Significant resource planning efficiencies help European customer service outsourcer release valuable time back into customer care

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#AI--Calabrio, the workforce performance company, has announced that Ascensos is using Calabrio ONE to schedule 2,500 agents at seven contact center locations in the United Kingdom, Romania, Turkey, and South Africa. On average, agents handle 170,000 contacts every week. Calabrio’s automated workforce management (WFM) technology has transformed resource planning efficiency at Ascensos, saving the company 375 hours every week—the equivalent of 13 full-time employees—while dramatically boosting staff engagement through self-service.

Established only 10 years ago in Motherwell, Scotland, Ascensos has expanded its operations significantly and is a leading European contact center outsourcer in consumer retail. Ascensos’ 170,000 contacts per week are predominantly voice (59%), followed by email (20%), live chat (10%), social media (10%), and WhatsApp (1%). The company was looking for a more efficient way to schedule its growing workforce and selected Calabrio ONE primarily for ease of use and scalability and to eliminate time-consuming manual processes.

Every week, agents schedule 4,700 breaks and 1,100 holiday requests using Calabrio’s self-service app while team managers utilize the WFM software to arrange 1,700 offline activities such as meetings, 1-2-1 sessions, and ‘return to work’ coaching, for example, after parental leave or a career break.

Paul Pearson, Head of Resource Planning at Ascensos commented, “Along with increased operational efficiencies, we have noticed dramatic improvements to employee engagement thanks to the flexibility of the Calabrio ONE solution. Recent feedback from staff reveals how having a 12-month forward view of schedules is ‘brilliant’. Using self-scheduling, agents can easily create their ideal work-life balance, booking a long weekend away or swapping shifts with a colleague instantly. Meanwhile, automatic notifications for opportunities such as overtime give everyone a level playing field that is transparent and fair.”

Calabrio WFM has transformed resource planning efficiency at Ascensos. Previously, the majority of scheduling and forecasting processes were handled manually. Automation has yielded dramatic time savings of 375 hours a week, the equivalent of 13 full-time employees. Ascensos estimates that three minutes have been shaved from each action using Calabrio WFM. This equates to 22,500 minutes (375 hours) saved per week, extra time that agents can devote to improving customer service.

Dave Orstad, SVP of Professional Services and Support at Calabrio, added, “For outsourcers, like Ascensos, with multiple clients and client Service Level Agreements (SLAs), robust, flexible workforce solutions are an absolute must-have. Our true-cloud technology is designed to tackle the major challenges that contact centers face today, including the rising demand for multi-channel service and hybrid working models. Meanwhile, our collaborative approach to working with partners guarantees that Ascensos will always benefit from the latest technological innovations that flex as their business grows.”

About Ascensos

Ascensos was established in 2013 in Motherwell, Scotland, to transform the customer experience by bringing a fresh and personal approach to customer care. Today, the company’s network of contact centers spans from the UK to Romania, Turkey, and South Africa, with teams working together to support UK and international consumer brands. For more information, visit https://www.ascensos.com/

About Calabrio

Calabrio is a trusted ally to leading brands. The digital foundation of a customer-centric contact center, the Calabrio ONE workforce performance suite helps enrich and understand human interactions, empowering your contact center as a brand guardian. We maximize agent performance, exceed customer expectations, and boost workforce efficiency using connected data, AI-fueled analytics, automated workforce management, and personalized coaching. Only Calabrio ONE unites workforce optimization (WFO), agent engagement, and business intelligence solutions into a true-cloud, fully integrated suite that adapts to your business.

Contacts

David Salkovitz; 617.779.1856
CalabrioPR@padillaco.com