Create a long-term forecast

Select one or more periods of historical data to base the long-term forecast on. The periods that are selected on the Data summary tab are used as the suggested selected periods for the seasonality patterns.

1. Select the Data summary tab.
2. In the Select historical data area, click the symbols at the top to select which way to add historical data periods.
   • Define a number of days, weeks, months or years back from the current date.
   • Define a period, with a start date and an end date.
   • Define individual dates.

3. Define a period and select Add.

   You can add more than one period to base the forecast on. Ensure to select the data that is most relevant for the period that you are about to forecast for. Review the data. If you see any extreme values, go back to the Validation tab and adjust. Then reapply the period.

4. Click Apply to show the data for the selected periods in the chart.

   If you want to remove one of the selected periods, select it and click Delete. If you want to remove all selected periods and start over, click Clear. Then click Apply again to see the result.

5. Click Next to refine the variations within the year.

Review the variations within the year and adjust if needed. The data shown in the chart is based on the previously selected historical data. Adjust the selected historical data periods if needed.

1. Select the Month of year tab.
2. Review the variations in number of contacts, handling time and wrap-up time for each month. Note that it is the pattern that is important and not the volume.
3. Adjust the values manually if needed.
4. Click Next to refine the variations within the month.

Review the variations between the weeks of the month and adjust if needed. The data shown in the chart is based on the previously selected historical data. Adjust the selected historical data periods if needed.

NOTE   A week is here a 7-day period starting on the first day of the month. For example, week 1 is always from the 1st to the 7th of the month and week 2 is from the 8th to the 14th.

1. Select the Week of month tab.
2. Review the variations in number of contacts, handling time and wrap-up time for each week. Note that it is the pattern that is important and not the volume.
3. Adjust the values manually if needed.
4. Click Next to refine the variations within the week.

Review the variations between the days of the week and adjust if needed. The data shown in the chart is based on the previously selected historical data. Adjust the selected historical data periods if needed.

1. Select the Day of week tab.
2. Review the variations in number of contacts, handling time and wrap-up time for each day of the week. Note that it is the pattern that is important and not the volume.
3. Adjust the values manually if needed.
4. Click Next to consider to apply a trend factor.

If your workload is increasing or decreasing with time, it’s possible to consider the trend when creating the forecast.

The yearly trend factor shows the average increase or decrease in volume over time when the seasonal variations are disregarded. The chart displays the defined trend for the selected data period.

NOTE   At least two years of data is required for the trend calculation to be meaningful.

1. Select the Trend tab.
2. Analyze the trend and adjust the percentage to fit your demands.

3. Select the Use trend check box to apply the defined yearly trend percentage to the forecast.

   It is optional to use the trend factor. If you don't want to use it, just make sure the Use trend check box is cleared.

4. Click Next to apply the long-term forecast to a selected period.

Review the long-term forecast. Select a period and a scenario and apply the long-term forecast.

NOTE   Manage special events more efficiently in the web Forecasts tool, by connecting the same special events to several skills. See Manage special events for several skills for more information.

1. Select the Total tab.

2. Select which Scenario to save this forecast to.

   When you schedule for a selected scenario, the forecast for that scenario is used. You can copy a forecast to another scenario later if needed.

3. Select the time period to apply the long-term forecast to.

4. Click Apply.

   The chart displays the long-term forecast that is created based on the validated historical data, the index values for months, weeks and days of the week and the trend.

5. Review the long-term forecast and make changes if needed. Adjust individual values manually.
6. If there are future days that you want to forecast based on historical data from a recurring event, you can add those days to special events. The forecast for the future dates will be based on an average of the volume for all the historical dates that belong to the same special event.

   • Right-click the special event you want to add a date to in the Special events field and select Edit.

     NOTE   If the Edit option is not available to select, this special event was created in web Forecasts tool and cannot be changed in the client Forecasts module.

   • Select the dates you want to add in the calendar view and move them to the field of selected dates by using the arrow buttons. Select the Ctrl key to select several dates.
   • Click OK. The selected dates are highlighted in green in the table view.
7. When you are satisfied with the long-term forecast, click Finish to save it to the selected scenario and period.