Mithum Singh, head of workforce planning at Merchants, has won the Best Workforce Planning Award for EMEA category at the 2016 ContactCentreWorld Top Ranking Performers Awards in London.
Now in its 11th year, the awards recognise the best professionals, teams and companies in the contact centre industry from across the globe.
The EMEA’s Best Workforce Planning Award category is given to a professional that has provided outstanding support to the contact centre from a workforce planning perspective.
As a result of Singh’s in-depth analysis of the contact centre’s metrics, close management and collaboration with operations, he has led the charge to reduce their average seconds per call from 40 seconds to 15 seconds over a period of two months. “This resulted in a 38% saving on hold time, which in turn translated into a saving of R2,7-million per annum,” he says.
Singh was also instrumental in reducing costs to the contact centre by R5,8-million during the year. “By moving from team scheduling to individual scheduling, we were able to meet demand during peak times and accommodate quieter times, which in turn reduced our attrition rates and improved agent satisfaction. As a result, the overall customer experience has improved significantly.”
Jennifer Algie, people director at Merchants, says winning an award/being a finalist for an award of this calibre is an enormous achievement.
“For Mithum to be recognised at this level, is a reflection of the talent we have in the contact centre industry in South Africa, making him a true ambassador for the country as a business process outsourcing destination of choice,” she says.
“We know South Africa has a lot to offer global companies looking to offshore their customer experience management. This award reinforces the fact that we have great talent, with the ability to deliver great customer experiences on behalf of both local and international organisations,” Algie adds.
