Forecasts Help

To create a forecast:

1. On the Forecasts tab, click .
   The New Forecast window opens.
2. In the General Settings tab, specify a name in the Name field.
3. (Optional). In the Description field, enter the forecast description.
   
4. Click the Options tab and specify the following details:
   1. Under Forecast Type, select either Historical to create the forecast based on historical data or Manual to create the forecast based on the anticipated workload.
   2. Under Precision for the report, choose between 1 hour, 30 minutes, or 15 minutes. For example, if you select 1 hour, the forecast report contains details for every one hour.
   3. In the Call Center field, select a call center using .
   4. In the Service field, select a service associated with the call center using .
   5. Check the Include agent skills to select specific skills for the forecast. Use the Filter field in the Available column to choose the necessary skills and move to the Selected column using the arrows.
5. In the Date and Hours section:

   1. Specify the Date Ranges. Select the Start Date and the End Date from the calendar. To add an additional date range, click and select the Start Date and End Date. 
      

      Note

      • option is only available for the Historical Forecast Type.
      • To delete a date range, select the date range and click .

      
      

   2. In the Hour Range, select the Start Time and End Time.
6. In the Channels and Parameter Options section:
   1. Select the Channels from the list using the check box. For Email, SMS, and Chat channels, from the Concurrent option, select the number of allowed concurrent emails, SMSes, and chats respectively.
   2. If the Forecast Type is Manual, you have the option to set the baselines such as Number of Interactions, Average Time to Answer (Seconds), Handle Time (Seconds), and Service Level (Percent) for all the Channels. Double-click on the field to specify the baseline parameters.
7. Click Save.
8. The Staffing Requirements tab is now available for you to update.
   1. Check the Include agent skills option to take into consideration the agent skills.
   2. If you have selected multiple Channels in the Options tab, select the channel you want to create staffing requirements for using the drop-down.
   3. Click to calculate the baseline and recommended number of agents based on the parameters you have specified. 
   4. You can modify the calculated values. Double-click the cell in which you want to modify and enter the new value. 
   5. You can also calculate up to one deleted value per channel per interval using . The missing value is calculated using the existing values. 
   6. To view data in the form of a chart, select an interval and click . The chart view for the selected data is displayed. 
      Select the information you want to display from the drop-down. Choose between Avg. Time to Answer Chart, Handle Time Chart, Service Level Chart, and Volume Chart.
   7. Click .

You can generate the forecast report that you have created and download it in CSV format to your local drive. To generate the report:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast for which you want to generate the report. The details of the forecast are displayed. 
2. Click . 
3. Open the CSV file to view the details or save the file to your desktop.

You can publish the forecast so that you can use it while auto-scheduling work for your agents. To publish a forecast:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast that you want to publish. The details of the forecast are displayed.  
2. Click .

Alternatively,

1. On the WFO tab, go to Workforce Management > Forecasts. 
2. Select the Forecast you want to publish and click .

You can change the status of a published forecast back to a draft state.

To change a Forecast to draft status:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast that you want to change to draft. The details of the forecast are displayed.  
2. Click .

Alternatively, select the Forecast you want to change to draft and click .

Based on the forecast you have created, you can assign agents to shifts by using the Auto Schedule option. Before you auto-schedule work, ensure that the forecast that you have created is published.

To auto-schedule work:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast that you want to publish. The details of the forecast are displayed. Click . Alternatively, from the Forecasts window, select the published forecast and click .
2. The Auto Schedule window appears.
   
3. In the Forecast field, select the forecast using .
4. In the Schedule field, select the schedule using
5. On the right pane, you can edit the Forecast Date for a specific Schedule Date.
6. Select one of the options to assign work to your agents. Choose between Auto-assign to evenly distribute work, Auto-assign to minimize cost, or Manual assign using the check box.
7. Click OK. A message is displayed to show that the request is in progress.
8. After the process is complete, the process complete message is displayed.
   

To edit a Forecast:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast that you want to modify. The details of the forecast are displayed.  
2. Make the necessary changes and click .

To copy a Forecast:

1. Select the forecast that you want to copy and click . The copy window is displayed.
2. Specify the Name and Description of the new forecast.
3. Click OK.
4. Select the new forecast from the list of forecasts and edit it to make the necessary changes. 

To delete a Forecast:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast that you want to delete. The details of the forecast are displayed.  
2. Click .
3. Click OK to confirm.

Alternatively,

1. Select the Forecast you want to delete and click .
2. Click OK to confirm.