Service forecast: what it is, how to make it + benefits
Understand what service forecasting is, how to make a forecast for your company in 5 steps, and the benefits of the practice for business.
Do you need to increase the number of people on your support team from time to time? Have you ever thought that the structuring of the team can be done in a better way by applying Service forecast?
But after all, what is service forecasting, isn't it? Well, if you've seen the term in your searches or on someone's recommendation, this article will help you understand this method.
In addition, we also explain the benefits and how to forecast service to be able to better predict the demand for work in the support area and, thus, to have both the appropriate number of people, but also customer service processes that work.
Continue reading the article and learn!
What is service forecasting?
Service forecasting is a method used to plan the work structure necessary to meet the demands of a company's customer support area.
The word 'forecast' comes from English and means 'forecast'. Then, the service forecast helps identify the volume of contacts received per channel, the period of the day and week in which the most calls arrive, and the times of Peak service.
This forecast is based on historical service data, internal performance, moments in which the volume of open tickets increased versus moments of staff idleness, and others.
All the factors together help determine how the work will be carried out on a daily basis, in addition to how and when the team will be reinforced.
The holidays require a lot of preparation from the business as a whole, including the support sector. O Black Friday service, for example, is an important moment for sales and, depending on the strategy, work is intensified in November and also in December.
How to make a service forecast?
To understand how it works and to make a good service forecast, it is important to know that the forecast is based on statistics and service indicators.
Then, the company needs to invest in ways to facilitate the analysis of the results, defining the metrics that will be monitored, the work processes, the tools used, and other points.
Thus, the team can make a service forecast by following the steps below:
1. Gather service data
The first step in service forecasting is Gather service data to be analyzed. Some relevant information that must be collected and analyzed together is:
- volume of service provided overall and by channel;
- waiting time for service;
- duration of each ticket;
- variations in the number of calls per period (day, week, month, etc.);
- increase in calls during holiday periods, etc.
With this information gathered, the team begins to identify the variations in service demands that will help to make a more assertive definition for the forecast.
2. Identify external influences
The performance of the service team is also influenced by external factors such as sales actions promoted by the company. The launch of a new product/service, promotions, stock burnings, commemorative dates, all of this impacts the support work.
It is necessary to include these factors in the analysis to understand and align the campaigns planned for the year with the marketing and sales managers so that service demands are considered.
Also read: How to improve service processes? Learn 5 tips.
3. Choose an analysis tool
Service forecasting is a predictive analysis method, that is, it is a way of analyzing a specific scenario, identifying patterns or trends, and defining strategies.
Currently, doing this type of analysis manually is not feasible, since depending on the size of the company the amount of information is gigantic. So, for do predictive analysis Big Data tools are used for service forecasting.
The advantage is that software of this type automatically analyzes and separates information, making it easier to identify patterns.
In the service area, CRM and help desk software are two outstanding examples, since in addition to their main function, they generate reports with the results of the indicators, which helps to carry out a more assertive analysis of the performance of company contact center.
4. Make the service forecast
After analysis, the next step is Set up the service forecast with the expected service that can be defined by time or by day, for example.
If this is the first time that the company has done this process, having a plan for the day to day and another for the peak periods of the year facilitates the process.
5. Reevaluate and adjust
From the first forecast of the service forecast, it is necessary analyze whether the expectation matched reality or not and adjust it.
Feedback from the team is essential in the evaluation, in addition to the results of the indicators that will show whether the clients are satisfied with the team's performance.
What are the benefits of using service forecasting?
One of the benefits of using service forecasting is maintaining a strong and well-structured team to carry out support work with excellence.
And this is fundamental, because more than 60% of customers say they now have 60% higher customer service standards, according to the report CX Trends 2022 by Zendesk.
In addition, the decisions made are made based on reliable data, which
allows you to monitor the results in real time and make quick adjustments whenever necessary.
In this way, the management of resources and tools is also better used, modernizing the sector and allowing us to expand service more and more.
So, if the company wants to include a new service channel, carry out a larger promotional action, implement new technologies, among other actions, the support area will follow this evolution naturally.
What about your company? Are you prepared for customer service challenges and do you have enough staff to handle daily demands on all available channels?
A Cloud Humans can help your company optimize service processes and those related to the customer experience. Thus, your team is able to provide a humanized, fast and assertive service.
Talk to our experts who are available to present our solution and show how much it can help you achieve your business objectives.