This provides a detailed overview of Schedule Bidding capabilities within CommunityWFM Enterprise. 

Schedule Bidding

CommunityWFM Enterprise offers users a fully automated end-to-end approach for schedule bidding. Create optimized schedules independent of agents, choose which agents will participate in the bid, allow agents to rank their choices, and then automatically reconcile agent rankings against the available inventory of schedules. CommunityWFM Enterprise then builds the completed schedules and seamlessly assigns them to agents with no manual administration required.

CommunityWFM’s unique agent bidding interface color codes schedules for agents, based upon the probability of each agent holding a particular schedule given their rank amongst their peers. This approach allows agents unparalleled visibility into what schedules they are likely to receive when the ranking is assigned. 

The balance of this document will provide an overview of each step in the bid process and its capabilities.

Administration

As a bid administrator, you are in complete control of the bidding process. When creating a new bid, the bid administrator may choose to add additional administrators for that unique bid instance.

Establishing a Bid

Administrators determine which parts of their organization will participate in the bid by selecting from the Enterprise Model. Basic parameters are then set for the effective date and the opening and closing dates of the bid selection process. Bid opening and closing may be scheduled for specific dates and times, enabling unattended open and close of bidding selection. Additionally, bid administrators may determine skill compatibility along with choosing whether to include breaks and lunches as a part of the bid.

Participants

After completing the initial setup, choose the bid participants. Users may select for inclusion individuals, a selection, or all agents from the previously established Enterprise Model.

Skill compatibility and classification determine the inventory that users will be presented within the agent bidding interface. There is no need to create a separate bid for each department or skill group independently. This significantly reduces the administrative effort as all agents within a site may be part of the same bid process.

Agent Ranking

Among the chief considerations for a schedule bid is the ranking order of participants. Who gets to pick first? CommunityWFM allows you to create unlimited ranking profiles that determine the order in which agent selections are matched to the schedule inventory.

Ranking profiles can utilize internal fields, such as seniority date, or user created fields such as a performance score. Multiple criteria may be selected as a tie breaker.

Schedule Inventory

Schedule inventory refers to the set of schedules that agents will be ranking. Schedule inventory can be imported from an optimized set of schedules created specifically for this bid, or existing schedules that are still considered effective may be reused and offered to the same agents based upon updated ranking criteria.

Breaks and lunches will be reflected on inventory items when included with the bid.

CommunityWFM provides administrators full control over schedule inventory, review inventory, and agent eligibility to selected inventory items.

Schedule inventory can be modified, replaced, and manually created as necessary.

The schedule bid inventory worksheet keeps track of how many participants and how much inventory you have configured to ensure that you have the proper number of schedules for agents to rank.

Once schedule inventory is established, your bid is ready to be offered to agents.

Agent Interface

Manual schedule bidding can be a tedious task for everyone involved. CommunityWFM makes bidding for agents easy, keeping them informed during each step of the process. Agents only need to rank schedules for which they meet both skill and classification requirements. Part-time agents only bid on part-time schedules. There is no need to run separate bids for full or part-time agents. Video-based help walks agents through the process of editing and submitting their bid selections. 

Color Coded Probabilities

CommunityWFM presents agents with only the schedules for which they are eligible in a simple color-coded easy to understand interface.

Four colors (green, yellow, orange and red) inform agents of the likelihood of being able hold a particular inventory item based on the selection of agents who may be ranked higher than they are.

Red and orange inventory items indicate higher ranked agents are focused on these schedules, where yellow and green indicate a good chance of getting those schedules. As higher ranked agents continue to adjust their bid selections, color coding is updated to reflect the most current conditions. 

Inventory items can be individually reviewed in detail, liked, disliked, ranked, and evaluated.

Preference Based Pre-ranking

Agents can pre-establish their schedule ranking by using personal schedule preferences. Schedule inventory will be automatically pre-ranked based upon preferences when entered.

Bid Completion

Auto Assignment of Selections

Once all ranking selections are committed by agents, the bid may be closed for selection. Administrators may optionally commit all uncommitted selections if some agents have not yet committed their rankings.

CommunityWFM then allows you to automatically pair agents with their selections based upon the previously established rank order. In seconds, CommunityWFM completes what can take hours manually.

Drag and Drop Assignment

CommunityWFM supports the option to bypass the automatic assignment process and simply drag and drop agents onto available schedules.

Auto Creation of Schedule Templates

Following the assignment process, whether automated or using the drag and drop interface, CommunityWFM will automatically build and assign schedule templates to agents based upon the bid’s effective date. Flexible naming conventions allow you to tailor the creation process. CommunityWFM will even neatly file them into a separate sub-folder named for your bid.

Static breaks and lunches will be created if they were included as a part of the bid. If not, the system will automatically associate the appropriate break and lunch templates to the resulting schedule template for each agent. Imagine creating hundreds of schedule templates in seconds with the touch of a button.

Post Bid Management

Your bid may be complete, but that doesn’t mean your contact center will never change. That’s why CommunityWFM’s approach to bidding is still working for you after your bid is complete.

Agent schedule templates may be modified, schedule effective dates may be changed, and CommunityWFM will even go back and remove all the schedule templates that it created when you are done with them.

Schedule Template Management

CommunityWFM’s unique approach to schedule bidding leverages the same features and configuration options that you would use without a schedule bid selection process. 

Schedule templates may be fully edited, fixed breaks and lunches, when included in the bid as fixed items, may be fully edited. Flexible break and lunch options may be modified as needed. 

There is no need to “redo” your bid just because a few agents need to permanently change their schedules.

Compelling Bidding Solution

CommunityWFM Enterprise provides a compelling solution for schedule bidding. Reduced administration along with its unique agent ranking interface put CommunityWFM in its own class. If your contact center bids for schedules, you owe it to your WFM analysts and agents to find out more!