In this article, 8×8 look at how advanced, AI-powered workforce management (WFM) tools can transform social housing contact centres to meet rising demands and government targets
As the UK’s social housing sector expands, some contact centres can struggle at times to support the country’s approximately 5 million social homes when there are times of peak engagement. This pressure will only intensify under new government targets, cited by housing charity Shelter to be calling for an extra 90,000 new social houses a year for the next ten years.
One of the most important workforce management challenges is scalability. As the UK’s social housing sector continues to expand, contact centres must be able to scale their workforce quickly, with modern tools playing a key role in this.
According to Lisa Orford, VP for Contact Centre at 8×8, “AI-powered forecasting and scheduling is a game changer.”
With intelligent automation, housing organisations can optimise staff allocation in real-time based on predicted demand—reducing overstaffing during quiet periods and preventing burnout during peak hours. This not only improves operational efficiency but ensures that residents receive timely, high-quality support.
Cloud-based WFM systems further enable flexibility, allowing teams to manage rotas remotely and track performance from any location. This is especially vital in the hybrid working models increasingly adopted across the public sector.
Moreover, AI-enhanced WFM contributes to a healthier work-life balance by giving agents more control over their schedules and reducing manual, repetitive tasks. The result is lower attrition and higher morale—crucial in an industry where continuity and empathy matter.
In a housing context, where vulnerable residents often rely on fast and accurate responses, this technology can drive real social impact. As Orford puts it, “WFM isn’t just about managing time—it’s about empowering people and improving outcomes.”
Optimse resources with AI-driven forecasting
Advanced workforce management and optimisation software harnesses historical data and predictive analytics to forecast call volumes and generate optimal employee schedules. AI-powered forecasting tools analyse diverse data sources—from past call patterns, seasonal trends and employee working hours, automatically adjusting staffing levels to match fluctuating demand, ensure peak times are managed seamlessly and workload is balanced across teams.
Research from Metrigy has shown that such tools can deliver a 58% improvement in agent performance, meaning more efficient use of resources and better tenant support. In addition, WFM tools reduce administrative effort and minimise peak-time stress, allowing team leaders more time to focus on service quality rather than fighting staffing issues.
Address fluctuating demands with automation
As new homes and additional tenants create unpredictable peaks in contact volumes, the need for a dynamic, automated scheduling system becomes critical.
Without an effective strategy, existing inefficiencies will be magnified, leading to overworked staff and longer wait times for tenants. With integrated automation and AI, workforce management solutions redress this balance—ensuring that every agent’s schedule is based on real-time needs and skillsets to maximise productivity. This targeted approach not only minimises wasted resources but also significantly reduces call times and transfer rates, directly enhancing tenant satisfaction.
Manage issues in real-time with AI-powered alerts
With AI-powered forecasting tools to analyse diverse data sources supervisors can be alerted to real-time issues affecting call handling and service quality. These tools are essential to identify bottlenecks, workload imbalances, and potential compliance risks and take action to address them before they escalate.
Tenants expect multi-channel engagement, whether through voice calls, video support, mobile apps, or self-service portals, adding to the complexity of the contact centre.
According to Metrigy research, using AI to deliver real-time advice and information reduces average handle time (AHT) by 27%, allowing agents to process more enquiries in less time.
Build trust with skills matching
It’s not enough to simply add resources. Matching the right skills to the right tenant enquiry is key for maximum productivity.
Intelligent scheduling tools use detailed data about agent competencies to align enquiries and skills —whether on voice or digital channels—matching to the most suitably trained team member. This improves first-time call resolution, prevents unnecessary transfers, and ultimately builds trust through seamless interactions where tenants experience swift and effective assistance.
Accelerating agent performance with real-time coaching
Effective workforce management goes beyond scheduling—it’s about empowering agents to continually excel. AI-powered contact centre platforms provide real-time coaching and access to dynamic, AI-powered knowledge bases to support continuous learning. In practical terms, this means new agents can be up to speed twice as fast, while experienced staff benefit from guidance that cuts average call handling times.
In addition to AI-driven coaching, self-service bots allow agents to engage in self-guided training and skill reinforcement at their own pace.
Ensure quality with call monitoring, transcription, and compliance tools
Integrated call recording, monitoring, and transcription capabilities enable housing associations to analyse every interaction. These tools not only enhance quality assurance by ensuring that agents adhere to best practices but also provide real-time insights into call handling, sentiment, and resolution rates.
While, rule-based and role-based governance tools ensure that agents follow compliance guidelines set by administrators, allowing them to freely engage with tenants while adhering to regulatory requirements.
Create a smarter future for tenant support
Advanced workforce management software with integrated AI not only creates a more balanced work environment. Optimised staffing levels prevent agents from becoming overwhelmed, reducing stress and burnout.
Self-service schedule swapping also empowers agents by allowing them to adjust their shifts within pre-defined organisational guidelines, leading to improved work-life balance and reduced attrition rates.
This, together with features such as AI-driven knowledge bases and real-time guidance, help office-based and remote agents develop their skills, improve their ability to meet tenants’ needs, boost job satisfaction and drive superior tenant outcomes.
By matching tenant queries with the right expertise, monitoring performance in real time, and continuously forecasting future demands, these systems help housing associations achieve key performance metrics like shorter wait times and higher first-call resolution rates.
Meeting the needs of millions of homes across the UK is a formidable task, yet with cutting-edge tools, housing association contact centres can transform challenges into opportunities to drive continuous improvement. By streamlining operations and optimising resource allocation, these innovative solutions empower contact centres to deliver a consistent, empathetic, and efficient service—ensuring that every tenant feels heard and valued.
Power seamless cross-functional engagement
Housing association contact centres do not operate in isolation. Effective communication between customer service, maintenance teams, and back-office staff is crucial for resolving tenant issues efficiently.
Industry recognised 8×8 Contact Centre and 8×8 Unified Communications tools enable cross-functional teams to collaborate and share information through voice, video, chat to resolve tenant queries faster. By integrating contact center tools, CRM systems, data management platforms and WFM tools you can create a seamless ecosystem for tenant engagement.
Drive efficiency with the right WFM tools
In recognition of its industry-leading innovations, 8×8 was shortlisted for the Constellation Workforce Management Award, further solidifying its reputation as a best-in-class WFM provider. Selection criteria for this prestigious recognition included fully integrated quality assurance, call monitoring and transcription, AI-powered training, automated coaching, cross-functional collaboration tools, and advanced analytics—all critical components that can drive efficiency in housing association contact centres.
Working with multiple housing associations and landlords across the UK, Housing Digital Stakeholder 8×8 connects people and organisations through seamless communication on the industry’s most integrated platform for Customer Experience—combining Contact Centre, Unified Communications, and CPaaS APIs.
To learn more about how workforce management can revolutionise your contact centre’s efficiency, click here.
Image credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock
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