MANAGING WFM
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK
THE
KEYS TO WFM SUCCESS
WHAT ARE , AND HOW TO EXECUTE , THE CORE VALUES .
BY DAN SMITLEY , 2 : THREE CONSULTING
WFM aka workforce management , is often described as the art and science of finding the right amount of staff for our projected interactions .
The definition has stood the test of time and continues to be a fairly accurate representation of what we do as WFM professionals .
What it doesn ’ t speak to , though , is the constant changing nature of our environment , like the following :
• Operations coming and asking for a last minute huddle .
20 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
• Training asking you to schedule the whole center into a training program that has to be completed in the next five days .
• Human Resources ( HR ) asking you for detailed attendance reporting for a certain agent going back six months .
WE INCORRECTLY THINK THAT SOME- ONE ’ S ABILITY TO CREATE AN ACCU- RATE FORECAST IN A SPREADSHEET MEANS THEY ’ LL BE ABLE TO LEAD A WFM PLATFORM ...
And of course , every leader in the whole organization asking you “ what happened to the service levels yesterday ?” All before you ’ ve even had your first sip of coffee .
The challenge for WFM leaders is that what I just described is simply the environment we work in and the tactical challenges we face every day . But it doesn ’ t speak at all to the additional challenges waiting for us when we take on a leadership role . As a consultant , former board member of SWPP ( Society of Workforce Planning Professionals ), and a WFM leader for over a decade I ’ ve seen countless leaders struggle to shift from individual contributor to leader in the WFM team .
My hope is that this article will help those of you that are new to leadership in WFM teams , and maybe act as a friendly reminder to those that have been in leadership for a while .