Tuesday September 4, 7:31 am Eastern Time

ESI Announces a New Contact Center Workforce Optimization System

HERZLIYA, Israel, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- ESI - Expert Solutions International (www.esi-knowledge.com) today announced OptiWise, a new contact center workforce management and optimization system.

OptiWise accurately forecasts call volumes and automatically plans and schedules the right staff needed per shift. The system monitors the contact center operation in real time, operating simulation tools for measuring cost savings.

"OptiWise helps the contact center to determine the required service level and contributes to the organization's profitability and efficiency," said Zion Harel, ESI's Scheduling Division Manager.

OptiWise is constantly adapting to changes in the business environment by automatically selecting the best-matched forecasting method for the specific contact center, out of dozens of "built-in" methods. The product uses historical data to analyze the distribution of calls, trends and seasonal patterns. An optimal shift-planning tool automatically produces a list of optimal shifts, based on criteria such as company structure, customer types, work centers and maximum number of shifts.

OptiWise offers a combined version for contact center and field service operation, a solution which is most suitable for utilities and Telco companies.

The optimal scheduling plan is based on the organization's policies, goals and employee preferences and breaks. The contact center manager can prioritize different organization and employee criteria. OptiWise allows employees to take part in the scheduling processes through e-ScheduleR, a Web-based interface.

OptiWise monitors contact center operations, comparing actual versus planned performance, creating same-day optimization and responding to ongoing changes. The product intelligently monitors the costs related to the desired service level category, enabling the highest category's service level at the lowest cost, increasing customer satisfaction and maintaining customer loyalty.

The core module of OptiWise has already been implemented in various industries, such as cellular and long distance service providers, TV cable network, airlines, utilities, financial institutes, outsourcing companies and others. OptiWise includes improvements based on the experience gained from these successful projects.

About ESI
ESI - Expert Solutions International is a provider of knowledge-based solutions and workforce management products. The company's products increase knowledge assets utilization, improve decision-making processes, and optimize service levels. ESI is part of the Formula Group (Nasdaq: FORTY - news), the largest IT group in Israel with more than 4,000 employees, active in 50 countries.