Forecast scenarios (EAP)

Forecast scenarios, available in early access, let you create and manage multiple forecasts for different workstreams. Adjust forecasts for unique events like marketing campaigns or holidays to ensure accurate planning. You can test various algorithms and settings, activate scenarios, and manage historical data to optimize staffing and resource allocation. Admins and authorized team members can create, edit, and activate these scenarios.




Forecast scenarios are currently in an early access program (EAP). You
can sign up for the EAP here.

Forecasting in Zendesk Workforce Management (WFM) estimates future contact volumes
and staffing needs by analyzing historical data and applying advanced algorithms. This ensures
the appropriate number of agents are scheduled at the right times, allowing you to optimize
resources efficiency and consistently achieve service objectives.
Some events, such as marketing campaigns, product launches, seasonal holidays, and
service issues, often cause significant, non-typical increases or decreases in expected
volumes. Forecasts can be adjusted to account for these unique events, ensuring accurate
planning and resource allocation.
To manage these variations, forecast scenarios allow admins and team members in custom roles with permission to create
and save multiple forecast versions for each workstream. You can test different algorithms and
settings to determine the ideal scenario for your needs before activating a forecast for a workstream.
This article contains the following topics:

Accessing and viewing forecast
scenarios
Editing and managing forecast
scenarios
Creating new forecast
scenarios

Related articles:

Viewing your active forecasts (EAP)
Understanding WFM forecasting
Setting up WFM forecasting



Accessing and viewing forecast scenarios

You must be a WFM admin or have permission to access the Forecast scenarios
page.
To access and view forecast scenarios

In Workforce management, hover over the forecast icon ( ) in the navigation bar, then select Forecast
scenarios.
Under Workstreams, use the drop-down menu to select a workstream.
Click the scenario you want to view. When a selected forecast is available,
it's displayed under Inbound volume.
Based on the forecast,
Zendesk WFM also calculates the staff count needed to handle the expected workload under
Required staffing.



By default, a table for your current week displays. However, you can take any of
the following actions:

Under View, use the drop-down menu to select daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly views of
the incoming workload and required staffing for the workstream scenario.
Under Date range, use the date picker to select a specific date or date
range.
Under Layout, select either a table or chart view.
Click the download icon ( ) to export your selected scenario data
to a CSV file.

Edit and manage your forecast
scenario settings.
Forecast settings trigger the calculation process automatically when saved.
However, if you want to consider additional historical data, you can force an update by
clicking Recalculate ( ).

Note: Recalculation is available only when the workstream's historical volume uses Zendesk data and not
imported data.


Click the reset icon ( ) to restore your settings to the default values.





Editing and managing forecast scenarios

All your workstreams have one default forecast scenario that
cannot be deleted. You can create new forecast
scenarios, and edit and manage your existing ones.
You must be a WFM admin or have permission to manage forecast scenarios.
To manage forecast scenarios

In Workforce management, hover over the forecast icon ( ) in the navigation bar, then select Forecast
scenarios.
Under Workstreams, use the drop-down menu to select a workstream.
Next to the scenario you want to edit, click the options menu ( ). Alternatively, click the scenario you
want to edit to open it, and use the button or options menu at the top.

You can take any of the following
actions:


Activate a forecast scenario by selecting Activate from the
options menu next to the scenario or by accessing the forecast scenario and clicking
Activate at the top. An active forecast scenario means that scheduling and reporting consider that forecast. A workstream’s default
scenario is set to active by default and is visible in the Active forecast page. However, when you create new
forecast scenarios, you can set a different scenario as active.


Rename a forecast scenario by selecting Rename from the
options menu. You can't change the name of the workstream's default forecast scenario.
Enter a new scenario name and click Save.

Duplicate a forecast scenario by selecting Duplicate from
the options menu. Enter a new scenario name and click Duplicate scenario.

Delete a forecast scenario by selecting Delete from the
options menu. You can't delete the workstream's default forecast scenario or the
currently active scenario. Click Delete scenario to confirm. Deleting a
scenario is permanent and it can’t be restored.



Use the forecast scenario navigation bar on the right side to:

Set the historical volume for your workstream.
Decide which historical data you want to include or exclude in your forecast
calculation

Choose a forecasting algorithm. The best
forecasting algorithm for each workstream is automatically selected by analyzing your
historical data and testing all algorithms. This is to determine which will perform
best for the specific workstream. However, you can overwrite the automatic algorithm
selection and choose any algorithm Zendesk WFM offers. See About WFM forecast algorithms to learn more.

Make volume adjustments to account for any
unique events that you expect will drive up the number of contacts you'll receive. For
example, marketing campaigns or scheduled maintenance windows.

Exclude historical inbound volume outliers to
help make your forecast more precise.
Configure staffing parameters to calculate how many
agents you should expect to schedule to meet your staffing targets and
projections.







Creating new forecast scenarios

You must be a WFM admin or have permission to manage forecast scenarios.
To create a new forecast scenario

In Workforce management, hover over the forecast icon ( ) in the navigation bar, then select Forecast
scenarios.
Click the plus icon ( ) next to Forecast scenarios to create a new forecast
scenario.
Enter a name for your new scenario and click Create scenario.
Follow the steps to edit and manage
your new forecast scenario.