Longest Waiting Agent

What is the longest waiting agent?

The term ‘longest waiting agent’ refers to representatives that haven’t had any interactions with a customer or a ticket for a long period of time. In off-seasons and past busy hours, agents may go through downtime uninterrupted.

However, it could be problematic if the rest of the floor is busy with calls and tickets and a couple of representatives have been available for a long period of time. This could mean that they are avoiding calls or there’s something wrong with the system.

How to take advantage of available agents in a queue

If the issue of the longest waiting agent is due to external factors that cannot be controlled (e.g off-peak, system error or maintenance issues, less demand, etc.), this phenomenon can be taken advantage of.

By utilizing available agents, the call center could benefit greatly from plans that team leaders will develop to offset the lack of demand from their customers and target market.

Increasing agent engagement

If the issue stems from people who are avoiding calls, there might be a way to mitigate these instances, by initiating one-on-one engagement with them.

When it comes to increasing employee engagement, it has different meanings that differ from one rep to another. For some, it may mean more bonuses for when they hit a certain call quota for a day. On the other hand, it may mean a multiple-step development plan.

Either way, these can help agents that are having a hard time coping with the demands of the job.

Examining metrics with agents

Call center metrics and key performance indicators are often looked at and examined to assist representatives in hitting their goals consistently. By refamiliarizing agents to their metrics and call center best practices, they will most likely be more engaged in their work.

This can be done if there are a lot of downtimes, hence then long available time or during a one-on-one coaching session.

Routing calls

If the issue persists even when there’s no one avoiding calls on the floor, then it may come from a call routing issue. Make sure that the call center software is up and running, all without any hitch that could lead to an unbalanced workload for all available agents.