CUSTOMER PROFILE
ABOUT
For generations, Grange Insurance and the independent agents who represent the company have been empowering people to live their lives with fewer worries by offering valuable insurance products and superior, hassle-free services that meet our customers’ changing needs. Grange generates $1.3 billion in annual revenues and controls $2 billion in assets The company partners with independent agents who offer auto, home, life and business insurance protection to policyholders in 13 states.
INDUSTRY
Insurance Provider
BUSINESS NEED
- Improve forecast accuracy and automation
- Forecast with multi-skilled agents
- Automate schedule creation
- Improve service levels
RESULTS ACHIEVED
- Service level increased from 58 percent to 80+ percent
- Average coaching hours increased 33 percent
- Increased agent evaluation scores
- 21 percent increase in vacation and time-off days approved
THE CHALLENGE
Grange Insurance’s mission statement pledges to “work hard each and every day to be the easiest company to do business with-by far.” That classic expression of American Midwestern hard work was being taken a little too literally in the contact center, however. Each of four different departments managed its own staffing needs, and none of the departments had any automation in their corner whatsoever. Manual Word documents and Outlook calendars tracked staffing requirements, agent PTO requests, and assigned meetings and training sessions.
Every step in the forecasting and scheduling cycle was slow and labor-intensive. Forecasts were generated on basic Erlang C based spreadsheets with little detailed historical data, and no ability to account for multi-skill agents. Sorting through expected call volumes and available slots for vacation and time-off requests was a cumbersome process. As a result of the scheduling inefficiencies, service levels on the floor left something to be desired. As Grange continues to grow, the firm knew its agents and customers would expect a more consistent grade of service when calling the contact center.
THE SOLUTION
Grange Insurance wanted to improve forecast accuracy, modernize workforce management (WFM) processes, and boost service levels. After evaluating several solutions, the firm committed to NICE Workforce Management. Because managers, supervisors, and agents had little exposure to WFM tools, ease of use was of paramount importance. Grange determined that NICE would deliver the capabilities it needed in a solution that could be quickly understood and adopted by all stakeholders.
Results followed quickly. Inaccuracies in Grange’s spreadsheet-based forecast produced middling service levels. NICE Workforce Management’s superior forecast accuracy has dramatically improved service levels, from just 58 percent before implementation to upwards of 80 percent today. The new forecast’s inclusion of detailed historical data as well as multi-skilled agent availability make Grange’s staffing levels a much better fit for actual call volumes.
Working with the NICE implementation team, Grange integrated the solution with internal timekeeping systems as well as the Avaya CMS. This ensured accurate and automated updates of daily and interval call data, as well as keeping scheduled and available vacation time in sync. Because management tools and Web-Station agent self-service are such an upgrade over the company’s previous manual processes, Grange has been able to approve 21 percent more time-off hours than it could before implementation.
