WFM Operational Tips & Tricks

In the recent past, if you really wanted to, you could run a business without Workforce Management tools. It wouldn’t be easy; you’d be extremely frustrated, probably work 80-hour weeks, and have a lot of operational inefficiencies — and you might only save some money. In 2021, that no longer applies. Any organization that is considering enterprise level software now must employ a WFM strategy and platform. In a post–COVID business world, the cost of not doing business efficiently is enormous while the benefits are just as substantial. 

We already know that WFM tools can facilitate a standard of automation, ease, efficiency, and functionality; but for the experts, there are a few operational tips and tricks that have proven invaluable. If you’re new to Aspect® Workforce Management™ or just in the market for a WFM solution, don’t worry! These advanced tips also provide a framework for what’s possible in your platform.  

Let’s start with something obvious, but often overlooked — upgrading. For most of our users, they’ve been through numerous versions and dot releases. It’s important to stay as current as you can with the most recent Aspect releases and updates. If you need assistance, online resources and live help are always available in order to optimize your WFM platform and functionality.  

Another simple but effective strategy is to standardize naming conventions throughout your work groups and reports. Standard naming conventions make it easier for reporting, facilitating work segment searches, and can be used across all Aspect configurations (Forecast Groups, Agent Groups, etc.) 

Some questions to think about when looking to maximize efficiency in naming:  

• How does your organization treat and name existing reports and groups?  
• How can you retain integrity and consistency across platform conventions and naming processes? 

Making sure that naming conventions are communicated clearly and understood from the bottom–up as well as the top–down will ensure you can maximize efficiency.  

Some additional food for thought: 

• What makes these naming conventions successful, sticky, and easy to remember? Are they Manager-Focused or Team–Focused?  
• Does your organization utilize passwords or require clearance for security purposes? Are your naming conventions Project-Based?  

In addition to naming and reporting integrity, in order to minimize errors across groups, it’s vital to preserve the integrity of the data, configurations, system, and checker rules. Most Aspect clients provide internal support for admins via regular or Group Weekly Topics and conversations. It’s important to maintain focus and purpose of these groups, but it is also vital to keep the lines of communication open. We recommend keeping an email group as well as instant messaging/Teams/Slack group for immediate collaboration as well as long-term problem-solving resources.  

Often, a resource database or wiki starts with a group of trusted and seasoned users who remain committed and engaged. Make sure that rules are reviewed often and that there is a dedicated person or process to commit and validate changes. Rules should also employ a chain of command to ensure maximum visibility and redundancy.