Category: Video

I’ve seen contact centers push agents to 90% utilization.

Most of the time it’s a mistake.

Because when agents are on back-to-back calls all day
They’ll usually either find their own ways to be off calls, or worse: burnout and quit.

Here’s what I’ve seen work much better:

Schedule agents at 80% phone time.

Allocate the other 20% for:

• Scheduled breaks
• Training sessions
• Team meetings
• Admin tasks

This isn’t “wasted time.”
It’s the buffer that keeps your team from burning out.

And here’s the counterintuitive part:
Lower utilization often means better performance.

Because agents who aren’t exhausted:

→ Handle calls more efficiently
→ Provide better customer experiences
→ Stay with your company longer

So that 20% buffer pays for itself in reduced turnover alone.

Stop optimizing for maximum utilization.
Start optimizing for sustainable performance.

Your agents will thank you. Your customers will feel it. And your bottom line will prove it.

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I’m Mark Danielson, and I help healthcare leaders reduce support costs while improving patient satisfaction.

Follow me for practical insights on cutting contact center costs, improving service quality, and modernizing operations without the tradeoffs.

Most executives think they have to choose:

High quality or low cost

After running customer service operations for years, I’ve learned that the cost/quality tradeoff is a myth. 

You can have both. Here’s how:

Give customers a choice in how they contact you.

Because quality isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about matching the experience to the customer.

And everyone is different.

Some want to call and talk to a person.
Some are comfortable chatting with AI.
Some prefer self-service.

When you offer multiple channels, two things happen:

1. Customers self-select into the option that gives them the best experience
2. Your cost per interaction drops because distribution skews lower cost

Same team size. Lower call volume. Better satisfaction scores.

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I’m Mark Danielson, and I help healthcare leaders reduce support costs while improving patient satisfaction.

Follow me for practical insights on cutting contact center costs, improving service quality, and modernizing operations without the tradeoffs.