Customer Success
Alabama Power | Print |
Industry: Utilities
Site location(s): Alabama – 3 sites
Contact type:  phone, fax and email
Average annual contact volume: 5 million contacts (phone, fax, and email)
Number of agents: 200+

Background

Alabama Power is an investor-owned electric utility that serves 1.3 million Alabama homes, businesses and industries. More than 78,000 miles of power lines carry electricity to customers throughout 44,500 square miles in the southern two-thirds of the state.

Challenge

Alabama Power was on a quest to increase customer satisfaction and employee value.  Scheduling was a manual, labor-intensive process performed by staffing teams. Forecasting was unpredictable and inaccurate—and it was difficult to identify trends in call volume.  Alabama Power needed to find a solution that efficiently utilized contact center resources.

Solution

Alabama Power turned to a proven solution, TotalView® Workforce Management.  The TotalView solution accurately forecasts call volume, which led to more efficient use of Alabama Power’s contact center staff.  Employee morale improved through effective scheduling and added flexibility.  Within a three-year period, Alabama Power has seen significant improvements in service level, cost savings and most importantly customer satisfaction ratings.

Results

Customer Service:
  • Service Level increased from 66 percent to 84 percent
  • Average Speed of Answer (ASA) reduced by 59 percent
  • Percent of Calls Answered increased 7 percent
Cost Savings:
  • Overtime reduction of approximately 70 percent
  • Staffing requirements reduced from 230 full-time equivalents (FTE) to under 220 FTE
Customer Satisfaction:
  • Alabama Power’s customer satisfaction ratings have increased 10 percent in a three-year period

The Bottom Line

“With better forecasting and enhanced scheduling flexibility, TotalView Workforce Management has helped us reduce our staffing and overtime requirements, while simultaneously increasing our service level, employee morale and customer satisfaction.”
Tim Bowen, traffic and scheduling supervisor for Alabama Power Company

For more information about Alabama Power, visit their website.