Call Center Cross-training Frameworks:
Strategic and Tactical
Mark P. Van Oyen
with
Seyed M.R. Iravani
& Wallace J. Hopp
Associate Professor
Info. Systems & Operations Management
vanoyen@nwu.edu orion.it.luc.edu/~mvanoye/
Support from National Science Foundation grant DMI-0099821
Robust Strategies for Cross-Training Call Center Agents - Taxonomy, Models, and
Analysis
gsbdata.wt.luc.edu/~vanoyen/WorkSmart
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VanOyen-CallCenter.ppt
Outline
• Workforce Agility via cross-training
to achieve flexibility in the face of
variability
• Why use it?
– Symptoms
– Strategy Matrix
• How to do it – tactical
considerations
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Cross-training & Workforce Agility
Decisions
1) Recruitment: sets plan for overall characteristics
of workforce and workplace.
STRATEGIC
2) Cross-Training Skill Set Design: defines which
task-types each worker is qualified/authorized
to perform.
3) Worker Coordination Policy (Routing): allocates
workers to tasks (or tasks to workers) over
time.
4) Team Structure: communication & reporting,
authority, learning, team problem solving,
mentoring, other interactions between agents
TACTICAL
5) Scheduling: short term planning of worker
schedules and task assignments.
Def’n: Cross-training = XT = training for multiple skills/tasks
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Dimensions of Cross-training (XT)
Implementation
Cross-training Architecture - two basic
components:
• Skill Set Design: specialists (no XT),
nonoverlapping zones, overlapping zones (e.g.
chain), full cross-training, etc.
This talk de-emphasizes the second component:
• Agent Coordination - ROUTING: FCFS,
queue/task priority, longest queue, longest wait, etc.
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Conceptual Model of Cross-training
(XT) in Practice
A mental model for thinking about XT
• Individuals with 1 or more skills
• Scheduled working hours
– Possibly restricted task sets utilized at specific
times
• Matching of agent schedules to demand
rates
• Agent schedules generate ensemble
“teams” that are robust to
variability/uncertainty.
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Worker-Task Matrix: Snapshot in Time
A = Active,
Date: 5/20/04 Time: 14:24:33
Worker\Task
1
Maria (specialist - 1)
A
Fred (1, 2)
A
Tom (2,3)
2
3
A
A
A
A
Suzy (1,3)
A
S
Jose (1,2) – Vaca.
S
S
Antoine (2,3) - lunch
S= Scheduled
S
…
S
…
Hypothetical matrix tells what workers are assigned (doing) what tasks at
all times. A workforce agility architecture consists of anything that
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influences the evolution of this matrix over time.
Variability is an Important Driver
There are many reasons to cross-train,
but coping with variability
is an operationally important ingredient.
7
Common Variability Issues in
Call/Contact Centers and
Service Centers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Short-term demand fluctuations
Long-term demand fluctuations
Product (service) life-cycle
Contact length (service time) variation
Scheduling difficulties, changes, and
absenteeism
EE turnover
Patience and abandonment characteristics
Variability in supporting resources (network,
databases, decision support, level of scripting)
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Variability & Three Buffering Mechanisms
Variability Law: Increasing variability (and
uncertainty) always degrades the performance of a
production system.
Buffering Law: Systems with variability must
be buffered by some combination of:
1. Inventory (Does not apply with customer service)
2. Time (on hold)
3. Capacity (agents)
Hopp and Spearman, 2000 Factory Physics 2nd
Ed., Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
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Buffer Flexibility
Buffer Flexibility Corollary: Flexibility
reduces the amount of variability buffering
required in a production system.
For an in-bound call center, our options are limited!
• Flexible Capacity: cross-trained workers
– Scheduling, staging shifts
– Skills-based routing (SBR)
– Scripting, decision support,
– Databases
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Outline
• Workforce Agility via cross-training
to achieve flexibility in the face of
variability
• Why use it? + Why NOT to.
– Symptoms
– Strategy Matrix
• How to do it – tactical considerations
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Undesirable Effects - Symptoms
Let’s examine through the lens of cross-training
some of the primary symptoms that call centers
may experience:
•
•
•
•
•
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Symptoms & Possible
Contributing Factors
•
Some workers are significantly more utilized than
others.
• Concern: Capacity Imbalance: agent overutilization at
some call types causes congestion at the same time
some task-types are overstaffed!
•
Excessive congestion: Poor Service Level (SL),
long waits, high abandonment, etc.
• Concern: Problems with staffing; forecasting errors; Root
may be insufficient flexibility
•
Low customer-perceived quality due to
insufficient complementary experience
• Concern: Overspecialization is preventing workers from
developing a sufficiently broad skill and experience base
• COUNTER: Low Quality due to insufficient focus/depth
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UnDesirable Effects - Symptoms
•
Variation in demand/workload that hurts
performance and makes staffing difficult.
• Concern: Need greater risk pooling and flexibility to cope
with uncertainty
•
Excessive turnover (especially from potential
leaders)
• Concern: Lack of perceived career path
• COUNTER: cross-training seen as eroding security,
adding to stress.
•
Excessive absenteeism
• Concern: Rampant boredom. May need to create
learning/growth.
• COUNTER: Excessive absenteeism due to stress caused
by XT?
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Dominant Bases for Competition
1. Cost (labor is large, technology, training)
2. Quality (customer-perception, errors, …)
3. Leadtime (ASA, SL, Abandonment, …)
4. Variety (increased number tasks, call types, channels, …)
A basis for STRATEGY …
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Strategy Matrix for Use of Cross-training
Cost
Time
Direct
Higher Labor Productivity:
 improved labor utilization
Increased Responsiveness:
 reduced congestion via flexibility
 shorter tasks
 shorter handoff times (changeovers)
Quality
Improved Internal/External Quality
 handoff elimination (customer
service)
 improved labor/task matching
Variety
Broadened Offerings of Products/Services
 expanded task range
 increased production flexibility
Indirect

Knowledge Scope
Communication
Problem Solving
Motivation
Retention
Ergonomics

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Strategy Matrix Examples
CC-FULL: Strategy Matrix for a large call center which handles
HR Benefits for multiple clients. Solution has been to create teams
dedicated to each client. A worker is trained to utilize an Info. Sys.
to effectively answer any call on any benefit. Variety of task types.
Similar performance metrics and levels across task types. Solution:
Non-overlapping Zones with full cross-training within zone (i.e.,
client team).
Direct
Cost
Time
Quality
Variety
Shorten task times
Better service via
handoff elimination
Indirect
Robustness to turnover, scheduling
Increase knowledge scope,
Organizational skill development
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Strategy Matrix Examples
CC-N: Strategy Matrix for a call center with 40 agents, 6 tasktypes – similar task types, similar performance metrics and levels
with one exception. High % of volume to one basic call type.
Solution to date has been to cross-train with a type of “N-pattern” to
provide most of capacity to first call type while maintaining variety
and flexibility. Note: low turnover, high commitment to workforce)
Cost
Time
Quality
Variety
Direct
Labor utilization,
given multiple lowvolume task types
Indirect
Improved scheduling
Skills-based routing
and XT for
congestion reduction
Organizational skill development –
hierarchical phased approach
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Motivation/Retention:
Worker Job Satisfaction
(Red = Clear link to cross-training)
•
•
•
•
Full display of ability
Improvement of ability
Fair recognition of ability
A vision of his/her advancement (growth)
•
“work” is not just a sequence of tasks, but
includes one’s role in org. and responsibility for
related matters
Appropriate teamwork
Support for accomplishment
•
•
Sources: F. Herzberg, “One more time: How do you motivate employees?”, HBR JanFeb. 1968 and Toyota Executive Seminar Presentations
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Strategy Matrix Examples
CC-OVERLAP: Strategy Matrix for a large call center
with more than 8 products – high variety of task types,
various performance metrics and levels.
Solution to date has been to cross-train with overlapping
zones, but there is no clear, defined strategy.
Cost
Time
Quality
Variety
Direct
Labor utilization
Indirect
Agent performance via motivation;
retention via job satisfaction
Skills-based routing
for congestion
reduction
(Avoid too many skills/agent)
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Outline
• Workforce Agility via cross-training
to achieve flexibility in the face of
variability
• Why use it?
– Symptoms
– Strategy Matrix
• How to do it – tactical considerations
– Canonical Skill Set Patterns
– Tactical Framework
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Possible Approaches …
...
lT
1
m1
•
•
•
•
2
m2
N
mN
Specialists without cross-training
Rotation: workers scheduled over time (org. learning)
Pooling: Non-overlapping Zones
Overlapping Zones
• Cherry-picking (cross-train underutilized workers to help
overutilized)
• “N-Pattern”
• Chained cross-training
• Full cross-training: Single, common pool
• Etc.
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Canonical Skill Patterns:
Graphical Description
Example: Benefits Services Provider
• Inbound HR administration for 2 corporate
clients: CoA and CoB
• Suppose each has services for
• Health Care
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Suppose each benefit area for a specific
firm is regarded as a task-type (limited
cross-training is already in place)
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Specialist Approach
Six Skills or Task-types, 6 worker teams
“Teams” are used to obtain the necessary
capacity – not for cross-functionality
CoA
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
Task Task
1
2
Task
3
Task
4
Task
5
Task
6
CoA
Team
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
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How to Provide Flexibility?
Cherry-picking Rationale:
What if for CoA, Health Care (1) is
experiencing very long waits, while Life
Insurance (2) is experiencing low agent
utilization?
How can cross-training help with emphasis on
minimizing the amount of cross-training?
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Cherry-picking for Capacity Balancing
Six Skills or Task-types, 6 worker teams, 2 skills/worker for Team W2
Team
CoA
CoA
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
1heavy
2light
3
4
5
6
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
Cherry-picking: cross-train underutilized workers to
help overutilized. (Can solve via math program)
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“N-Pattern” (Overlapping Zones)
Capacity Balancing with Var. Buffering
Tasks 1, 4 have high demand volumes, 2 skills/worker Max
CoA
Team
1-
CoA
2heavy light
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
3
4
5
6
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
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“N-Pattern” (Overlapping Zones)
Capacity Balancing with Var. Buffering
When
1. There is one or more call times with a large fraction of the demand
2. A specialist approach suffers from either poor
•
Capacity balancing (utilization)
•
Variability buffering (congestion)
THEN
An “N-Pattern” is often effective
High volume
Worker
Teams
(Pools)
Demand
Types
(Queues)
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Pooling: Non-overlapping Zones
Quest for High Utilization and Simplicity
One choice of pooling (with full XT for CoB tasks)
Team
CoA
CoA
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
1
2
3
4
5
6
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
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How to Provide Flexibility?
Example: Due to bursty, unpredictable fluctuations in
the incoming calls, the CC has found it impossible
to keep waiting times as low as they want.
If capacity can be dynamically allocated to where it is
needed, we will help minimize the times when
there are idle “Life Ins.” agents, while “Health
Care” has a long queue and excessive
abandonment.
How can cross-training maximize variability
buffering?
The following skill pattern comes from
THEORY and manufacturing. (We have not
seen it in a call center.)
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2-Skill Chaining (Partially Overlapping Zones)
D=2 skills/worker, Chain limited to client
Team
CoA
CoA
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
1
2
3
4
5
6
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
We can generalize to D-skill chaining (D=2, 3, …) to get the desired
effect.
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2-Skill Chaining (Fully Overlapping Zones)
Conjecture: Maximizes flexibility given a fixed number of skills.
Team
CoA
CoA
CoA
CoB
CoB
CoB
1
2
3
4
5
6
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
Observe the symmetry of skill chaining – across all the skills,
thereby allowing CoA capacity to flex “into” and “out-of” CoB’s.
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“D-skill Chain” (Overlapping Zones)
Modest Capacity Balancing with
High Variability Buffering
When
1. Demand is spread across multiple call types
2. Variability buffering is important for reducing congestion
3. D skills per worker is an effective number
4. Every task-type can be cross-trained
THEN
An “D-skill Chain” is often very effective (perhaps optimal)
Worker
Teams
(Pools)
Demand
Types
(Queues)
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Outline
• Workforce Agility via cross-training
to achieve flexibility in the face of
variability
• Why use it?
– Symptoms
– Strategy Matrix
• How to do it – tactical considerations
– Canonical Skill Set Patterns
– Tactical Framework
34
The TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
Factors shaping how best to implement workforce agility:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Training Efficiency
Handoff Reduction
Task-type and Resource Transition Efficiency
Multi-tasking Efficiency
+ [Strategy Factors]
5. Capacity Balancing (utilization)
6. Variability Buffering (congestion)
7. Knowledge Scope/Depth (value of breadth vs. depth)
8. Communication: Org. learning and capability development
9. Problem solving
10. Motivation
11. Retention
12. Ergonomics
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TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
1. Training Efficiency:
• Gauge how effectively workers can be trained for
new skills. [individual-dependent learning curves
and forgetting of skills, equipment, layout,
ergonomics, career path, etc.]
• Cost of Skill Acquisition captures the average
expense of training workers to cover and to
retain new task types. [e.g. order processing vs.
tech support]
• Skill Level Variation: the range of difficulty of
acquiring different types of skills. Quality
variation. [e.g. troubleshooting requires
aptitude]
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TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
2. Handoff reduction
• Assess efficiency and quality gains by avoiding
handoffs
• Mechanism: Job enlargement
Example: Savings of handoff elimination include:
• Customer frustration
• Time repeating information
• Quality loss due to fragmentation of knowledge at provider
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TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
3. Task-type and Resource Transition Efficiency
•
Impact of time lost when a worker switches between
task types or workstations
Examples:
• CSR switches from sales to service calls may need to
close one database and open another.
• agent needs to move to a different workstation (call A 
fax A  call B  mail B)
 Design workstations & IT resources to support
XT/SBR
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TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
4. Multi-tasking Efficiency:
Gains from a worker performing multiple tasks
simultaneously.
[e.g., ability to maintain more than one on-line chat
session at a time].
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Summary View of
TACTICAL FRAMEWORK
Workforce
Agility Strategy
Cross-Training
Skill Sets and
Skill Pattern
-Training Efficiency
-Capacity Balancing
-Variability Buffering
-Knowledge Scope/Depth
-Communication
-Motivation
-Retention
Routing &
Worker
Coordination
-Handoff Reduction
-Task-type & Resource Transition Eff.
-Multi-tasking Efficiency
-Problem solving
-Ergonomics
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Summary & Future Work
•
•
•
Thorough, systematic structure offer step towards a
science of Workforce Agility via cross-training
Linkage to business strategy
Guidance for tactical-level implementation.
Open questions
• Better methods to assess factors (tailored to call centers)
• How to better create Employee Satisfaction & Motivation to
drive retention and quality?
• With significant abandonment and complex performance
criteria, how to accomplish skills-based routing (simple,
robust policies)? How much difference does it make?
• What skill patterns make routing easy? (chain, ??)
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gsbdata.wt.luc.edu/~vanoyen/WorkSmart
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