Best practices for forecasting staffing needs

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Use forecasting in Zendesk Workforce Management (WFM) to estimate future staffing needs based on historical volume and expected demand. This article provides best practices and tips for forecasting staffing needs so you can test staffing assumptions, compare outcomes, and prepare for changes in volume.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Use forecasting to estimate future staffing needs based on historical data and expected demand. Test multiple algorithms and scenarios to prepare for volume changes, adjust for external events, and refine staffing parameters. Remove outliers and set cutoff dates for outdated data. Forecast scenarios help compare staffing outcomes and plan for different conditions, ensuring your team is ready for changing support volumes across channels.</p>
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<p class="p">Use forecasting in Zendesk Workforce Management (WFM) to estimate future staffing needs based
on historical volume and expected demand. This article provides best practices and tips for
forecasting staffing needs so you can test staffing assumptions, compare outcomes, and prepare
for changes in volume.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following topics:</p>
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_b1l_q4x_hjc">Tips for using WFM forecasting</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_xss_q4x_hjc">Best practices for using forecast
scenarios</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Related articles:</p>
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9858048119194" target="_blank">Understanding WFM forecasting</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443407875354" target="_blank">Setting up WFM forecasting</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_b1l_q4x_hjc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Tips for using WFM forecasting</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Use these tips when forecasting staffing needs in WFM:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_b1l_q4x_hjc__ul_lsp_dln_kjc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Forecast scenarios let you test “what if” changes safely</strong> without affecting the
active forecast. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9940824842394" target="_blank">Viewing and managing forecast scenarios</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Only the active forecast is passed downstream</strong> to scheduling and reporting. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9940054229402" target="_blank">Viewing your active forecasts</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Be aware that Forecast inbound volume counts workstream entries.</strong> Forecast inbound
volume counts the number of times a ticket enters a workstream, not the number of unique
tickets. This can include repeated work on the same ticket as it moves through multiple
workstreams.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Test multiple algorithms.</strong> WFM can test multiple forecasting algorithms and choose
the best one automatically. It also updates that selection automatically if arrival
patterns change. Even so, you should experiment to achieve the best forecasting results,
by testing all forecast algorithms to determine which one works best for each workstream.
Each workstream’s data patterns are unique, so one option rarely fits all cases. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9224552305946" target="_blank">About WFM forecast algorithms</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Account for channel type.</strong> For asynchronous channels, volume received outside
availability hours is distributed across the next availability period. For synchronous
channels, volume outside availability hours is disregarded. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9858048119194#topic_qrb_mgf_bhc" target="_blank">Understanding required staffing</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Adjust for external events.</strong> Forecast algorithms can’t account for external
events, such as a planned marketing campaign, an expected service disruption, or a natural
event. Use inbound volume adjustments to apply the expected impact on volume. Then
regenerate schedules with the updated forecast to prepare for the event. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443407875354#topic_kgl_ymt_xbc" target="_blank">Adjusting the inbound volume</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use a cutoff date when historical data is outdated.</strong> A forecast is only as good as
the data it uses. If your historical data is no longer relevant to current operations, you
can set a cutoff date. By default, the algorithm uses up to two years of data, but you can
limit it to data collected after a specific date. This is useful if your business
undergoes restructuring or a significant change in volume patterns, and the historical
volume no longer reflects current operations.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Remove outliers before forecasting.</strong> Outliers are periods you can exclude when
something unusual affected volume, such as a system outage or an abnormal increase or
decrease in tickets that doesn’t reflect normal operations. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443407875354#topic_jjz_h4t_xbc" target="_blank">Excluding historical inbound volume outliers</a>. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use folders for combined workstreams.</strong> WFM doesn’t forecast volume for a combined
workstream. However, you can create a folder in the Forecast area and add the forecasted
values for the included workstreams to get a rough estimate of the combined workstream
forecast.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Select the active workstream to review it.</strong> To view an active workstream, select
it from the list. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9940054229402" target="_blank">Viewing your active forecasts</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use forecast vs actual to evaluate performance.</strong> Use the Forecast vs actual page
(EAP) to assess the historical performance of the active forecast scenario. You can also
export data from the Forecast vs Actual report and compare any scenario with it. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443331729306" target="_blank">Understanding and using the forecast vs actual page (EAP)</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_xss_q4x_hjc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Best practices for using forecast scenarios</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Use these best practices when working with forecast scenarios:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_xss_q4x_hjc__ul_vqm_ymn_kjc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Compare staffing outcomes with scenarios.</strong> Use forecast scenarios to compare
staffing outcomes and prepare for future changes.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Create multiple scenarios for changing conditions.</strong> Create multiple scenarios to
account for changes that might affect volume, and switch to the scenario that best matches
the new conditions if those changes occur.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Refine scenarios as your business changes.</strong> You can update historical data, adjust
staffing parameters, activate a scenario, or schedule a scenario to become active later.
See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443407875354" target="_blank">Setting up WFM forecasting</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Upload your own data when needed.</strong> In the Forecast area, you can upload your own
historical data to generate a forecast. You can also upload your own volume forecast or
FTE forecast to use for scheduling and reporting.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Set staffing parameters carefully.</strong> After you establish your volume forecast, take
time to define staffing parameters for each workstream so your FTE values align with your
expectations. For low-volume workstreams, the industry-standard Erlang C formula may
result in slightly higher staffing recommendations, so you may need to fine-tune the
results. This is mostly a one-time configuration, so don’t rush through setup.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Understand how staffing parameters affect results.</strong> The staffing parameters in a
forecast scenario’s workstream define which metrics are used to calculate FTE requirements
and how volume received outside availability hours is treated. For asynchronous channels,
such as email, that volume is distributed starting with the first interval of the next
availability period. For synchronous channels, that volume isn’t included. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443407875354#topic_ptn_jpt_xbc" target="_blank">Editing staffing parameters</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Pay attention to the required staffing unit.</strong> The unit always appears next to the
Required staffing section title. It can be either FTEs or Hourly FTEs. For shorter time
periods, such as Day and Week, the unit is FTEs, which shows how many FTEs, or people, you
need per interval, such as 15 minutes or 1 hour. For longer periods, such as Month and
Year, the unit changes to Hourly FTEs, which represents the number of hours required to
complete the work.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use only the selected channel.</strong> You don’t need to enter forecast staffing
parameters for every channel option in a single workstream. Only the selected channel is
treated as active for the workstream.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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