QMax - Helps Radian to fill recruitment gaps saving time and money

Innovative affordable housing provider deploys scheduling software to manage rapidly growing call centre handling 22,500 calls every month

Hampshire-based Radian has installed workforce management software from QMax to better support the organisation's rapidly growing call centre and provide enhanced service to 18,000 households and over 400 people in the care sector across the South East of England. Radian has more than doubled the size of its call centre from 15 to 35 agents in recent months and now regularly handles an average of 22,500 calls per month from residents and landlords. Since going live with the QMax system early in 2011, Radian has already realised significant benefits in terms of operational efficiency plus time and cost savings.

Prior to QMax, Radian relied on a paper-based system to create and maintain staff schedules. However, a rise in call volumes and the subsequent expansion of the call centre team made the traditional manual system ineffective and time-consuming. A change was further prompted by an organisational restructure that resulted in the consolidation of three separate sites into one.

After evaluating the marketplace, Radian selected QMax Workforce Management as it offered a highly functional yet cost-effective solution.

Radian uses QMax to manage the rotas of all call centre agents split 50/50 between full-time and part-time staff as well as its pool of bank staff. The system has radically changed the way that Radian resources its call centre. For instance, with the help of QMax, Radian can now identify peaks and troughs and re-allocate resources by using part-time staff rather than hiring full-time staff. In addition, QMax enables Radian to see when over-staffing occurs giving it the impetus to devote potential spare time to other activities such as coaching and professional development.

Sheila Starr, Head of Customer Services at Radian, commented, “QMax has given us the confidence to know what type of staff we have to recruit at any given time. It has made a huge different to our recruitment procedure. We now recruit to our gaps rather than just appoint full-time agents. QMax gives us a trustworthy platform for identifying quieter periods and planning in advance. This gives us immense flexibility enabling us to better utilise time for important activities such as staff training.”

Because it is now easier for Radian to plan ahead, it can better schedule staff holidays and give more advanced warning to bank staff who might be needed during extra-busy periods or to cover vacation weeks or training days.

QMax has delivered significant benefits to Radian especially in terms of operational efficiency and time savings. QMax has dramatically reduced the time required for managers to create staff rotas. Furthermore, it has given Radian's call centre a new level of agility.

The ability to foresee peaks and troughs means that Radian can now schedule its staff appropriately and make changes in a more nimble way. Staff are neither idle nor overstretched which has had a positive impact on staff morale and ultimately the quality of service they deliver to customers.

Sheila Starr continued, "Another direct result has been cost savings. Using QMax we can forecast confidently and we have now identified 50 vacant hours we would have previously recruited to. However, rather than recruit to these budgeted hours we plan to offer extra hours to existing staff on a weekly basis as and when required, rather than incur the full expenditure irrespective of weekly business needs. We expect this to provide a significant financial saving over several months."

Steve Rayner, Resourcing Planning Consultant at QMax added, "Sheila and her team have a clear vision of providing a quality service to their customers in a cost effective and efficient manner. By actively embracing good resourcing and planning processes, underpinned by QMax, they have been able to deliver the three elements of success any contact centre should aspire to, excellent customer service, efficient delivery and highly motivated staff. It is a credit to Sheila and her team that these often conflicting objectives have been achieved."

Radian is particularly impressed with QMax's customer service. Sheila concluded, "QMax has been a very accommodating partner from beginning to end. The response to our original brief was quick and very helpful. The whole sales process went without a hitch and our account manager is very proactive, always checking everything is running smoothly. It is obvious he loves his job and his enthusiasm for the product is infectious. Although we are a relatively new user of QMax, I would heartily recommend the solution and the company to others."