Use Partner Manager to manage vendors by skills

Partner Manager is a powerful vendor management tool in Calabrio WFM. It helps organizations efficiently allocate forecasted contact volumes across multiple distribution points for several Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) partners. A distribution point is a team that is based on a specific location, skill, time zone, or similar.

There are the following tabs in the Partner Manager tool:

  • Configuration - Create a distribution point, edit a distribution point, add a vendor, edit a vendor, and configure multiple hours of operation for multiple intervals in a distribution point.

  • Distribution planning - Map skills to one or several distribution points using agent hours. You can only map a distribution point to a single skill.

  • Distribution - Finalize the distribution for a certain period. The result is presented per distribution point according to agent hours.

  • Analytics - Check staffing requirements across multiple vendors and skills. You can detect over-allocation and under-allocation between forecasted, scheduled, and actual hours, facilitating proactive planning and optimal resource allocation.

  • Metrics - Check alignment with forecasts and ensure accountability. You can use the graph to determine whether agent scheduling aligns with forecasted requirements for the selected date range and skill(s). With hybrid visualization, customers can choose to allocate resources by skills across distribution points. This enhancement provides a complete view of total forecasted agents - both in-house and outsourced - directly within the metrics dashboard. The result is greater transparency, more accurate vendor splits that flex with changing forecasts, and more informed decision-making across teams.

  • Log - View the date, time, distribution period, and more. You can also download a CSV file within 30 days of distribution.

Prerequisites

  • This feature is available for Cloud customers only.
  • You have a base WFM license and Partner Manager add-on license.

  • You have set up skills and forecasts in WFM.

Page location

WFM > Partner Manager

Procedures

Add a new vendor

Search for vendors, manage vendor details, and create new vendors by entering a name and code.

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  2. Click the Vendor configuration tab.

  3. Click Add new vendor.

  4. Enter a Vendor name and Vendor code.

  5. Click Create.

Search for an existing vendor

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  2. Click the Vendor configuration tab.

  3. Enter a name in the search field.

  4. Click Search.

Edit a vendor

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  2. Click the Vendor configuration tab.

  3. On a vendor row, click the three dots.

  4. Click Edit.
  5. Edit the Vendor name and Vendor code.
  6. Click Save.

Activate or deactivate a vendor

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  2. Click the Vendor configuration tab.

  3. On a vendor row, click the three dots.

  4. Click Activate or Deactivate.

Delete a vendor

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  2. Click the Vendor configuration tab.

  3. On a vendor row, click the three dots.

  4. Click Delete.

Add a new distribution point

Add details about the BPO partner and distribution points.

  1. Click the Configuration tab.

  1. Click the Distribution point configuration tab.

  1. Click Add new distribution point.

    NOTE   To edit an existing distribution point, in the Configuration tab, enter a name in the search fields and click Search, or choose a distribution point directly from the table and click Edit to proceed to a page where you edit the distribution point. To delete an existing distribution point, in the Configuration tab, click Delete and then click Yes, Delete.

  2. Enter a Name. Ensure that it is a meaningful name to identify its purpose and location.

  3. Select a Vendor.

  4. Select a Time zone.

  5. Select an Effective date.

  6. Select a time range for each day that reflects the opening hours.To add more time ranges, click the plus icon and select another time range. To remove a time range, click the trash can icon.

    NOTE   A maximum of three time slots can be added per day within each effective date period.

  7. To add another date range, click Add new date interval. To delete an interval, click Delete interval.

  8. Click Create.

Configure the distribution planning

Select a skill that you want to optimize and streamline.

  1. Click the Distribution planning tab.

  2. Select the skill that you want to configure. A list of the distribution points for the selected skill appears.

  3. Select a distribution point that you want to include in your distribution. If you do not see the distribution point, enter a name in the Search DP or vendor field, click Search, and then select a distribution point.

  4. Click Save.

Finalize the distribution

  1. Click the Distribution tab.

  2. Select a date range.

  3. Select a skill.

  4. Enter the allocation percentages in the Allocation % fields. Productive hours are calculated using the allocation percentage. Allocation percentages must add up to 100% for the distribution to run.

  5. When you are confident about the configuration and planning, click Process distribution.

    NOTE   The exported file only includes the hours in which the distribution points are open. For example, if the forecast is open 24/7, but the distribution point is open from 8 AM to 5 PM, only 8 AM to 5 PM appears in the files. The files are based on the skill's time zone, rather than the time zone of the distribution points.

View the metrics

In the Metrics tab, check the alignment with forecasts and ensure accountability. You can use the graph to determine whether agent scheduling aligns with forecasted requirements for the selected date range and skills.

  1. Select a date.

    NOTE   By default, the current date is selected and the PST/PDT time zone is applied. Only distribution points with data for the selected date will be visible in the distribution point drop-down list.

  2. Click the Day, Week, or Month tab.

  3. Select a Vendor.

  4. Select a Skill.

  5. Select a Distribution point.

    NOTE   The distribution point, skill, and vendor drop-down lists are interdependent and populated based on the selected distribution point.

  6. Select a Time zone.

  7. (Optional) Select Show in-house hours.

  8. View the metrics in the graph.

View vendor analytics

Check staffing requirements across multiple vendors and skills. You can view the following three tabs:

  • Trends

  • Summary

  • Import

Step 1: In the Trends tab, view performance data by vendor and skills across different time periods.

  1. Click the Analytics tab and then click the Trends tab.

  2. Select a date. The current date is selected by default.

  3. Select the Day, Week, or Month tab. The Day tab is selected by default.

  4. Select a time zone. The UTC time zone is selected by default.

  5. In the Performance by vendor section, select a skill and then select one of the following metrics:

    • Outsourced scheduled agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents

    • Outsourced actual agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents - scheduled agents

    • Outsourced scheduled agents - actual agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents - actual agents

    The Outsourced scheduled agents option is selected by default.

  6. In the Performance by skill section, select a vendor and then select one of the following metrics:

    • Outsourced scheduled agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents

    • Outsourced actual agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents - scheduled agents

    • Outsourced scheduled agents - actual agents

    • Outsourced forecasted agents - actual agents

    The Outsourced scheduled agents option is selected by default.

  7. View the graph.

    NOTE   If you are in the Day tab, in the Performance by skill section, if the skills have the same interval, all data is shown in one graph. If a skill has different intervals, there is a different graph for each interval of the skill. For example, if there are three skills with a 15-minute interval they will appear in one graph and if there are two skills with a 30-minute interval they will appear in another graph. If you are in the Week tab, in the Performance by vendor section, if there are multiple vendors, all data is shown in one graph.

Step 2: In the Import tab, upload CSV files containing scheduled or actual agent data.

NOTE   Use the CSV template instructions to ensure all fields follow the correct format.

  1. Click the Analytics tab and then click the Import tab.

  2. Download the CSV file template and add the relevant data.

    IMPORTANT   The time zone must be in IANA format.

  3. Upload the CSV file to the Import schedule agent data section or Import actual agent data section. The maximum file size is 20 MB.

Step 3: In the Summary tab, view a summary of the metrics.

  1. Click the Analytics tab and then click the Summary tab.

  2. View the following metrics:

    • Total forecasted agents

    • Outsource scheduled agents

    • In-house scheduled agents

    • Outsource forecasted agents

    • Actual agents

    • Overall analysis

View logs

View the date, time, date type, distribution period, and more. You can also download a CSV file within 30 days of distribution.

  1. Click the Logs tab.

  2. (Optional) Select a date and skill and then click Search.

  3. View changes, uploads, overrides, and allocations for auditing and vendor discussions.

  4. (Optional) Click Download CSV.