Your BPO team faces a sudden workload surge. How will you ensure seamless coordination among members?

I think setting clear objectives is important. Everyone needs to know what is expected of them, and everyone needs to follow the processes in place. The key to that of course is having a reliable, scalable process. The objective is always customer satisfaction, and we accomplish that by working together as a team. The first objective in my opinion is to stay calm. Having a workload surge is a good thing. I have an old friend who used to tell me that the reward for good work is more work. Embrace it, follow your processes, and get it done.

Ensure that everyone is using the same communication tools, whether it's Slack, Microsoft Teams, or another platform. Allow flexible working hours or shift changes to accommodate the increased workload.

1. Radical Prioritization: Implement dynamic resource management, prioritizing tasks by strategic value and adjusting in real-time using agile principles. 2. Taskforce 2.0: Form a temporary, interdisciplinary "Swarm Unit" to tackle urgent tasks swiftly, operating outside normal hierarchies for innovative solutions. 3. AI-Driven Augmentation: Use AI tools to automate tasks and provide real-time recommendations, enabling proactive management of increased workloads. 4. Remote-First Expansion: Leverage global talent pools by engaging remote experts short-term, bringing flexibility and fresh perspectives. 5. Wellbeing as Strategy: Integrate wellbeing checks and flexible work models to sustain team performance.

Here’s how we handle a surge in volume: 1. Assess Capacity: Understand current capacity and the impact of the surge to plan your response. Coordinate with your client POC and communicate any limitations ASAP. 2. Identify the Cause: Determine the reason for the surge and its expected duration. 3. Allocate Resources: Based on your findings, adjust allocations among team members. 4. Communicate: Hold an all-hands huddle to update everyone on the situation and new allocations. 5. Update Scorecards: Adjust scorecards and client reporting to reflect the new targets and allocations.

Something that I think is important regarding communication is that it needs to be effective before you get to the search. having open communication channels and a focus that allows all the team members to communicate together will create opportunities for you to communicate effectively through the surge in workload. If you don't already have effective communication set up, you need to fix that now. As a leader, it is your responsibility to make certain that your team understands what is expected of them, and that they can communicate both to you and among themselves freely. Without that open communication, you're asking for trouble and setting your team up to fail.

3 simple ways to keep everyone in the loop: 1. Daily Huddles: Hold quick 5-10 minute huddles at the start, middle, and end of the day to review volumes, capacity, and roadblocks. 2. Visual Management: Ensure everyone can see real-time KPIs, making them highly visible. 3. End of Day Reporting: Send a daily report to all stakeholders outlining target attainment, challenges, and action plans. TIP: If you don’t have a Teams or Slack channel for team communication, set one up ASAP!

Much like communication, your technology should be setup before you get to the surge. Managing a workload surge is all about preparation, and as I learned playing American football for 10 years, you play like you practice. So, practice using your technology. practice getting a work surge. Practice communicating in the middle of that complex situation. Use the technology to your advantage. Make sure you have tools for tracking, and clearing work as quickly as possible. During that practice, set benchmarks as tracked KPIs, so that when the work comes in you know where you should be and what you should expect. You cannot possibly cover every scenario, but prepping for it in advance and utilizing the appropriate technology will drive success.

Being clear about roles and expectations and taking a little bit of time on the front end of the workload surge will set your team up for success. Several years ago I was a proofreader in a large Financial Communications company. It was my first real adult job, and I got really good at it. One of my keys to success in that role was listening to advice that I was given by my trainer, which was when a job is large and the deadline is tight, stop and put all of your paperwork in order. Making sure you have everything you need allows you to quickly go through the job with confidence that you are prepared. That is a life lesson, not just a work one. I still apply it today to everything I do.

A simple framework to use is RACI, which stands for: Responsible: Team members who do the work to complete the task. Usually the agents. Accountable: The individual who is ultimately answerable for the activity or decision. Usually the team manager/supervisor. Consulted: Those whose opinions are sought before a final decision or action is taken. Typically the client POC. Informed: Those who need to be kept up to date on progress or decisions but don’t need to be consulted directly. Often executives and account managers.

Support systems we’ve got in place to ensure the success of the team during a surge: Workforce Management: The team has access to analysts who support with forecasting, real-time adherence, and act as an early warning system for capacity limitations. Incentives: Overtime is a primary driver of agent churn. When surges happen, ensure agents are not only paid premium rates for overtime but also receive bonuses for hitting targets. Engagement: Boost agent engagement with initiatives like entertainment events, comfort food, and regular coaching sessions.

Additionally, it's important to make feedback actionable and specific. When giving feedback, focus on clear examples and suggest practical steps team members can take to improve. This not only makes the feedback more effective but also empowers team members to implement changes immediately, further enhancing coordination and productivity during high-pressure periods.

Here’s a 2-step Continuous Improvement system you might want to put in place: 1) Start with a Root Cause Analysis: Understand the underlying reason for the sudden surge to identify key areas for improvement. 2) Implement PDCA Cycles: Use Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles to engage the team in ongoing problem-solving. This approach not only addresses the immediate issue but also helps in putting preventative measures in place, reducing the need for reactive fire-fighting in the future.