Manage periodization

You can use periodization to balance an agent's work hours over an extended period, such as a year, to align with contractual targets. You can optimize staffing based on time-based demand patterns and highlight contractual target deviations. This ensures that the right number of agents with the necessary skills are scheduled during peak and off-peak times while efficiently utilizing the resources, improving service levels and reducing costs. It also helps you to avoid regulatory violations.

Prerequisites

You have the Web > People > Periodization permission.

Page location

WFM > People > Periodization

Procedures

Add a group

When you add agents to a group, it allows you to easily monitor the periodization setup for those specific agents. You can view the deviation of multiple agents at a time and prioritize adjustment for agents at high risk.

  1. In the People module, click Periodization.

  2. Click Add group.

  3. In the Group tab, enter a Group name, Period start date, and Period end date.

    NOTE   The start and end date are limited to Mondays and Sundays respectively. The start day of an agent’s work week must match the start day of the respective group.

  4. Click Save.

Add agents

NOTE   If you add agent(s), it will add scheduled periods for agents for the specified date range and override existing schedule periods and target hours in the existing time frame, if any.

  1. After you add a group, in the Agents tab, click Add agents.

  2. In the Add agents window, select a date, select sites or teams, select group pages, and then click Fetch agents.

  3. If you want to add all of the agents, click Add all and then click Add. Alternatively, if you want to add selected agents, select the agents and click Add selected and then click Add.

    NOTE   An agent can only be part of one group for a specific period. After you add an agent to a group, schedule period(s) of one week are created in the WFM web and the respective schedule period(s) are disabled for the periodization window in the WFM client.

  4. (Optional) Toggle the following sliders on or off:

    1. Current & future periods only - Hide previous schedule periods

    2. Show contract & scheduled hours - Show contract and scheduled hours along with target hours

Remove agents

  1. If you are already in the Agents tab, skip to step 4. Otherwise, in the People module, click Periodization.

  2. Click a group name.

  3. Click the Agents tab.

  4. (Optional) Toggle the following sliders on or off:

    1. Current & future periods only - Hide previous schedule periods

    2. Show contract & scheduled hours - Show contract and scheduled hours along with target hours

  5. Click Remove all agents and then click Remove. Alternatively, if you want to remove selected agents, select the agents, click Remove selected agents, and then click Remove.

Manage periodization

  • To edit schedule period targets, in the Agents tab, click a field for a specific week for an agent and edit the hours.

NOTE   The default hours in the field are automatically calculated based on the contract hours. When you override these hours, it updates the hours in the Required adjustment field. If the required adjustment hours are positive or negative, an agent has worked less or more than their contract hours. Therefore, you adjust the schedule to ensure that they work extra hours or less hours respectively. You can only override the hours manually. You cannot edit them in bulk using copy and paste or import and export.

Delete a group

  1. In the People module, click Periodization.

  2. Click the trash icon for a group and then click Delete.

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