What is workforce management (WFM)?

Workforce management is a business practice, team of people, and set of technology tools used to address the needs of a business, oftentimes a contact center. WFM includes technologies and practices that support the continuous cycle of workforce planning and execution. This typically includes forecasting, scheduling, tracking, adherence management, and employee self-service.

The most fundamental question in workforce management is, “how many workers do we need to efficiently cover a workload at an optimal cost?” In other words, having the right people at the right time, in the right place for the right cost. An additional consideration in WFM is making sure your employees have the right skills to provide the highest quality service to customers.