This paper discusses the requirements for a holistic enterprise workforce management (WFM) solution to address the challenges associated with forecasting workload and scheduling resources in different functional areas of the organization. Contact centers are focused on time management, relatively short one-to-one interactions, and rigorous response time requirements.
Back-office operations are complex and backlog-driven, involving multiple steps, much longer completion times, and service-level goals measured in hours, days, and even weeks. Retail branch operations are largely focused on highly variable demand and resource allocation across multiple physical locations. Successfully solving forecasting and staffing problems in each environment requires specifically tailored algorithms and processes for each area.