About workforce management automations

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Zendesk Workforce management (WFM) automations are designed to streamline repetitive tasks. Automations allow you to manage certain agent activities automatically, such as ending agents' days when they forget to clock out.</p>
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<strong>Add-on</strong>
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<td>Workforce Management (WFM) or Workforce Engagement Management (WEM)</td>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">Workforce management automations help you manage agent activities by automating tasks like clocking out agents who forget, correcting timesheets, and sending notifications for schedule mismatches. You set conditions based on agent status, task, and time duration, triggering actions such as clocking out, ending the day, or sending messages. These automations reduce manual work and improve adherence to schedules and labor policies.</p>
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<p class="p">Zendesk Workforce management (WFM) automations are designed to streamline repetitive
tasks. Automations allow you to manage certain agent activities automatically, such as
ending agents' days when they forget to clock out. </p>
<p class="p">Similar to Zendesk automations, WFM automations perform an action when the conditions you
define are met. Automations can reduce your manual workload and increase efficiency and accuracy.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following sections:</p>
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#about-wfm-automations-and-how-they-work">About WFM
automations</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#structure-of-wfm-automations">Structure of a WFM
automation</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#how-wfm-automations-work">How WFM automations
work</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/6443374423066" target="_blank">Creating workforce management automations to
manage agent activity</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="about-wfm-automations-and-how-they-work">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">About WFM automations</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Similar to Zendesk automations, WFM automations perform actions when the conditions
you define are met. WFM automations are focused on managing agent activity. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Some examples of automation uses include:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="about-wfm-automations-and-how-they-work__ul_odr_k3z_tfc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Correcting recorded time if agents forget to clock out for the
day.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Moving agents from a task or workstream to a general task or untracked
time.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Ending the workday for agents who forget to clock out.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Sending a notification message when an agent is working on a task that
doesn’t match their schedule.</li>
</ul>
<div class="p">
<div class="note attention">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> When <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10114746509978" target="_blank">unified agents status synchronization</a>
is turned on, the only actions that automations can perform are to clock out
users, delete timesheets, end the day, and send a message.</div>
</div>
<p class="p">By setting up automations, managers are freed up from performing the repetitive tasks
related to correcting agent timesheets.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested2" id="structure-of-wfm-automations">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title3">Structure of a WFM automation</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">WFM automations have a set structure. You can think of the structure as an <em class="ph i">if
statement.</em> For example:</p>
<p class="p"><code class="ph codeph">If an agent is [Clocked in] to [task] for over [20m] then [clock out
agent]</code></p>
<p class="p">The structure of a WFM automation consists of:</p>
<ul class="ul">
<li class="li">A <em class="ph i">Run event</em>, that determines when the automation activates. The
default event is <em class="ph i">Clocked into</em>, but it can be changed to <em class="ph i">Early
to</em>, <em class="ph i">Late to</em>, or <em class="ph i">Out of adherence</em>.<p class="p" dir="ltr">The
Clocked into event means that the automation will run after a specified
duration since an agent clocks into a task, status, or workstream. These
automations can be used, for example, to notify managers when agents
have been working on a task for too long, such as handling calls for
over two hours, and switch agents to a different task, such as following
up on pending tickets or participating in training activities. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The Early to and Late to events consider the agent’s adherence to
their scheduled start and end times. The Early to event runs on a
specified duration before an agent’s scheduled start or end time. The
Late to event runs after a specified duration beyond an agent’s
scheduled start or end time. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">These automations can be
used, for example, to remind agents that they have clocked in earlier
than expected, or to prompt them to clock out if they are working beyond
their scheduled shift, such as when handling extended customer calls.
They can also be used by managers to promote adherence to labor policies
by preventing unauthorized overtime and undertime, while improving agent
compliance through automated corrective actions.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">One or more <em class="ph i">tasks</em> (this can be any of your workstreams, unified agent
statuses, or general tasks), or a condition (End day or Start day) that the
event is related to. <p class="p"><img class="image" id="structure-of-wfm-automations__image_m1q_y42_5fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/wfm_automation_create.png" width="400"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">A set <em class="ph i">duration</em>. This measures the minimum time (in minutes) an agent
must be clocked into a task, unified agent status, or workstream for the
automation to run. The <em class="ph i">Early to </em>event runs on the specified duration
(in minutes) before an agent’s scheduled start or end time. The <em class="ph i">Late
to</em> event runs after a specified duration beyond an agent’s scheduled
start or end time. <p class="p">Duration also measures the minimum time (in minutes)
that an agent is <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443376913818-WFM-custom-report-metrics#topic_xwv_3n4_52c__out_of_adherence" target="_blank">out of adherence</a> before the
system sends a push notification message to their <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408821259930" target="_blank">Agent Workspace in Zendesk
Support</a>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">The <em class="ph i">actions</em> that the automation will perform. Choose from the
following predefined actions:<ul class="ul" id="structure-of-wfm-automations__ul_qcy_tjm_5fc">
<li class="li">
<em class="ph i">Clock out user, Delete timesheet, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443354661402-Starting-and-ending-your-day-in-the-Zendesk-WFM-time-tracker#ending_your_day" target="_blank">End day </a></em>: This
involves removing the agent's activity from both the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443347506970" target="_blank">agent activity page</a> and
related reports.</li>
<li class="li">
<em class="ph i">Clock out user, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6443354661402-Starting-and-ending-your-day-in-the-Zendesk-WFM-time-tracker#ending_your_day" target="_blank">End day </a></em>.</li>
<li class="li">
<em class="ph i">Send a message</em>. The users you select will receive a push
notification in their <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408821259930" target="_blank">Agent Workspace</a> in Zendesk
Support. </li>
<li class="li">
<em class="ph i">Shift user to general task</em>
</li>
<li class="li">
<em class="ph i">Shift user to untracked time</em><div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> <em class="ph i">Shift user to general
task</em> and <em class="ph i">Shift user to untracked time</em> are not
available when <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10114746509978" target="_blank">unified agents status
synchronization</a> is turned on in your
account.</div>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">The <em class="ph i">team members</em> the automation applies to. Automations can target
all team members in an account or only a selected group.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="how-wfm-automations-work">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">How WFM automations work</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Similar to Zendesk automations, WFM automations execute actions when
defined conditions are met. The conditions for a WFM automation consist of the
specified event that runs the automation, a task, and a duration of time.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">When these conditions are met, the corresponding action is performed
for the designated agents.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="note note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Automations don't run retroactively. Actions are performed for
agent activities that occur after the automation is created. Additionally,
the Clocked into event automations run for new tickets only after they're
saved for the first time.</div>
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