A service company must set up an on call calendar if it is to compete with others. With the right process and tools, one can be effectively set up. This would be a great boost to customer support services. The on call calendar identifies and addresses issues in a fast manner that prevents damage to the company.
An on call calendar or schedule ensures that personnel is always available to respond to any customer complaints and incidents. In the medical field, doctors are expected to answer emergencies at anytime of the day. In the IT world, technicians and engineers are always available to outages and breakdowns. An existing on call calendar assures clients that someone is always there to respond to any issue.
Key considerations when setting up an on call schedule
Below are some factors to consider when setting up an effective on call scheduling process:
Team size
Foremost to be considered is the team to handle this process. The organization must decide how many would be involved and what the work rotation would be. Inhouse personnel may be cost inefficient, Many doctors and on IT field, get the services of a service provider who have 24/7/365 teams in place.
When a service provider is tapped for this, the organization is guided by the process and provides the contact points that agents can forward any call or reach out for any emergencies. There would be no-missed calls and the client needs are attended to immediately.
Barbara’s Answering Service is one provider that can be partnered for this vital service. They have been in the industry for decades and have the technology, manpower and the track record to support the organization.
Backups
The on call schedule should have a backup in place. The backup can grow over time since the process may need more people. When handling backups, it is important to keep an eye on team member schedules as well. Team members must be given time for breaks so efficiency will not be compromised.
Locations
It is already common for on call service providers to be located in other cities or even countries. If the team location is the same as the client’s then this should not be difficult, However, if they have different time zones then agents must be mindful of the time difference.
Scheduling on-call rotations during daylight hours is called a “follow the sun model”. When possible, it’s a great way to ensure better work-life balance and address employee concerns about being woken up in the middle of the night.
In some cases, distributed teams may have access to different things, so even with a follow the sun model, you may need to have a backup person to handle on-call overnight. In this case, your best bet is to make sure that backup person is only getting alerts in cases where the issue cannot possibly be resolved by a team in another time zone and when the issue is of high importance and can’t possibly wait until morning.
Peak Season Schedules
There will be a peak work time season. Providers can handle this situation with additional agents assigned to the organization. Holidays or Black Friday periods can cause more work load.
Organizations who have to deal with customer calls for service or to gather information about schedules can rely on an on call calendar provider. Barbara’s Answering Service can do the work for you. Call on them for any requirement.