​I think I may be missing some sort of config setting.  My associates get 30 minutes of non-ACD work each day to do follow-up tasks, calling back customers etc.

I built this time into the shift definitions and I set it to occur anytime between 0 hours into the shift and 8 hours into the shift (8 hour shift with 30 minute lunch should be 8.5 total hours, so 8 hours into the shift would be the last 30 minutes of the shift). But I have run shifts a few times and found something VERY disturbing. I only have a handful of associates that work until close (6:00 PM), and Optimizer scheduled ALL of them for non-ACD from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM, so it scheduled ZERO coverage for 30 minutes. I understand that mathematically, that is the interval with the lowest volume and coming in at 0% SL for that half hour would have minimal impact on the day, I can't completely burn an interval like that. Customers and leadership would be livid.

I have worked with other WFM platforms, and I seem to remember a setting so that I could adjust minimum and maximum coverage when generating schedules. The one I'm thinking of was in percents, so I require the software to schedule at least 10% or 20%  of the required staff.  I don't see this setting in Optimizer. I understand a workaround is to simply reduce the available hours that it can be scheduled, but that would prevent Optimizer from ever scheduling this activity from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM.  I'm ok with SOME being scheduled during that time ,but not my entire staff!
#WEM/Optimizer

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Kenn Lambing
OHIO HEALTH
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Hi Kenn,

First, you have not missed a configuration setting in Optimizer that allows you to set a minimum coverage setting.  Second, without diving deeper into your forecast, schedule and resulting coverage it is somewhat difficult to diagnose what Optimizer has done.  In scenario you highlight it is certainly a possibility that Optimizer is making the decision to stack the activity to preserve the overall performance.  Due to the fact there could be many drivers, there are several things to evaluate and potentially a number of methods to remedy. Perhaps the simplest is to adjust the activity in the shift definition to eliminate the ability for Optimizer to place the activity at the end of the shift.  The logic here is it often the end of the shift when resources are waning, handle times are creeping up as is agent shrinkage, due to end of shift wrap up and agent fatigue.  Driving the off-phone activity to periods of the day when a larger pool of resources exist will discourage Optimizer from "burning an interval".  There are some other potential solutions that might make sense to try, but without greater understanding of your center and WFM practice it is difficult to pinpoint. 

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Chip Funk
Manager, Business Consulting
Genesys
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2020 13:54
From: Kenn Lambing
Subject: Shift definition and minimun coverage

​I think I may be missing some sort of config setting.  My associates get 30 minutes of non-ACD work each day to do follow-up tasks, calling back customers etc.

I built this time into the shift definitions and I set it to occur anytime between 0 hours into the shift and 8 hours into the shift (8 hour shift with 30 minute lunch should be 8.5 total hours, so 8 hours into the shift would be the last 30 minutes of the shift). But I have run shifts a few times and found something VERY disturbing. I only have a handful of associates that work until close (6:00 PM), and Optimizer scheduled ALL of them for non-ACD from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM, so it scheduled ZERO coverage for 30 minutes. I understand that mathematically, that is the interval with the lowest volume and coming in at 0% SL for that half hour would have minimal impact on the day, I can't completely burn an interval like that. Customers and leadership would be livid.

I have worked with other WFM platforms, and I seem to remember a setting so that I could adjust minimum and maximum coverage when generating schedules. The one I'm thinking of was in percents, so I require the software to schedule at least 10% or 20%  of the required staff.  I don't see this setting in Optimizer. I understand a workaround is to simply reduce the available hours that it can be scheduled, but that would prevent Optimizer from ever scheduling this activity from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM.  I'm ok with SOME being scheduled during that time ,but not my entire staff!
#WEM/Optimizer

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Kenn Lambing
OHIO HEALTH
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