Workforce Management 1.3 Release Notes
This release of Workforce Management (WFM) 1.3 introduces features for scheduling flexibility, planner control, and agent empowerment. Major additions include multi-week Rotational Shifts, a complete schedule audit trail with a revert option, and the new Agent Calendar for agent self-service. This release also provides granular access controls and numerous enhancements to forecasting and daily shift management.
Rotational Shifts for Long-Term Planning
WFM now supports rotational shifts, which are repeating sequences of work patterns that promote operational continuity and fairness in work distribution. For example, you can create a two-week rotation where agents work day shifts in week one and night shifts in week two, with the cycle repeating automatically.
You can set up rotations by combining existing weekly templates into a multi-week sequence and assigning agents to it in Shift Configuration > Rotational Templates.
Schedule Audit Trail with Revert Option
A complete history of all shift edits is now available for each agent. The schedule history shows every version of a schedule, including the type of change, who made it, and when. Planners can also select any previous version of a shift and restore it, instantly reverting any unwanted changes.
Agent Calendar for Schedule Visibility and Time-Off Requests
Agents can now view their schedules and manage time-off requests through the new Agent Calendar. This improves agent autonomy and reduces administrative workload. Key capabilities include:
- View personal shift details, including start/end times, breaks, and scheduled activities.
- Utilize day, week, month, and schedule views for easy navigation.
- Submit new time-off requests, view the status of past requests, and see available time-off balances.
Initially, the Agent Calendar is available in a stand-alone mode only. It will be integrated into the Agent Desktop in a future release.
Regenerate and Lock Published Shifts
Planners now have greater control over published schedules. This feature introduces more flexibility for making late-stage adjustments.
- Published shifts can now be re-generated and re-optimized, a function previously available only for draft shifts.
- Individual or multiple shifts can be locked to exclude them from any re-generation, protecting schedules that must remain unchanged.
- Manually created or edited shifts are locked by default to prevent accidental overwrites.
- A new "Locked Shifts" filter has been added to the Shift Overview screen.
Granular Access Control with WFM Privileges
It is now possible to manage user access to different functional areas of WFM. A set of specific WFM privileges (e.g., run forecasts, view shifts, configure settings) can be assigned to new or existing roles in the Bright Pattern Contact Center Administrator application. This allows you to define precise permissions for different user types, such as planners, supervisors, or administrators.
The default WFM role initially has all privileges enabled.
Scheduling and Forecasting Enhancements
- Specific Activity Times: You can now define specific start and end times for work or break segments directly in the shift editor, which can be more convenient than using offsets from the shift start time.
- Bulk Template Assignment: In Shift Configuration, agents can now be assigned to weekly or rotational templates in bulk by selecting an org unit. When an org unit is selected, all associated agents are selected, with the option to exclude individual agents.
- Configurable Start of Week: The first day of the week can now be configured in Configuration > Other Settings. This setting is reflected across all weekly views in WFM.
- View Master Forecast Parameters: To aid in analysis, you can now view the parameters used in forecast calculations (e.g., target service level). Parameters can be accessed by clicking the forecast name in the List of Forecasts or by selecting Show Forecast Parameters in the Forecast Review screen.
- 30-Minute Forecast Export: In addition to existing intervals (15-minute / hourly / daily), forecasts can now be exported with 30-minute data intervals.
- 15-Minute Start Time Increments: In Shift Configuration > Daily Templates, shift start times can now be defined in 15-minute increments.
Usability and User Interface Updates
- Draggable Activities in Shift Overview: You can slide activities via drag-and-drop directly in the agent grid on the Shift Overview screen, without needing to open the shift editor. This makes simple adjustments to shifts quicker.
- New Time-Off Request Validations: The system now provides error messages when users attempt to create time-off requests in the past, during periods that overlap with existing requests, or to edit/delete withdrawn requests.
- Editable Non-Adherence Excuses: In Real-Time Adherence, it is now possible to edit the comment for an excused out-of-adherence event or delete the excuse entirely if it was entered by mistake.
- Screen Redesigns: The Skill/Service Groups and List of Requests screens have been redesigned for improved readability and a more user-friendly experience.
- Logout Option: Users can now log out from all BPCC applications via the WFM interface if the New Authentication service is enabled for your contact center. You may need to contact your service provider to enable the New Authentication service.
WFM in Hosts and Components
As part of the Bright Pattern Contact Center 5.34 platform update, WFM has been added to the Hosts & Components screen with the label Workforce Management.