The schedules would be inaccurate, since the system would not know how networking the ACDs impacts agent schedules. The ideal Skills-Based Scheduling system will create agent schedules by knowing the effects of the call center networking. The system will model ACD configurations where calls are moved from one ACD to another. It will support multiple time zones when forecasting, scheduling and providing intraday management tools. Accommodate agent preferences.
Many call centers grant schedule preferences by seniority or other ranking.
This practice is affected when developing schedules for multi-skilled agents. In addition, priorities must match exactly for ACDs that allow skills to be prioritized. Therefore, if unique skill sets are assigned to only a few agents, it becomes difficult for senior agents to obtain preferred schedules and still meet service level goals. The ideal Skills-Based Scheduling system will assign agent schedules based on the agent's preferences without changing the associated coverage of the required schedules. For added flexibility, the system will provide an option of changing the coverage of schedules in order to give preferences to the senior agents.