Beyond the Peaks: Building Resilience for Seasonal Demands in Contact Centres

The Forum / Business Systems – Seasonal Agility Webinar

Managing the peaks and troughs of customer demand is all part and parcel of contact centre operations. It’s something contact centre managers and resource planners are adept at handling every day. Yet, when exceptional peaks and demands arise, strategic thinking and careful planning are essential to get it right.

Seasonal fluctuations, unexpected surges, and even daily variances can strain resources, impacting both the customer experience and employee well-being. When demand isn’t effectively managed, customers can face long wait times, while employees may feel overwhelmed during busy periods or underutilised during slower times.

Balancing these demands requires not just effective planning but also a flexible and resilient approach to workforce management.

In a recent webinar hosted by The Forum with Business Systems and Calabrio webinar, “Seasonal Agility: Mastering Operational Readiness with Strategic Forecasting and Flexibility,” we tackled this exact challenge.

Featuring insights from Eurostar and UK Power Networks, the session delved into strategies for maintaining high levels of service and employee support during seasonal peaks. Through a mix of forecasting, adaptable scheduling, and robust technology, organisations can better manage such fluctuations, ensuring that customers receive timely service and that staff feel engaged and supported.

Carl Mills from Eurostar shared how their seasonal patterns differ from common assumptions. “While most people assume we’re busiest over Christmas, our peak times are actually January and October when customers plan and book trips.” Having this insight allows Eurostar to allocate resources strategically, particularly during periods of potential disruption, like severe weather or technical issues.

Jamie Airey of UK Power Networks highlighted the unpredictability of demand during adverse weather, confirming, “If a major fault occurs, we can see our calls spike from 1,500 to 60,000 in a day. Even with the best forecasts, it’s impossible to handle that volume without a flexible response strategy.”

UK Power Networks addresses these spikes by engaging other departments to support call handling, balancing the need to maintain customer satisfaction with resource constraints.

To adapt to such challenges, both companies use workforce management (WFM) technology. Carl Mills added: “Having historical data allows us to create realistic forecasts and model scenarios to secure necessary resources,” while Jamie Airey was enthusiastic towards Calabrio’s real-time benefits, which have moved the organisation from reactive to proactive planning.

What is clear is that the session underscored that for contact centres, resilience during peak demand periods depends on accurate data, effective forecasting and the strategic use of technology to manage volatility, ultimately benefiting both customers and the workforce.

A well-rounded approach to handling seasonal demands requires a combination of human insight, the flexibility that Contact Centre Managers and Resource Planners bring, and data-driven WFM technology. Together, these make it possible to provide a seamless customer experience and maintain employee morale during fluctuating demands.

For decades, Business Systems has been helping contact centres build operational resilience. To learn more, stream the webinar on-demand, or contact our team of Contact Centre Consultants, who are ready to answer your questions on technology to support your seasonal agility.