You screened candidates and built a great team. Now it’s time to set goals and measure progress. And one of the most important metrics to measure is schedule adherence, especially if you work with call center agents or customer support representatives.
Not familiar with schedule adherence? Keep reading for the need-to-know basics — what it is, why it’s important and how to make it part of your team leadership routine.
What is schedule adherence?
Schedule adherence is a significant business metric for departments like customer service and IT support. It looks at when an agent is scheduled to work and compares that schedule to the hours they actually work. As a critical part of workforce management, schedule adherence helps organizations ensure the right people are in the right roles at the right times.
A high adherence rate indicates a team is executing plans as intended, and shows the extent to which the business is following planned schedules. It also helps leaders set tangible goals when teams are off track.
Measuring schedule adherence
Measuring schedule adherence serves one critical purpose: To find out when employees aren’t sticking to their schedules so you know to address any underlying issues — and to reward people when they are. Here’s how to do it.
How to calculate your schedule adherence rate
To determine your schedule adherence rate, use a straightforward calculation:
(Time Worked / Scheduled Time) × 100 = Schedule Adherence Rate (%)
For example, let’s say your agents work six-hour shifts with a 30-minute break for a total of 330 minutes. But they arrive 10 minutes late and extend the break by 15 minutes. In this scenario, your calculation would look like this:
(350 / 330) x 100 = 92% schedule adherence
This simple formula provides powerful insight into how well your team is performing in terms of time management.
Key metrics
In addition to the baseline calculation above, it’s a good idea to track one or two more key schedule adherence metrics, such as:
- On-time delivery rate: This focuses specifically on the delivery of products or services within the scheduled timeframe.
- Cycle time: This is the total time it takes to complete a task or process, from start to finish.
Importance of schedule adherence in business operations
Adhering to schedules is not just about punctuality. It directly impacts several aspects of business performance, including:
- Customer Satisfaction: Timely delivery of products and services increases customer trust and satisfaction.
- Operational Efficiency: A high adherence rate impacts other crucial workforce planning metrics like employee productivity, engagement and capacity.
- Financial Performance: Companies with higher schedule adherence typically experience higher profitability by avoiding delays and costly overruns.
Schedule adherence benefits
It goes without saying that strong schedule adherence puts organizations at an advantage. But what, specifically, does that look like? Some of the biggest benefits include:
- A positive workplace culture: When teams consistently meet their deadlines, it builds a sense of accomplishment and morale among employees.
- More motivation: When team members feel more invested in their collective success, the positive reinforcement creates a feedback loop of even more motivation.
- Increased productivity: Organizations that prioritize schedule adherence have an easier time with workforce optimization, since it provides a clearer understanding of operational capabilities and limitations.
It’s easier than ever to influence these and other outcomes. Why? Because new technology takes the guesswork out of measuring and improving schedule adherence. With the rise of project management tools and workforce analytics software, you can now:
- Track productivity in real-time
- Identify bottlenecks
- Make data-driven decisions to adjust schedules as needed
This not only ensures teams remain on track but also informs future plans.
Components of schedule adherence
What, exactly, contributes to schedule adherence? Let’s look at three key components now.
1. Planned time
Planned time refers to the scheduled time allocated for completing tasks or operational processes. It’s essential for setting realistic expectations. When you accurately estimate planned time, it’s easier to allocate resources and set schedules. Plus, a well-structured planned time framework allows teams to prioritize tasks and meet critical deadlines.
2. Actual time
Actual time is the real time taken to complete a task. It’s critical for comparing against planned time to gauge adherence effectively. Analyzing discrepancies between planned and actual work time allows you to uncover patterns that indicate underlying issues, such as skills gaps or resource shortages. This analysis not only aids in refining future scheduling, but also empowers teams to increase efficiency and perform better than ever.
3. Unplanned time
Unplanned time includes any delays or interruptions you didn’t account for in the scheduling process. Managing unplanned time is crucial — it often reveals inefficiencies. Identifying the root causes of unplanned time, such as equipment failures or unexpected staffing shortages, also empowers you to act fast and address issues as they arise.
Factors that influence schedule adherence
Ensuring schedule adherence isn’t always a simple, straightforward process. For example, many teams face issues such as:
- Personal employee circumstances such as unexpected health issues
- Technology limitations such as outages or learning curves for new software
- Management issues such as a lack of clear communication and the scheduling process itself
Challenges in maintaining schedule adherence
While understanding and measuring schedule adherence is vital, it does come with some challenges. Some of the most common obstacles to schedule adherence include:
- Resource availability: Irregular availability of staff or materials make delays unavoidable.
- Poor communication: Miscommunication among team members leads to misunderstandings regarding timelines.
- Process inefficiencies: Outdated or inefficient processes significantly slow down operations.
It’s important to recognize and address these issues as soon as possible, since failing to maintain schedule adherence leads to profound consequences. As adherence goes down, your risk of customer dissatisfaction goes up — and the potential for revenue loss increases significantly.
Strategies to improve schedule adherence
Improving schedule adherence is essential for the long-term success of any business. Here are several methods to help you get started.
1. Foster a culture of communication
Foster an environment of open communication to address issues as they arise and promote accountability. This also helps ensure your team members are well-versed in operational processes.
2. Use technology
Adopt advanced scheduling tools and productivity management software for real-time visibility into performance. For instance, platforms that provide predictive workforce analytics capabilities help teams better manage their resources and time.
3. Regular monitoring and feedback
Monitor adherence rates, along with constructive feedback, to guide teams toward your goals. Establishing periodic reviews also helps identify trends and areas that need your attention.
4. Offer incentives
Don’t overlook the power of rewards and recognition. Something as simple as a “thank you” or praise for consistently showing up and working hard goes a long way in increasing motivation. The more you show your people you appreciate them, the more motivated they are to perform well.
5. Set tangible targets
Consider setting a service level target, such an ideal response time for customer service inquiries. This gives employees a tangible goal to work toward and a reason to manage their time more efficiently.
Ready to take your organization's schedule adherence to the next level?
Maintaining high schedule adherence is essential for achieving overall operational excellence. Now that you understand the concept and components, and how to overcome common challenges, it’s time to measure and improve your team’s daily work habits.
Best way to do that? Use ActivTrak's workforce analytics software for insights and tools that make improving team productivity a breeze. You’ll know not only when agents work, but also when they’re most productive and what distractions they face. Sign up for your free account to get started today.
