Creating a Forecast

A forecast uses historical data to predict future interaction volumes and Average Handle Time (AHT). Based on these predictions and defined service level objectives, WFM can estimate the required staffing levels.

Prerequisites

Before creating a forecast, ensure that historical data is available in the system. This data can be read directly from the Bright Pattern Contact Center database or imported from external files. Validate and normalize this historical data to remove outliers.

Procedure

Creating a forecast is a guided, five-step process:

1. Define General Parameters and Select Forecast Groups: Set basic forecast parameters like name and forecast period, and select the forecast groups (collections of skill/services) to include.
2. Select Historical Data: Choose the historical data range to be used for the forecast.
3. Calculate and Review Volume and AHT Forecast: The system calculates the forecasted interaction volumes and AHT. Review and optionally override these calculated values.
4. Define Staffing Parameters: Set parameters like service level goals, maximum occupancy, concurrency, and shrinkage.
5. Review Required Staffing: The system calculates the required staffing based on the previous steps. Review and optionally override these staffing numbers.

1. Define General Parameters and Select Forecast Groups

First, define the forecast's foundational elements:

• Select the forecast groups (collections of skill/services) to be included in this forecast.
• Provide a Name and optional Description for the forecast.
• Define the Forecast Period (up to 15 weeks).
• Select the Time Zone for the forecast. This defaults to the user's time zone.

2. Select Historical Data

Select the Historical Data period that the forecast will be based on. The system will indicate if this data has been validated.

3. Calculate and Review Volume and AHT Forecast

The system performs the initial calculations for your forecast and displays:

• The forecasted Interaction Volumes.
• The forecasted Average Handle Time (AHT).

You can review this data graphically and in a table, with options to view by day, week, or month (if the forecast period is long enough). You can override calculated values directly in the table.

4. Define Staffing Parameters

After forecasting volume and AHT, define the operational targets and constraints for staffing calculation. Configure the following:

• Set the Service Level Goal (e.g., 80% of interactions in 20 seconds). You can define specific service level goals for different forecast groups (e.g., a different target for email).
• Define the Maximum Occupancy for agents.
• Enter the Maximum Concurrency (for chat/messaging).
• Apply Shrinkage, either by using the system-calculated historical shrinkage or by overriding it with a specific percentage, including variations by day of the week.

5. Review Required Staffing

In the final step, the system combines all previous inputs to calculate and present the staffing needed to meet your objectives.

• The required staffing is calculated based on all previous inputs. You can view the staffing requirements for all forecast groups combined or separately in 15-minute, hourly, or daily intervals.
• You can override the calculated staffing values in the data table.
• Save the forecast or save and publish to master. Publishing to master makes this forecast the active one used for generating schedules for the selected forecast groups. When saving, you also have the option to create an alternative scenario for this period.
• You can view which forecast will be used for a given period and selected skill/services by clicking on 'View Master Forecast'