Classic WFM and New WFM Terminology Guide

activity • activity

Any task that agents perform during their shifts. Examples: taking calls, answering emails, administration, breaks, meetings, training. If it appears on an agent’s schedule and isn’t an absence, it’s an activity.

Add, move, or delete activities on agent schedules on the Schedules page.

activity note • note

In Classic WFM, an activity note is text that you can attach to an exception or project in an agent’s schedule. The note provides more information about the activity.

In New WFM, notes can be attached to a whole day’s schedule but not to a specific activity.

Add notes on the Schedules page.

adherence drawer • Adherence page

Real-time data on agent states and how long they have been in that state.

In New WFM, you can configure alarms for specific agent states and durations. Configure these settings in the Options module.

adherence state mapping • rule mapping

A combination of agent state and reason code (or, in New WFM, state group and activity) that determines whether an agent is in adherence and calculates the agent’s adherence percentage.

Define rule mappings in Options.

agent schedules • Schedules page

A page where supervisors, schedulers, and administrators can view and edit agent schedules.

audit trail • audit trail

A record of changes made by users.

New WFM has both a general audit trail and a scheduling audit trail.

Run both audit trail reports on the Reports page.

copy schedule activities • copy schedule

Copying one agent’s schedule and applying it to another agent.

Copy schedules in the Schedules module.

coverage drawer • Staffing page

A chart showing the level of over- or understaffing for a specific date and group of agents.

distribution • workload day templates

An estimation of how your contacts and average handle time are likely to be spread out over each day of the week.

In Classic WFM, a distribution is divided into half-hour intervals.

In New WFM, the interval is defined by the customer.

View and create workload day templates in the Forecasts module.

dynamic availability • hourly availability

In Classic WFM, dynamic availability lets agents set their own work availability for specific weeks.

In New WFM, hourly availability lets agents register when they are able to work. If an agent doesn’t register any availability, they are considered not available for scheduling.

Add hourly availability in the Schedules module.

dynamic scheduling • contract schedule

In Classic WFM, dynamic scheduling lets agents create their own schedule for specific weeks.

In New WFM, contract schedules specify when a particular contract can be applied to a schedule (usually per day of week). They do not let agents create their own schedules but allow agents to have different contracts on different days of the week.

Create contract schedules in Options.

exception • activity

An activity that takes agents away from being in service.

In New WFM, exceptions are a type of activity.

Add, move, or delete activities on agent schedules on the Schedules page.

firm date association • special workload day template

In Classic WFM, a firm date association is a link between two dates that fall on different days of the week from year to year (for example, New Years Day, which can occur on any day of the week).

In New WFM, special workload day templates can cover specific dates, intervals within a day, or a combination of dates and intervals.

Create and apply special workload day templates in the Forecasts module.

forecast • forecast

A prediction of the number of contacts for every interval of the day that a contact center will receive over a specific period of time.

In Classic WFM, the interval is 30 minutes.

In New WFM, the interval is defined by the customer.

View and create forecasts in the Forecasts module.

forecast accuracy compilation request • “forecast vs actual workload” report

In Classic WFM, a forecast accuracy compilation request compares the forecasted contact volume to the actual contact volume for one or more service queues. You run this request on a separate page under the Application Management tab, and the information appears on the Service Queues page.

In New WFM, a report provides this information. This report also compares forecasted vs actual average talk time and average after-call work.

Run this report on the Reports page.

full time equivalent profiles • employment type

In Classic WFM, a full time equivalent (FTE) is equal to the number of total scheduled person hours divided by the number of hours per week that constitute a full-time person. Calabrio ONE uses the profiles when creating strategic plans and analyzing vacation requests.

In New WFM, the employment type defines how agents are scheduled per schedule period.

Apply employment types to contracts in Options.

group • site / business unit

A collection of one or more teams.

In New WFM, a site contains one or more teams and usually corresponds to a physical location. A business unit contains one or more sites.

Create sites in Options. Business units are defined during installation. If you need to add more business units, contact Support.

max staffing group • max seats

In Classic WFM, maximum staffing groups place a cap on how many agents can be scheduled to work at the same time.

In New WFM, the number of max seats is how many seats (work spaces) are available for agents at a specific site.

Define max seats in Options.

Messaging • Requests

In Classic WFM, agents submit requests for time off or other schedule changes on the Messaging page. Team leaders also use the Messaging page to review any requests that are not automatically handled by workflows.

In New WFM, agents submit these requests, and team leaders review these requests, on the Requests page.

Define agents’ access to features within the Requests page on the Permissions page.

min/max hour condition • work rule

In Classic WFM, min/max hour conditions limit the amount of time that agents work.

In New WFM, work rules are a combination of work shift, min/max hours, and work conditions.

Create work rules in the People module.

multiskill groups • subskills

In Classic WFM, multiskill groups are used to schedule agents to support multiple service queues during the same period of time. A multiskill group is made up of multiple service queues.

New WFM does not have an exact equivalent to multiskill groups. To achieve a similar setup, you can use subskills as a part of multisite skills to distribute the total workload of a skill over several sites. The distribution is made with multisite templates, and agents are connected to the subskills they belong to.

Create multisite skills in the Forecasts module.

my availability • hourly availability

In Classic WFM, my availability is the agent view of dynamic availability, which lets agents set their own work availability for specific weeks.

In New WFM, hourly availability lets agents register when they are able to work. If an agent doesn’t register any availability, they are considered not available for scheduling.

Add hourly availability in the Schedules module.

my schedule • MyTime

A page where agents can view their schedule by day, week, or month.

named forecast / named distribution ° scenario (non-production)

A way to estimate how variations in factors (for example, changes in contact volume or service level) will affect the need for resources.

Create scenarios in Options. Create forecasts using scenarios in the Forecasts module.

number of weeks visible • “publish schedule to” date

The date range for which agents can see their schedules.

Set the “publish schedules to” date in Options.

optimize breaks and lunches • optimize function

A way to maximize coverage without running a new schedule.

In Classic WFM, optimizing adjusts agents’ breaks and lunches. You can optimize for dates through the end of the current week.

In New WFM, you can optimize for any current or future date with a schedule. Optimizing can move breaks and lunches but can also adjust days off, shift categories, and shift lengths.

Optimize schedules in the Schedules module.

permission • permission

The ability to access a specific function or data.

Assign permissions to roles on the Permissions page.

project • activity

An activity that takes agents away from the contact queue. Projects optimize agent idle times when contact volume is low.

In New WFM, projects are a type of activity.

Add, move, or delete activities on agent schedules on the Schedules page.

reason code • state

A code from your ACD that indicates what agents are doing. Examples: logged on, in a call, ready, etc.

View and manage states in Options.

reason code description set • state group

A description for a group of raw ACD states that is easier to understand than the raw states. When you view or report on agent states, you are actually using the name of the group, not the raw state.

Create state groups in Options.

retention • data retention

Data retention policies define how long certain types of WFM data are retained.

In New WFM, data retention policies focus on retaining data after an agent’s employment has ended. They are configured during installation. If you need to update your retention policy, contact Support.

role • role

A set of permissions that control what a user can do and what data they can access.

Create and manage roles on the Permissions page.

schedule • schedule

For each agent, a schedule includes the start and end times for work shifts, breaks, lunches, overtime, and projects.

View agent schedules on the Schedules page.

schedule editing rules • roles and permissions

In Classic WFM, schedule editing rules let you limit team leaders’ ability to edit schedules.

New WFM does not have an exact equivalent to schedule editing rules. To limit schedule-editing abilities, create a separate role with unique permissions.

Create roles and assign permissions on the Permissions page.

schedule history and restore • schedule history view

The ability to view previous versions of an agent’s schedule and revert to an older version.

View and restore schedule history in the Schedules module.

service queue closed date • special workload day template

In Classic WFM, service queue closed dates mark when a service queue is closed and therefore not able to handle customer contacts. Typical closed dates are national holidays. Closed dates should not be used for days when the service queue is routinely closed, such as weekends.

In New WFM, special workload day templates can be used for closed dates but also for dates when contact volume differs significantly from normal.

Mark dates as special events in the Forecasts module.

service queue type • task

In Classic WFM, the type of contact a service queue handles. Examples: calls, chats, email, social media.

In New WFM, a task is type of work that can be forecasted and scheduled. Tasks can also include back-office work like handling invoices, preparing packages, etc.

View the available tasks and create forecasts in the Forecasts module.

shrinkage • shrinkage

How much time is lost in the contact center due to unscheduled activities. Shrinkage includes a wide range of events that result in agents not being available to help customers during their normal schedule (for example, calling in sick).

Establish an expected amount of shrinkage in the Forecasts module.

skill mapping • skill + workload

In Classic WFM, skill mappings link agents to service queues. For an agent to be scheduled to support a service queue, both the agent and the service queue must be assigned to the same skill mapping. The agents assigned to a skill mapping generally have the same skills.

In New WFM, skills connect agents with workloads. A workload is a set of data that indicates the volume of calls, emails, or other work that is performed by agents and scheduled in New WFM. Agents must be assigned skills in New WFM in order to be scheduled. A New WFM workload is closest to a Classic WFM service queue, but workloads can contain multiple service queues.

Create and edit skills in the Forecasts module. Assign skills to agents in the People module.

special event • special event

An event that causes contact volume to deviate from normal (for example, a power outage). When you assign a special event to a service queue in Classic WFM, WFM makes adjustments for the effect of the special event by removing it from distributions and normalizing it in forecasts.

In New WFM, special events cover one-time incidents like power outages but also cover recurring differences like holidays when the contact center is open.

Mark special events in the Forecasts module.

strategic planning • staffing budget

In Classic WFM, strategic planning lets you estimate future needs for staff and equipment.

In New WFM, staffing budgets let you estimate future staffing needs. Staffing budgets do not consider equipment.

Create staffing budgets in the Budgets module.

team • team

A collection of agents.

In New WFM, teams are a segment of the business hierarchy.

Create teams in Options.

time off allotment • allowance

In Classic WFM, time off allotments set the maximum amount of time off available to a service queue in a year. Agents and supervisors see the remaining balance when creating and approving time-off requests.

In New WFM, allowances can be applied to any time period. They allow for requests to be automatically approved.

Create allowances in the Budgets module.

vacation plan • personal account

In Classic WFM, vacation plans are the time-off plans assigned to agents. You can create multiple vacation plans to manage time off for various types of agents (for example, part-time agents and full-time agents).

In New WFM, personal accounts set the allowed number of absences (in days or hours) for individual agents. You can set the allowance for a specific period, and WFM counts the number of scheduled absences within this period, ensuring that planned absences stay within the allowance.

Manage personal accounts in the People module.

view • global level of authorization

In Classic WFM, a view controls the scope of a user’s access to teams, service queues, skill mappings, etc. A user must be assigned to a WFM view to use WFM.

New WFM does not have an exact equivalent to views. You can control how much information is accessible to individual users by setting the global level of authorization for their role. Example: limit agents’ access to only information about themselves or their team.

Set the global level of authorization on the Permissions page.

(WFM) workflows • workflow control set

In Classic WFM, WFM workflows automatically handle agent requests. You can configure workflows to approve or deny requests or to force manual handling for schedule changes. Workflows are triggered by different types of agent requests.

In New WFM, workflow control sets are the set of rules that apply to absences, overtime, and shift trades.

Create workflow control sets in Options. Assign workflow control sets to agents in the People module.

work condition • work rule

In Classic WFM, a work condition specifies routine activities that occur during every work shift (such as breaks and lunches).

In New WFM, work rules are a combination of work shift, min/max hours, and work conditions.

Create work rules in the People module.

work condition profile • work rule

In Classic WFM, a work condition profile is a set of agents and work conditions. Work condition profiles let you associate specific work conditions with agents instead of associating conditions only with work shifts.

In New WFM, work rules are a combination of work shift, min/max hours, and work conditions.

work shift • work rule

In Classic WFM, a work shift identifies the hours and days when agents can work.

In New WFM, work rules are a combination of work shifts, min/max hours, and work conditions.

Create work rules in the People module.