Call centers are often hectic and complex, making them both dynamic and challenging to manage, especially during peak times when call volumes surge or agent availability shifts. As these centers evolve into omnichannel platforms that facilitate a variety of customer interactions, the task of management grows even more intricate. This is where effective call center workforce management makes its mark.
Workforce management (WFM) in a call center is all about optimizing agent schedules to meet the ever-changing needs of customers. By embracing call center workforce management software, organizations can automate and streamline essential processes like employee management, call reporting, and analytics. When these tools integrate seamlessly with CRMs and other workspace solutions, they elevate productivity and boost operational efficiency.
Featured partners
RingCentral is a leading contact center solution, delivering powerful workforce management tools that are designed to elevate your operations. With advanced AI-powered analytics, intelligent call routing, and comprehensive performance tracking, it’s the ideal choice for call centers ready to enhance employee performance and streamline supervision.
What is call center workforce management (WFM)?
At its core, call center workforce management is a combination of tools and strategies that are used to optimize business resources. Within a call center, there are multiple moving parts that each require dedicated attention to drive success. Therefore, effective workforce management balances agent scheduling with call monitoring, all while aiming to enhance customer interactions and experiences, ultimately contributing to greater productivity and performance.
Benefits of effective workforce management
Incorporating workforce management tools or software into a call center or an omnichannel contact center provides numerous advantages that can greatly improve operational efficiency and service quality. Below is a list of some of these benefits, along with how workforce management software can enhance your business strategy and boost productivity:
- Automated workflows: Managing a call center involves numerous daily tasks and repetitive processes, including scheduling and quality monitoring. By automating specific workflows, supervisors can significantly decrease their workload and enhance efficiency.
- Resource management: Another benefit of workforce management is access to additional tools for resource management, including attendance and time tracking, compliance, and performance management. These tools help maintain balance in your call center while providing oversight on crucial processes.
- Reduced costs: When there is a mismatch between the number of agents needed and the workload, it results in a waste of resources. Workforce management tools help ensure that resources are allocated effectively by managing staffing levels and responding efficiently to customer needs.
- Employee support: Stay ahead of any issues with agent performance by utilizing monitoring features that enable managers to provide direct feedback and support based on key performance indicators.
- Effective forecasting: Workforce forecasting utilizes reporting and analytics features to analyze your call center data, allowing you to predict your business needs, such as optimal times for scheduling agents. This approach helps you proactively manage seasonal fluctuations in call volume and periods of decreased customer demand.
The top workforce management software for 2025
Using software to manage your workforce is crucial for businesses of all sizes and across various industries, but it is particularly vital for those that emphasize customer service and support. The leading choices in workforce management software prioritize real-time updates, artificial intelligence-enabled assistance, and flexible scheduling options that enhance the scheduling of agents and the collection of data on customer interactions.
Call center workforce management software
Monthly starting price
Key features
RingCentral
$65/agent/month paid annually
- Real-time and historical reports
- Advanced quality management
- Integrations with CRMs
Nextiva
$129/agent/month
- Employee forecasting and scheduling
- Attendance and time tracking
- Omnichannel support
Calabrio
Contact sales for pricing
- Intraday adjustments
- Agent self-scheduling
- Customizable reports
Nice CXOne
$71/month
- Intelligent forecasting
- Copilot for Workforce Managers
- Agent performance views
Genesys Cloud CX
$75/user/month
- Time off management
- Agent empathy analysis
- Virtual supervisor with AI scoring
Key features to look for in a WFM solution
While every call center has its unique characteristics, they all share a common goal: enhancing employee management and optimizing call performance. To achieve this, investing in workforce management software is essential. Therefore, the following list includes some must-have features to look for when adopting a WFM solution:
- Predictive forecasting: The primary benefit of workforce management tools is their ability to collect and analyze historical data to make recommendations for decision-making. Therefore, choose a solution that offers predictive forecasting configured with specific objectives and timelines.
- Employee scheduling: Most workforce management systems automate employee scheduling by considering call volumes, agent preferences, and integrating call center data to optimize scheduling.
- Intraday management: To enhance call center automation, intraday management provides real-time monitoring and adjustments in response to daily operational shifts. This guarantees that the recommendations from your software are more effective and current.
- Reporting features: Workforce management software offers analytics and reporting via customizable dashboards and downloadable reports, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and company standards. You can then use these reports to make data-driven decisions about scheduling, staffing, and agent training.
- Business integrations: The best workforce management software not only provides features within the platform, but it must also integrate seamlessly with other platforms that call centers require access to, such as CRMs, communication platforms, and HR or payroll software.
- Performance monitoring: By tracking key performance metrics such as customer satisfaction and average handling time (AHT), workforce management software monitors agent performance and offers insights on how this performance can be enhanced based on call data and customer feedback.
How WFM supports different call center models
When you think of a “call center,” you might picture a busy office filled with rows of cubicles and agents in headsets, loudly answering calls. However, the landscape of call centers has evolved dramatically and now encompasses much more than just traditional office spaces. Fast forward to 2025, and you’ll find a dynamic mix of call centers and contact centers that operate in various ways, with models ranging from in-person to remote and even hybrid, which blend both.
Teams are now spread across multiple geographic locations and languages, thereby redefining how customer service is delivered. To help you navigate this modern landscape, let’s delve into the differences between these models and explore the benefits they offer for effective workforce management.
For traditional call centers with in-person teams, workforce management solutions play a crucial role in daily operations. They help schedule agents according to demand and manage variations in call volume that can occur daily or seasonally. While many call center managers use manual processes to balance resources, implementing a workforce management system automates these tasks, streamlining the process. This leads to more consistent service and reduces the time spent on repetitive activities.
Unlike in-person call centers, remote and hybrid teams face unique challenges in monitoring agents. In a physical office, managers can offer direct oversight and immediate feedback to agents. However, managing teams that work remotely necessitates the use of software to track employee performance. Consequently, remote and hybrid teams particularly benefit from workforce management features such as attendance and time tracking, which simplify the process of monitoring agents’ schedules.
If you have ever tried to schedule a meeting with individuals in different time zones, you understand how challenging it can be, especially when working with a global or distributed team. For larger call centers with teams in multiple locations, workforce management software is especially useful for coordinating across time zones. This technology can help eliminate some of the guesswork often associated with complex scheduling.
WFM compliance & what it means for agents
While many people associate workforce management software primarily with streamlined scheduling and reducing costs, its true value extends far beyond that. WFM tools play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with labor laws and regulations regarding employee scheduling and monitoring.
By utilizing workforce management software, you can ensure that your agents receive regular breaks and adhere to company guidelines for absences and overtime. In this sense, embracing this technology isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about fostering a fair and compliant workplace for everyone.
To enhance call center monitoring, consider integrating workforce management tools with quality assurance software that tracks compliance with specific regulatory standards and provides actionable insights based on your call center data.
But not everyone views workforce management in the same way. Some agents may perceive the monitoring features of WFM tools as a form of surveillance rather than a means of ensuring safety. To address these privacy concerns, it is essential to educate your employees about the reasons for implementing these tools and how their privacy is protected, even while data and analytics are being collected.
For global teams, it is especially important to comply with laws and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means being transparent with employees about the monitoring and data collection processes in your call center. Additionally, ensure that the data you collect is safe, secure, and used only for legitimate business purposes.
Implementation tips for call center WFM
Once you’ve selected the best workforce management solution for your call center, the next step is to determine the most effective way to implement it. To help you navigate this process smoothly, here is a collection of tips and best practices that can set your team up for success. Also, note that you will likely return to many of these practices multiple times throughout the implementation process.
Identify your struggles and strengths
Business owners often adopt new software without thoroughly assessing their actual needs. Therefore, the first step before implementing a workforce management solution is to evaluate what aspects of your call center are functioning well and what aren’t. This assessment will provide you with a clearer understanding of your business needs and how a workforce management tool can benefit your organization.
Choose the best workforce management tools
Once you understand your strengths and challenges, you can start searching for the right software. The software you select should include the types of features that would support your call center based on your business needs. For example, if your agents struggle with managing their schedules, consider software that provides agent self-scheduling and intraday management.
Create a strategic workforce plan
With your workforce management software set up, you can develop a strategic plan and select individuals to oversee its implementation. While many call centers already have supervisors, it is essential to appoint an administrator or hire a workforce management analyst to manage the team. This person will create an assessment plan that includes performance metrics, which you can use to monitor the success of your implementation and evaluate your data and changes in the call center.
Integrate call center software
For most call centers, workforce management tools are just one part of the business, and many companies could benefit from integrating other types of call center software. For instance, call centers that require more in-depth call monitoring can benefit from adopting quality assurance software. In contrast, those who want access to more detailed customer data can benefit from CRM software.
Train team members and gather feedback
When integrating new tools into a call center, it is crucial to train not only administrators, supervisors, and IT professionals on how to implement workforce management software, but also agents. These training sessions should occur not only during the initial phases of implementation but also be integrated throughout the data collection process to provide ongoing feedback. Training is an opportune time to gather feedback from team members about what is and isn’t working with the software.
Monitor data and analytics
After establishing a clear plan and a suite of call center management tools, it’s essential to utilize the reporting features included in workforce management software. By monitoring dashboards and utilizing predictive forecasting tools, you can begin gathering data on the effectiveness of your planning and identifying any trends in the call center that require attention.
Update processes and protocols
Based on the data, the final step is to make any necessary changes informed by your workforce management tool. For example, if you observe a trend of under-scheduling agents during peak hours, it may be beneficial to adjust your scheduling practices to include more agents during those times. Additionally, these updates should be iterative; as you gather more data, you’ll be able to derive greater benefits from the actionable insights provided by WFM tools.
Trends in call center WFM for 2025
For many businesses, 2025 is set to be the year of artificial intelligence, which will enhance personalization and automate processes in workforce management solutions. As a result, many trends in workforce management (WFM) focus on enhancing agent supervision and customer engagement by leveraging omnichannel interactions and AI technologies.
Automation and artificial intelligence
Many of the latest features being introduced in workforce management incorporate automation and artificial intelligence. For example, many solutions now offer AI-powered virtual assistants for agents and supervisors, which provide real-time recommendations and feedback. Additionally, predictive forecasting and scheduling leverage machine learning to transform call center data into actionable insights.
Self-service options
Many call center phone systems have begun to prioritize self-service options, allowing customers to find the information they need through interactive voice response and other technologies. Similarly, many workforce management solutions are now offering self-service features for agents. One example is self-scheduling, which gives agents more control over their schedules and simplifies the task assignment process for managers.
Agent health and well-being
One of the main advantages of using workforce management tools for remote call center teams is the ability to track changes in agent performance and scheduling. Monitoring these changes is crucial, as fluctuations in productivity can indicate burnout or overwhelm. WFM software can also identify when certain agents are working excessively and suggest appropriate breaks to ensure they are not overexerted, while utilizing gamification features can bring more excitement to the workplace.
Compliance and data security
The growing use of software in the workplace, particularly tools that incorporate automation and artificial intelligence, raises important concerns about data collection and privacy. As a result, many call center workforce management tools prioritize compliance training and adhere to regulatory standards. This ensures that any shared data is securely stored and accessed in a way that benefits your business.
Omnichannel support
Many call centers prioritize phone support; however, contact center software with omnichannel capabilities is becoming increasingly essential for delivering high-quality customer service. Customers often prefer to reach agents through various channels, so it’s crucial for workforce management software to include omnichannel support. This ensures that agents are available not only for phone calls but also for chat, email, social media, and other forms of customer interaction.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
