4 Key Issues Facing Resource Planning Managers

 Has there ever been a bigger disruption to business than the Covid-19 pandemic? The financial crash of 2008; the Scottish independence referendum; the UK Brexit vote – despite all of these recent events, business (on the whole) carried on as usual. Since March 2020, however, just about every industry in the UK has seen some sort of impact, disruption or change as a result of the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. The call and contact centre industry, in particular, has had to force through rapid changes that no one could have ever predicted. Many contact centres had to adapt to new, socially distant workspaces – in some cases, this meant that up to half of the employees had to be at home, on any given day – or enable their employees to be able to work from home, full time (which, in turn, had many data security and customer privacy implications). It’s been a complicated year – and no one knows or understands this more than Resource Planning Managers. They have had to work around staffing numbers (absences through positive Covid tests, for example) or social distancing; they’ve had to consider all of the logistics and compliance of working from home; and they have had to ensure that the organisation’s customers do not have any disruption to accessing services. With ongoing lockdowns – and the small matter of the future ramifications of Brexit to consider – there has never been a busier time in Resource Planning. So, what are some of the key issues that Resource Planning Managers should consider when shaping the future model of their organisation? Customer strategy Has the pandemic taught you anything new about the needs of your customers? Have you noticed busier spikes at different times of the day or week? Now is the chance to re-assess your customer needs and build a strategy around meeting those. Technology Perhaps the pandemic has highlighted that your business doesn’t have the right technology in order to be more fluid and reactive. Perhaps your systems are out of date and can’t cope with high demand. Now is the time to assess what is working and what isn’t – and budget for essential changes that will allow your organisation to continue to meet change head on whilst meeting customer demand. Employee engagement How has the pandemic impacted your employees? Are the comfortable still being in the office? Or how have they adapted to working from home in terms of performance and mental health? Are professional development opportunities still available to your employees? Have you asked for any feedback and have you implemented any changes as a result of this? Future-proofing What does life look like post-Covid? Whilst it’s anyone’s guess, there are some things you should be preparing for now. You can look at professional development – do your teams meet the needs of their customer base? Does your organisational structure allow for flexibility and rapid change? All of this is important to consider. Resource Planning roles can make a big impact on a call and contact centre – particularly in the current climate. If you would like to speak to me, confidentially, about opportunities on the UK market, I’d be delighted to have a chat. Click here to drop me an email and get in touch.