Role Profile: Demand Forecaster
Role Purpose
Job Family Group
National Services
The principle purpose of this role is to create a strategic forecast of demands for all channels including voice, webchat, email and Admin for every service
within National Services. This work supports the delivery of the service KPI’s and organisational strategic goals. Understanding demand drivers is essential to
the role to understand all the detail of where and why the demand is hitting us and to model this across both the short term, medium and long - term planning
Job Family
Work Force Management
cycles. Once the demand forecast has been established, a capacity plan is built to understand resource requirements to give a balanced service in line with
affordable FTE. The role also encompasses critical relationship management at all levels (up to Director Level) to articulate service outcomes and
recommendations for change The data modelling required is a specialist skill that requires data collation from various sources, both internal and external to
Grade Level
HEO
derive a pattern of behaviour to accurately predict volumes, including ONS data.
Key Accountabilities
Key Relationships and Contacts
•
Responsibility of mapping and maintenance of routing services by channel to achieve accurate performance in the contact centre & workforce
management solutions
•
The role holder will communicate closely with Operations
•
Using the Workforce Management system to accurately predict both forecasting demand and arrival patterns for inbound contact, Voice, Webchat.
Managers, Service Delivery Managers and Team Leaders across
Email and Administration tasks
jurisdictions to produce forecasts within budgetary constraints and
•
Producing an accurate forecast at an intraday level to inform the scheduling community as to how best to plan resources to maximise performance
report on variances.
•
Proactive forecasting of unplanned events where there is no historic data to refer to. This requires new models and techniques to be devised and
•
Customer Experience and Operations teams to share insights on
implemented across the affected services using scenario modelling techniques
operational issues and staffing impacts.
•
Building Management Information reporting to inform the operational areas and senior managers how each service is performing from an intraday to
•
To persuade, influence and inform Head of Operations lead
annually level.
operational discussions on staff availability, workload demand and
•
Responsible for creating, implementing, maintaining, and improving all elements of the resource plans from budget level through to short term planning.
ability to ensure consistent delivery.
•
Support the impact assessment of any activities proposed that affect demand, Average Handling Time (AHT), shrinkage, calculating the impact these
•
Work closely with Workforce Scheduler & Real Time Analysts on
events will have on our customer service and benefit assumptions.
efficient resource management and analysing unplanned events to
•
Working within set parameters and guidelines to analyse trends and work collaboratively with the Continuous Improvement team on ways to improve
maintain forecast accuracy within budget constraints.
efficiency and quality through active involvement in process improvement initiatives.
•
Collaborate with Service Improvement and User Insight teams
•
Hold regular stakeholder meetings with Operational Leaders from Team Leaders to Delivery Directors
regarding changes which may impact on resource requirements to
•
To forecast long term demand and budget requirements, identifying the implications of peaks and troughs on workforce requirement/utilisation to a level
meet customer’s needs and service demand.
of accuracy aligned to standard deviation, to support organisation key deliverables and seamless service to users/customers.
•
Delivery Director and Deputy Directors
•
Planning meetings across multiple jurisdictions to inform operational leaders of the plan, possible risks to service and to give advice on how to maximise
•
Wider Ministry of Justice teams
the plan considering operational pressures in the service.
•
Other Governmental Departments
•
Regular review of handling times for all aspects of demand changes, highlighting opportunities for improvement to the Service Improvement teams
•
Devise clearance plans where required
•
Guide the Real Time Analysts in maximising plan performance both in day and weeks ahead
•
Running structured review process of performance vs plan, through insight and root cause analysis, to identify risks and opportunities to both service,
cost and employee engagement. Proactively balancing resources across operational teams.
•
Make recommendations to improve resource management across all jurisdiction, i.e. shrinkage, AHT, occupancy, profiles, shift options, opening hours
etc.
•
Support the delivery of reform programmes, ensuring the tracking of any system enhancements and monitoring actual volumes verses the assumption
made in the programme.
Role Profile: Demand Forecaster
Role Purpose
Job Family Group
CTSC
The principle purpose of this role is to create a strategic forecast of demands for all channels including voice, webchat, email and Admin for every service
within National Services. This work supports the delivery of the service KPI’s and organisational strategic goals. Understanding demand drivers is essential to
the role to understand all the detail of where and why the demand is hitting us and to model this across both the short term, medium and long - term planning
Job Family
Work Force Management
cycles. Once the demand forecast has been established, a capacity plan is built to understand resource requirements to give a balanced service in line with
affordable FTE. The role also encompasses critical relationship management at all levels (up to Director Level) to articulate service outcomes and
recommendations for change The data modelling required is a specialist skill that requires data collation from various sources, both internal and external to
Grade Level
HEO
derive a pattern of behaviour to accurately predict volumes, including ONS data.
Complexities
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
•
Demonstrable experience of working in a resource planning environment, specifically in forecasting and capacity planning.
This role will make decisions about building
•
Experience of understanding demand drivers and how they translate into a capacity model
staffing models to recommend to Head of
•
Experienced in analytical problem solving and data translation
Operations, Deputies and Team leaders for
•
Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills
efficient running of services. This will involve
•
Be able to reference best in class planning methodologies and processes, i.e. Erlang
specialist technical expertise, significant
Problem solving
•
Proven experience in influencing senior stakeholders to deliver operational improvements
investigation and factfinding, recommend
•
Experienced in using SQL; VBA
creative and innovative solutions for the Head of
•
Experience with telephony and Workforce Management systems
Operations to consider.
•
Performance reporting and tracking
•
Excellent communication and presentation skills
•
Ability to translate complex data into an understandable format for all audience levels
6 Step process: -
•
Data Analytics and complex data modelling
Understand the demand
•
Degree level qualification in a discipline with significant data analytical content, or equivalent work experience
Assign people to that demand
Track utilisation and update the assignments
Management of
resources
Begin capacity planning
Validate the data and reduce variation
Present the Data to Senior Executives
Although there is allowance to be creative in
recommending staffing solutions, the role holder
will work within a framework of set rules and
established procedures with limited discretion
required. Access to Strategic Forecasting and
Analytics Manager will be available if required.
Autonomy
For data modelling, they have full autonomy for
the inputs and distribution to senior operational
leaders, devising and creating unique templates
and models for service delivery