This B2B Technology Company Uses Call-Backs to Manage High Fluctuations in Call Volumes Without Overstaffing

The Challenge

The support team at LifeWorks faces seasonal spikes in customer demand, especially during enrollment periods in the fall. During this time, companies will send mass communications to their employees, reminding them to make their benefit selections and upgrades as needed within a two-week window.

Penny Campbell, Vice President of Client Experience, describes this occurrence as a “J-shaped distribution.” They would see an initial increase in support requests, which would die down after a few days. However, towards the end of the enrollment window, demand for support would skyrocket with employees making last-minute updates to their accounts.

“There is no cost-efficient way to staff a J-shaped distribution of call volume,” says Penny. “I can’t justify having the required staffing levels for one or two peak days at the end… We need to invest three to four weeks of training agents so they can take these types of calls.”

LifeWorks would rely on voicemail to manage call volume overflow, but this proved to be inefficient and costly. Customers were escalating complaints, which added to their struggles. It was clear they needed a solution that was flexible and cost-efficient enough to support them during these sporadic spikes in demand.