Non-productive agent time
Definition
Non-productive agent time definition
Non-productive agent time is the amount of time that agents are paid but are not engaging in any customer interactions or after-hours activity.
It’s also called off-phone time since it covers time spent in meetings, training sessions, breaks, and other activities.
Ways to optimize non-productive agent time in a call center
If some agents are idle during a high volume of calls, call center productivity will be affected. As a call center team leader, you have to know the ways to optimize agent idle time. Here are some of them.
Practice workforce planning
Plan proactively so that you have enough workforce during critical hours. It is important to have enough people on the floor during peak call center hours, and anticipating the number of agents required can utilize their strength as a team.
Schedule your agent’s timetable carefully
Manage your agents’ schedules carefully. It’s a bit challenging, but it would be helpful for your team since productivity is important. Schedule meetings and training during non-peak hours, and make sure there are enough agents on the floor while others take their breaks.
Use the time to exchange feedback
Other than the required work breaks, most non-productive agent time is used for meetings. To ensure that these sessions have a strong impact on agents, managers should ensure that they not only provide feedback but also ask for it.
Use the time to discuss the agent’s goals and difficulties, and be sure to address them during this time.
Independent
