of contact centres four day workshop, it was fantastic! The facilitator was really engaging and explained everything from WFM to forecasting in a easy to understand manner. Highly recommend to anyone working in a contact centre environment!
Response from the owner: Awesome Jamie, thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Daniel is certainly very knowledgeable and passionate about contact centres so thrilled to hear you got a lot out of the course. We really do believe if there was one course any call centre Team Leader or Manager should attend in their career this would be it!
I had a fantastic learning experience with the half day Journey Mapping course. Shane was our trainer and explained things thoroughly, used great practical examples and helped through the exercise when needed. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. The group size was not too big so everyone was able to contribute online. I feel confident to 'give a journey map a go' now, thank you. Helen
Response from the owner: Thanks Helen, so great to hear. Journey Maps can often feel a bit daunting but when they are explained well and supported with some great examples it does give people the confidence they need to get cracking!
The Introduction to Contact Centre Management is an excellent course for those looking to understand contact centres from a helicopter view and benchmark their operations. From the fundamental pillars to critical KPIs and performance metrics that underpin almost every contact centre globally, Justin is personable and professional and speaks with authority on a topic he knows intimately.
Response from the owner: Thanks Jim for taking the time to provide a wonderful review. It was a pleasure having you and the team on the course. You've got a great team behind you so I look forward to hearing about your successes in the future as you roll out some of the new initiatives. - Justin
Justin offers such a wealth of knowledge and skills that can be applied to leaders in any business. Thank you Justin!
Response from the owner: Thanks Sam, was great to meet you on the Introduction to Contact Centre Managers course! Looking forward to staying connected and hearing about future successes with your career.
Response from the owner: Thanks Dirk for attending the Introduction to Contact Centre Managers course. Good luck with your new business venture!
We have done a few training courses now through Justin and the CX Group.In these sessions the facilitator has been Dan Ord and Dans knowledge of the Contact Centre world is second to none. This was great for us as we attended as a team to ensure that the training that we received was able to be applied across my entire management team and also allowed me to drive the right outcomes based on Dan, Marcus and Justins advice and guidance.The best thing about this is that this was not one of those courses that you attend and then nothing more is said or done with this. . . Dan/Justin offer their email address so if you come up with additional questions later that you want guidance on you can ask and they are more than willing to assist.Dan, Marcus and Justin thanks for facilitating this training and we will sure be intouch for other training courses that we would like to run through the CX Group.Bec Goss
Response from the owner: Wow, thanks Bec! It's been great to spend some time with the Digicall Assist team and it's been our pleasure in helping you to continue your focus on upping the game for your customers!
This course is absolutely fundamental to anyone dealing with customer experience, the customer journey and also customer service departments. The course is packed with real life examples illustrating the 6 pillars of customer experience! Dan shares all his knowledge and expertise freely and with great love and enthusiasm for the subject matter!
Response from the owner: Thanks Marianne, was lovely to have your input and experience in the group. Dan is certainly very passionate about CX (and also with contact centres like you!) and I think you're spot on, the examples Daniel uses really does bring the course to life and make the learnings stick!
The CX Management Fundamentals course was exceptional, a balanced blend of best in-class examples and theory . Daniel was the utmost professional, sharing his wealth of knowledge in customer experience and contact centre management. Content was relevant and covered an array of business examples. A course that exemplifies two-way participation (no death by PowerPoint). The diverse group of attendees had the opportunity to share their experiences and knowledge, which was priceless. I highly recommend this course for anyone in the customer experience realm, even beginners like me.
Response from the owner: Thanks Rachael for your lovely review and for your input throughout the course. You're right, the combination of Daniel's training and learning from others is a great way to learn and build your network - you've now got some new CX friends from the UK, Malaysia, Germany, Budapest and the USA!
I learnt a lot about CX and the course gave me clarity on the 6 main competencies. The training was fun, enjoyable, I can recommend to anyone who is passionate about the "Customer" subject. Daniel is very knowledgeable and experienced, he used real life business examples to understand both the strategic and tactical elements of CX. He also involved us which generated even more credibility.
Response from the owner: Thanks Eva for your review and recommendation! We are thrilled you enjoyed the class (even though the time zones made it a bit more challenging for you in Budapest) and we are here to help when you take the next step and sit for the CCXP exam 🙂
I could not recommend this Company highly enough, I have now done two courses with the Fantastic Dan & Marcus and have taken so much away. I want to thank everybody involved with CX Skills.
Response from the owner: Thanks Rory, appreciate you taking the time to send us in a review!
Game-changing training and insight. Highly recommend CX Skills training program.
Response from the owner: Thanks so much Lee, your marketing insights also added a lot of value to the group and wish you all the best in implementing your new Quality program into the contact centre.
An absolutely fun and engaging learning session presented by Daniel. Would definitely recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks Vanessa, so glad you could join us on the How to Design a QA program for contact centres and best of luck with the implementation!
Another great course put together by Justin presented by their partners at Omnitouch, Daniel and Marcus.The "How to Design a Quality Assurance Program for Contact Centres" was extremely fitting for our organisation as we transition to a new telephony system.The course was not one of those courses where they give you the answer and a few templates sending you on your way. Daniel and Marcus take you through why an appropriate framework should take into consideration the Organisations, Mission Statement, Values and Customer Service Charter.As the session was run via Zoom, it enabled and encouraged networking opportunities not only across Australia but also with International attendees. This was a fantastic benefit as it allowed us to draw on each others lived experiences.I really encourage you all to check out the courses and information that CX Skills has to offer as they are the best place to not only continue but to also start your learning and development!
Response from the owner: Thanks Adrian, really appreciate your detailed review. Having already completed our Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course a couple of months ago it was great to have you back for this course! The QA course is certainly one of our favourites as having the right framework in place really drives everything you do in your contact centre. And as you have pointed out, just handing out a scorecard and saying 'use this' rarely works. Defining what quality is to your business is the key, and then having the right frameworks in place to ensure you drive it delivers sustainable results so we look forward to hearing your progress as you implement your program!
Justin and the team at CX Skills have gone over and above the call of duty to deliver great Customer Service training to our entire Service Centre team. The training has been high quality, delivered remotely, and Justin has been extremely flexible with necessary changes to attendees due to operational requirements. I highly recommend CX Skills to assist with your training needs.
Response from the owner: Thanks Monica for the wonderful review. It's been a pleasure working with yourself, Todd and all of your wonderful staff in delivering our Managing Difficult Customers course to your entire team.
The training provided manages to take complex sales strategies and make them easy to understand and implicate in a sales call. It provides a structure that isn’t stifled by wordy scripts and pitches, and guides consultants towards a successful outcome for both the customer and consultant.This training took efficient, tried and tested sales concepts and expand on them to not only generate higher conversion, but a more positive customer experience.Aside from the training, which was amazing, Simon - the trainer - was a pleasure to work with. He was attentive and showed a real passion and desire to enhance the trainee’s sales expertise.I would recommend CX Group to anyone who will listen!
Response from the owner: Thanks Chris for your great review and so pleased you enjoyed the Inbound Sales Professional course with Simon. And we agree, once you've learnt the structure it makes sales a much more effective and enjoyable process!
I recently attended the Contact Centre Management Fundamentals course and found it extremely useful and relevant. Daniel was extremely knowledgeable on all topics and handled questions with ease. He was a great trainer and i found the session had a great mix to suit all learning styles. I have taken so much from this course, the networking opportunities as well as the CX website and associated resources. I highly recommend attending if you are looking to better understand contact centre management regardless of what level you work at.
Response from the owner: Thanks Nicole for your wonderful review! It was great to meet you on the course and I look forward to hearing about your future successes.
Thank you team-It has certainly changed the whole perspective on how I used to see and handle the issues not just at the workplace but also in day to day life. Very practical and informative course content delivered in a very professional way. I truely recomend everyone out there to use this platform.
Response from the owner: Thank you Badri. So great to hear you loved the Managing Difficult Customers course and that the learnings have helped you in both your work and personal life!
Justin created a great call centre fundamentals program for our organisation, based on the skill gaps needed filling. Although it was at the height of the Melbourne lockdown the session was still interactive, interesting and achieved the desired result.
Response from the owner: Thanks Sarsha, was great to meet you and the team and I wish you all the best on your customer experience and call centre journey!
Really enjoyed course on handling difficult customers. I came away with a number of tools that I can use not only with customers, but also day to day life.
Response from the owner: Thanks Katherine, we loved having you on the course and thanks for sharing some of your interesting stories and examples!
Response from the owner: Thanks Linda, great to have you in our course!
Justin from CX responded promptly to my training enquiry. He heard what we wanted and we discussed best way to present this during Melbourne Lockdown. He conducted the introduction to contact centre leadership remotely with a small group. He weaved his contact centre experience with humour and activities that were appropriate and engaging. At the end each person agreed that they learnt lots and were going to apply at least one thing back in their role. I would highly recommend CX and Justin for training and support.
Response from the owner: Thanks Kaylee, it was a pleasure to spend some time with the team and I'm sure with that level of enthusiasm and passion your contact centre will be in good hands for the future!
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Pricing and Payment Options

The three-day February 2024 WFM Essentials training course facilitated live by CallDesign is $2,797.00 AUD ex GST per employee.  Tickets can be purchased instantly with a credit card, or you can request an invoice at checkout.

The price includes:

  • Three full days of live facilitated training by CallDesign
  • Course workbook (delivered electronically)

Available Discounts

  • Save 15%  if you purchase 2 or more tickets in the same transaction (discount will be applied on the final checkout page).
  • If you’d like to discuss a private training session just for your team, please contact us for further availability and pricing.
Workforce Management Training Course for Call Centre Managers

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With annual memberships starting from just $35 per employee, it can be a great way to save money immediately on your training, plus, you'll gain access to a vast array of best-practice resources to improve your customer experience. 

Got questions about this course? Want to discuss a private session? Contact us at +61 3 9008 7287 between 8:30 am to 5:30 pm AEST/AEDT Monday to Friday or send us a message anytime >