Production Planning and Forecasting

About CCRM (Contact Center Resource Management)
CCRM provides capacity planning, resource management and business decision support to Service Operations functions (Call Center, Policy Change/ Endorsement Processing, New Business and Renewal Operations).  Accountabilities include demand forecasting, staff planning/ staffing models, intraday management, scheduling, reporting and business decision support in operational and financial analysis.
 
 
Overall Accountabilities:
Highly organized and effective planning consultant with strong forecasting, modeling, problem solving, quantitative/ statistical and analytical skills.  Is responsible for providing workload forecasting and production planning support to Middle Market New Business and Renewal Operations.  Is responsible for building production plans that solve for customer demand, arrival rates, sequencing and lead times of incoming demand, staffing level requirements and service level objectives.  Makes well articulated recommendations to optimize capacity and provides “what-if” scenarios to demonstrate implications of operational decisions.  Must have strong working knowledge of business operations to establish and maintain high levels of credibility in forecasted outcomes.  Must possess strong knowledge of Siebel.
 
 
Functional Accountabilities:
Develops production plans for Service Operations based on incoming workload demand, staffing levels and service level requirements.  Forecasts new business flow (submission volumes) and renewal volumes by day and by week for a rolling 3 month period.  This includes forecasting volumes and process times at the required business segmentation (by center, regional office, line of business, size of account). Builds fact based, detailed and accurate forecasting models that provide credible, relevant and meaningful production plans to business partners. Analyzes process and workflow specifications, cycle times and staff capacity data and performs mathematical calculations to determine resource requirements. Works with large volumes of data to establish business segmentation, sequencing and lead time of each transaction that needs to be processed within service level objectives. Plans workflow for each task in the business processes according to previously established sequencing, segmentation rules and cycle times. Builds simulation models that plan sequencing of various essential services and underwriting tasks in new business and renewal activities.  Considers forecasted and actual demand, routing rules, resource capacity, implications to scheduling and constraints in production cycle. Works closely with Staff Modelers and Process Owners to understand business processes, develop process maps that illustrate multiple hand-offs in order to maintain a forecasting model that is reflective of current state. Interfaces with Process Owners, Staff Modelers and Resource Management to provide production plans that optimize capacity and deliver service levels. Communicates production plans to business partners proactively, consistently and effectively.  Is actively engaged in day to day planning and operational decision making. Maintains high level of knowledge around contact center operations and service level delivery.  Understand fundamentals of queueing theory; is able to model arrival/ departure rates for work units in Service, New Business and Renewal operations. Maintains a high level of forecasting accuracy, quality and meaningfulness by ensuring variables are continually tested and substantiated.  Performs root cause analysis and makes corrective actions when necessary.  Recommends continuous improvement opportunities within business processes modeled.  Education and Skills:
· Is proficient in forecasting, developing forecasting models and applying forecasting techniques.
· Possesses strong knowledge of business operations and Siebel.
· Possesses strong to advanced Excel skills.  Is highly proficient in creating planning models that are assumption / multiple-input driven.
· Possesses strong analytical and problem-solving skills.  Demonstrates strong critical thinking skills.
· Maintains solid quantitative and modeling skills.  Possesses reasonable level of financial acumen.
· Is adept in data mining, data analysis and data presentation as relates to planning models.
· Is highly organized in planning approach, methodology, inputs and outputs.
· Possesses strong and highly effective communication skills.  Is able to present information in a concise, organized and well articulated manner.  Is able to communicate effectively with all levels of organization.
· Is astute in understanding customer requirements and anticipating requests.  Manages assignments promptly, effectively and with appropriate sense of urgency.
· Operates independently with general direction.
· Demonstrates high level of individual accountability and responsibility.
· Bachelor’s Degree.