Hi all
I've been challenged to produce a long term strategic(month level) and shorter term volume forecast for a new service. The new service is internet based and primarily CHAT, which will be handled in a contact centre which has historically been primarily voice. We know a lot about the target audience and the population, but having not offerred CHAT in the past we don't know the propensity to use the service or contact profile. (We have a good understanding of their use of the phone service, but believe that both the propensity and profile will be diffent on the web)

What approach would you take to volume forecasting in a new channel without historic information?

Mike,

I'm assuming you mean webchat?

Not really sure how you'd go about volume forecasting,
although I do have a couple of ideas.

1) Regarding AHT, you obviously have an idea of a call / chat
content so should be fairly easy to simulate [1]

2) You know your volumes and in planning for this there must
have been some kind of 'if we introduce webchat there will be
a y% drop in calls'. this may form the basis for a forcast.

3) Which other charities have introduced something like this,
can you ask them, Childline or NDHL spring to mind?

Some other contributors here may be able to let you know
how big their uptake was.

Not exactly what you're after but may be a start...

Regards

DaveA




[1] Remember to allow 'translation time' from TXT SPK
to some semblence of the English... no wait... ANY language...