Configuring Workforce Optimization for HR

Xanadu Employee Service Management

Release

xanadu

ft:locale

en-US

ft:publication_title

Xanadu Employee Service Management

ft:clusterId

emplsm

bundleId

emplsm

workflow

Employee

Configuring Workforce Optimization for HR

Release version: Xanadu

Updated August 1, 2024

23 minutes to read

Enable Workforce Optimization for HR and configure settings to use Scheduling, Teams, and Coaching applications.

Activate Workforce Optimization for HR

Workforce Optimization for HR solution is highly modular, offering a wide range of capabilities such as Scheduling, Coaching, and Teams applications in Manager Workspace. Configurable Workspace (sn_hr_wfo_workspa) plugin activates all other dependent plugins to enable users to access Scheduling, Coaching, and Teams applications in Workforce Optimization for HR.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > System Applications > All Available Applications > All.
Find the plugin using the filter criteria and search bar.
You can search for the plugin by its nae or ID/ If you cannot find a plugin, you might have to request it from ServiceNow personnel.
Select Install, and then in the Activate Plugin dialog box, select Activate.

Note:
When domain separation and delegated admin are enabled in an instance, the administrative user must be in the global domain. Otherwise, the following error appears:Application installation is unavailable because another operation is running: Plugin Activation for <plugin name>

RCA approvals in Workforce Optimization for HR

After you install or upgrade to the latest Workforce Optimization for HR from ServiceNow Store, you might encounter Restricted Caller Access (RCA) approval messages.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > System Definition > Fix Scripts.
Right-click the header and choose Import XML.
Click Choose file and select the XML file that you downloaded.
Search and find the HR Agent WS bulk RCAs approval script record.
Click Run Script to approve all the requested RCAs.

Note:
RCA fix script can approve the RCAs which exist at the time of execution. After running the RCA script (if you install the Document Templates from ServiceNow Store, Human Resources Scoped App: Lifecycle Events, and Human Resources Scoped App: Employee Relations plugins), re-run the RCA script to approve the new RCAs.

Workforce Optimization for HR Domain Separation

Domain separation is supported for Workforce Optimization for HR. Domain separation enables you to separate data, processes, and administrative tasks into logical groupings called domains. You can control several aspects of this separation, including which users can see and access data.

Support level: Basic

Business logic: Ensure that data goes into the proper domain for the application’s service provider use cases.
The application supports domain separation at run time. The domain separation includes separation from the user interface, cache keys, reporting, rollups, and aggregations.
The owner of the instance must set up the application to function across multiple tenants.

Sample use case: When a service provider (SP) uses chat to respond to a tenant-customer’s message, the customer must be able to see the SP's response.

For more information on support levels, see Application support for domain separation.

Workforce Optimization for Customer Service overview

The goal of Workforce Optimization for Customer Service is to simplify the daily routine of HR Agent Managers to develop high-performing teams by optimizing schedules and work assignments, respond to ad hoc changes in real time, manage time-off requests and providing the skills they need to succeed—all in one workspace .

How domain separation works in Workforce Optimization for HR

Domain separation is supported.

Setting up Scheduling for Workforce Optimization for HR

Manage events the team calendar. Create schedule plans, shift plans, event categories, and event types.

Configure event categories

Add event categories and create or update field configurations for events in the Manager workspace.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

The following event category configurations are available by default:

Actual Work
Break
Meeting
On-Call
On-Call Time Off
Time Off
Training
Work

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Scheduling > Event Categories.
In the Event Categories list, click New.
In the Name field, enter a name for the event category.
If you want to exclude this event category for agent coverage calculation, enable the Exclude from coverage check box.

In the Event field configuration dialog box, edit the following configuration as necessary:

Note:

You can remove any property that does not apply to a type of event.

{
            "create": {                //Creates an event type form
                "attendees": {         //Adds the Attendees field       
                "mandatory": true,     //Sets this field as mandatory
                "readOnly": false,     //Sets this field as read-only
                "allowAllUsers": false //Allows you to only add users managed by the logged-in user; to add any user, set this value to true
                },
                "startDate": {    
                "mandatory": true,
                "readOnly": false
                },
                "endDate": {
                "mandatory": true,
                "readOnly": false
                },
                "additionalSelectors": [    //Add custom fields to the form
                {
                    "fieldLabel": "Select Shift", //Name of the field that displays on the form
                    "table": "sn_shift_planning_shift_plan", //Name of the table referenced by the field
                    "field": "name", //Any field from the selected table whose display values must be shown in the custom field
                    "value": "",
                    "mandatory": true,
                    "additionalQueryString": ""
                }
                ]
            },
            "edit": {                    //Edit an event type form
                "attendees": {
                "mandatory": true,
                "readOnly": false,
                "allowAllUsers": false
                },
                "startDate": {
                "mandatory": true,
                "readOnly": false
                },
                "endDate": {
                "mandatory": true,
                "readOnly": false
                },
                "additionalSelectors": [
                {
                    "fieldLabel": "Select Shift",
                    "table": "sn_shift_planning_shift_plan",
                    "field": "name",
                    "value": "",
                    "mandatory": true,
                    "additionalQueryString": ""
                }
                ]
            }
        }

Click Submit.

Create event types

Create multiple events and add them to the team calendar.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Scheduling > Event Configuration.
Click New.

On the form, fill in the fields.

Table 1. Event configuration form
Field	Description
Name	Name for the event type.
Category	Type of event, for example, meeting, break, or time off.
Priority Order	Priority of the event type that you want to exclude from the coverage. The higher the number means the higher the priority.
Color	Color that identifies this type of event in the team calendar.

Click Submit.

Configure schedule adherence properties

Configure schedule adherence properties to calculate the adherence to improve the operational efficiency of your organization.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

About this task

The threshold settings for adherence and conformance indicate how many minutes early or late an agent can clock in or clock out to a scheduled work shift without being considered as non-adherent.

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Schedule Adherence > Settings

On the form, fill in the fields:

Table 2. Schedule Adherence properties form
Field	Description
Enable Schedule Adherence	Calculation and information about the agents' adherence to the schedules.
Threshold for early checkin for planned shift (in Minutes)	Time set early check in. This time is the acceptable time for an agent to start the work shift before the actual shift time. The default value is 60 minutes. For example, if an agent's planned work shift is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the agent clocks in at 7 a.m., the threshold time allows flexibility and the agent is not considered as a non-adherent agent.
Threshold for adherence% of Time Worked Summary	Percentage set for a threshold in adherence. The agents who do not qualify to be above the defined threshold value (70%) are considered non-adherent agents.
Lower threshold conformance % of Time Worked Summary	Lower threshold percentage set for flexibility in conformance. The agents who do not qualify for the defined lower and upper conformance threshold values (80-120) are considered as non-conformant agents. The default value is 80%.
Upper threshold for conformance % of Time Worked Summary	Upper threshold percentage set for flexibility in conformance. The agents who do not qualify for the defined lower and upper conformance threshold values (80-120) are considered as non-conformant agents. The default value is 120%.
Default threshold time for clock-out event generation (in Minutes)	Default threshold time to generate an automatic clock-out event if an agent fails to clock out. The default value is 60 minutes. For example, if an agent's planned work shift is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the agent fails to clock out at 5 p.m., the system waits for 60 minutes as the threshold time and generates an automatic clock-out event.

Click Save.

Modify schedule adherence and conformance formulas by using extension points

Configure and tweak the schedule adherence and conformance formulas using scripted extension points to customize them for your organization.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

About this task

Use the sn_shift_planning.ScheduleAdherenceExtPt extension point and create an implementation to configure the formulas. You can create multiple implementations. However, the implementation with the lowest order number is executed.

Procedure

Navigate to All > System Extension Points > Scripted Extension Points.
Search for sn_shift_planning.ScheduleAdherenceExtPt.
On the form banner, click the link here to edit the record.
To create your extension point script, click Create Implementation in the related links.
Modify the formulas for calculating the schedule adherence and conformance in the getAdherencePercentage and getConformancePercentage methods.
Click Update.

Result

The schedule adherence and conformance calculations are based on the formulas in the implementation.

Event type extension points in Workforce Optimization for HR

Use extension points to call scripts for event categories such as meeting, time off, or work time.

To see a list of extension points that you can use for Workforce Optimization for HR, navigate to System Extension Points > Scripted Extension Points. In the Extension Points list, open the sn_shift_planning.EventManagerextension point.

Use scripted extension points to integrate customizations without altering the core components in the application code. When customizing a base application, you implement the scripted extension points by creating the custom script includes and registering them against the scripted extension points.

Table 3. Extension points for event types
Extension points	Description
sn_shift_planning.EventManager	Implement this extension point to customize the logic for the event categories that you create.

You can use extension points to create events such as meeting, training, and time-off requests. For example extension point implementations, see the following extension instances in the Implementations related list:

Table 4. Extension instances
Category	Extension Script
Meeting	AgentScheduleMeetingEventManager
Break	AgentScheduleBreakEventManager
Training	AgentScheduleTrainingEventManager
Time off	AgentScheduleTimeOffEventManager
Work	AgentScheduleWorkEventManager
On call	AgentScheduleOnCallEventManager
On Call Time Off	AgentScheduleOnCallTimeOffEventManager
Actual Work	AgentScheduleActualWorkEventManager

Setting up Teams in Workforce Optimization for HR

Organize your teams into assignment groups and create reports for those groups to can gain visibility into the team's performance.

As an administrator, you can configure KPIs as well as child KPIs. The child KPIs appear when you drill-down into top level KPIs. For example, Closed Cases KPI has P1 Cases, P2 Cases as child KPIs.

Create KPI Groups to monitor performance

Create key performance indicator (KPI) groups with the KPIs that matter most to your teams. When you associate your KPI groups with assignment groups, you can monitor your team's performance.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Create a KPI group.
1. Navigate to Workforce Optimization for HR > Team Performance > KPI Groups.
2. Click New.
3. In the Name field, enter a name for the KPI group.
4. In the Type menu, select Teams.
5. Right-click the form header and click Save.
  You can add up to five KPIs to a KPI group.
Add KPIs to a KPI group.
1. In the KPIs related list, click New.
2. In the KPI field, select the KPI to apply for this group.
3. Click Submit.
Add KPI assignment groups to the KPI group.
Note:
- You can associate a KPI assignment group only to one KPI type.
- You can add additional managers to each assignment group.
- You can associate a user with a KPI group as the primary assignment group for that user.
1. In the Assignment Groups tab, click Edit.
2. Move the desired assignment groups from the Collection to the Assignment Groups list.
3. Click Save.

Add managers to a KPI assignment group

Add managers to a KPI assignment group.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

About this task

You can associate a user with a primary assignment group by selecting the group in the user

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Team Performance > Additional Managers.
Click New.
In the Assignment Group field, select an assignment group.
In the Manager field, select a manager you want to add for this assignment group.
Click Submit.

Setting up Coaching in Workforce Optimization for HR

Manage agent skills and assess the quality of completed tasks. Use predictive intelligence to recommend skills for agents. Train your agents with internal and external learning content.

Configure an indicator to display in the Coaching Overview tab in Workforce Optimization for HR

Add a system property to display the desired indicator in the Coaching Overview tab in the Coaching application.

Before you begin

Important:

This feature is available with the Workforce Optimization for HR from the ServiceNow Store. To enable this feature, see Activate Workforce Optimization for HR.

Set the map application scope to Coaching. For information on how to set the scope, see Set map application scope.

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

About this task

Replace the existing indicator with any Performance Analytics indicator that has the Assigned to and Assignment group breakdowns to display in the Coaching Overview tab in the Coaching application.

Procedure

In the application navigator, enter sys_properties.list.
Click New.

Enter the following field values.

Table 5. Configure an indicator form
Field	Value
Name	sn_coaching.coaching_overview_default_quality_indicator
Application	Coaching
Type	string
Value	{"title": "<name>", "sys_id": "<sys id>"} where <name> is the name of the indicator that you want to display in the Coaching Overview tab and <sys id> is the unique record identifierExample: Name: % of P1 incidents resolved on first call. Sys ID: 0423e59387401010ca99e12397cb0bbb {"title": "% of P1 incidents resolved on first call", "sys_id": "0423e59387401010ca99e12397cb0bbb"}
Read roles	sn_coaching.coach

Click Submit.
The configured indicator replaces the existing indicator in the Overview tab in the Coaching application in Workforce Optimization for HR.

Setting up skill prediction in Workforce Optimization for HR

Collect skill data based on skills agents have used for case resolution. Use supervised learning to recommend these skills for agents to resolve similar open case. You can also find patterns in how skills are used for case resolution and use unsupervised learning to recommend skills for agents.

Before you begin

Set up skills. For more information, see Skills Management.

Predictive Intelligence must be set up and configured on your instance to train the models. For more information, see Predictive Intelligence.

Activate the Skill Recommendation application plugin (com.snc.sre) to use predictive intelligence for recommending skills.

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Configure the skill prediction property.
Run the solution definition models such as Recommend similar skills for cases or Recommend skills from similar cases to train the supervised and unsupervised solutions.
For more information on training a solution, refer to Create and train a similarity solution.
Run the Start skill prediction scheduled job everyday to start predicting skills for cases or agents.
This scheduled job is inactive by default. When you activate it, the job runs daily at 1:00 AM on all cases resolved the previous day. The job then adds the skills to the User Predicted Skill [sn_sre_user_predicted_skill] table and Task Predicted Skill [sn_sre_task_predicted_skill] table.
Note:
Recommended skills will start appearing once the number of records in [sn_sre_task_predicted_skill] table exceeds the value defined in the [sn_sre.user_predicted_skill_threshold] .

Use extension points for skill prediction in Workforce Optimization for HR

Use scripted extension points to customize skill prediction for tasks.

Before you begin

The Skill Recommendation extension point is included with the Skill Recommendation (com.snc.sre) plugin.

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

About this task

You can create multiple implementations for each extension point and provide an order number for each implementation. The implementation that has the lowest order number is executed.

Procedure

Navigate to All > System Extension Points > Client Extension Points.
From the Extension Points list, select Skill Recommendation (sn_sre.SkillPredictionAPI).
Do one of the following:
- To create a new skill recommendation implementation, click Create Implementation.
- To modify an existing implementation, from the Implementations related list, select a class.
Modify the script as required.
Click Update.

Configure a list menu to display in the Learning tab in Workforce Optimization for HR

Add list or list categories to modify the list menu for Coaching with Learning in the Coaching application in Workforce Optimization for HR.

Procedure

In the application navigator, enter sys_ux_list_menu_config.list.
Click Learning list record.
Under UX list category, click New.

On the form, fill in the fields:

Table 6. List category form
Field	Value
Title	Enter the name of the list category.
Description	Enter a short description about the list category.
Order	Enter a value to set the position of the list category in the current list.
Active	Select the check box to make the list category visible.

Click Submit.
Under UX Lists, click New to create lists under that list category.

Enter the following field values.

Table 7. UX list category form
Field	Value
Title	Enter the name of the list.
Table	Select the table for the data that you want to display in the list.
Configuration	Select Learning List.
Columns	Select the columns that you want to display for the table.

Click Submit.
Click Update.

Setting up Demand Forecast in Workforce Optimization for HR

Configure the data you want to collect, modify forecast parameters and calibrate manual adjustments using Demand Forecast.

Configure data collection for Demand Forecast

Define the data you want to collect for cases, interactions, or any table to forecast the number of agents that you require for your staffing needs.

Before you begin

You must have the MetricBase plugin [com.snc.clotho] enabled to use Demand Forecast in Workforce Optimization for HR. For more information, see Requesting the MetricBase product.

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Demand Forecast.

Define the data you want to collect for forecasting agents to resolve cases.

Click Data Collection Definitions.
See the Components installed with Workforce Optimization for HR for the list of configurations that are available by default.
Click New.

On the form, fill in the fields:

Table 8. Forecast Configuration form
Field	Description
Name	Name for the collection forecast configuration.
Table	Table that is used for collecting data.
Type	Data Collection Definition type is set to Collection by default and collects data using a scheduled job.
Date Field	Data that you can add to forecast for the future.
Conditions	Conditions that you can set so that you can capture the data that you need.

Click Submit.
Create an index for the table you have created using the date field and the conditions you have added to the table. For information on creating a table index, see Create a table index.

Add parameters to be defined in the formula

Add parameters to be defined in the formula to calculate agent count per hour in a day.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Demand Forecast > Formula Parameters.
In the Name field, enter a name for the parameter.
Do one of the following:
- If you need to add a value to be calculated for the formula, in the Value field, enter a value.
- If you want to use the performance analytics score card API or a custom API, select Advanced, and add a script.
The Average Case Work Time and Average Chat Work Time forecast parameters provided by default are examples of how you can use scripts to add the parameters. For a list of parameters provided by default, see Components installed with Workforce Optimization for HR.
Click Submit.

Configure resource conversion formula

Configure the resource conversion formula.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Demand Forecast > Resource conversion formula.
Click New.

On the form, fill in the fields.

Table 9. Forecast Configuration form
Field	Instructions
Name	Name for the resource forecast configuration.
Type	Type is set to Resource Conversion Formula.
Formula	Formula to calculate the forecasted number of agents that you need. In the Related Links section, do the following: Click Browse Forecast Configuration, select the forecast configuration to add to the formula and click Add. Click the Browse Forecast Parameter, select the forecast parameter to add to the formula and click Add. Note: FC refers to Forecast Configuration and FP refers to Forecast Parameter.

Click Submit.

Group forecast configuration

Associate an assignment group with a Resource Conversion Formula. You can assign a forecast configuration to multiple assignment groups, but an assignment group can have only one forecast configuration.

Before you begin

Role required: admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Workforce Optimization for HR > Demand Forecast > Group Forecast Configuration.
Click New and fill in the fields on the group forecast configuration form.
- In the Assignment Group field, browse and select the group to which you want to associate a forecast configuration.
- In the Forecast Configuration field, browse and select a Resource Conversion Formula.

Modify forecast parameters to visualize forecast data

Configure and tweak forecast parameters to see how the forecast behaves when you vary the period length, periods to forecast, or algorithm. You can view the modified forecast on the time-series visualization.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin, sn_hr_wfo.manager

The user with these roles must also be a manager of the assignment group that is associated with the resource conversion formula.

About this task

You can define the start and end dates for which you want to visualize the forecast data. The start date for a forecast configuration is based on the number of historical days you want to consider for data visualization. This is set using the sn_agent_forecast.number_of_historical_days_in_timeseries_chart.

The published forecast is reflected on the team calendar only when the Forecast resources for future job is executed.

The default start date is set to 3 days ago starting from the day before the current day. The end date is calculated based on the period length and the periods to forecast represented in days. For example, if the period length is 1 day and the periods to forecast is 30, then the end date is 30 days including the current day. Forecast can be generated for a maximum period of 90 days.

Procedure

Navigate to Workspaces > Manager Workspace.
Click the Schedule () icon.
Click Forecasts.
Select the forecast model for which you want to view the time-series data.
You can visualize each of the forecast parameters that were created for the forecast model.
Click the gear ()icon.
Click the plus (+) sign.
Configure the forecast parameter.
1. From the Period length unit list, select the unit for the length of the period to forecast.
2. In the Period length field, enter the duration of the period to forecast.
3. In the Periods to forecast field, enter the number of seasons, which is the period length, for which you want to forecast.
4. In the Algorithm field, select an algorithm you want to use to calculate the forecast.
5. Click Update.
The forecast is created in Draft state. The forecast is calculated and displays in the forecast model. You can analyze the forecast with the new forecast parameters before you publish it.

To preview a forecast before publishing it, click Preview.

The forecast is calculated using the algorithm and parameters configured in the forecast parameter. When you create a manual adjustment to predict future resources, Demand Forecast overlays the adjustment in the time-series chart.

When you	Then the forecast
Unpublish a published forecast	Become inactive.
Preview an inactive forecast parameter	Displays for the date range for which the forecast parameter was active.
Preview an active forecast	Displays the time-series data for the future time-period.

Publish the forecast parameters.
- To publish a newly created forecast parameter, click Save and then click Publish.
- To publish an active forecast parameter, click Publish.
Note:
You can only have one forecast in Published state, which is used to calculate the resources.
When the forecast parameter is published:
- The state of the record changes to Published.
- The Forecast resources for future job runs daily and uses the published forecast parameters to calculate the agent forecast. The calculation uses the resource conversion formula to calculate the forecast data from the current point forward. You can view the updated resources in the team calendar.
- Any other forecast parameters that were created would be unpublished and inactive.

Create a manual adjustment for a forecast

Adjust forecasts manually to fine-tune them for greater accuracy. Create the adjustment for a specified time period and analyze how it impacts your forecast.

Before you begin

Role required: sn_hr_wfo.admin

The user with these roles must also be a manager of the assignment group that is associated with the resource conversion formula.

Procedure

Navigate to Workspaces > Manager Workspace.
Click the Schedule () icon.
Click Forecasts.
Select the forecast model for which you want to make a manual adjustment.
Click the Manual Adjustments () icon.

Make a manual adjustment.

Click the plus (+) sign.

On the form, fill in the fields:

Table 10. Manual adjustment for forecast
Field Name	Description
Name	Name for the manual adjustment.
Start Date Time	Date and time when the manual adjustment for the forecast must start.
End Date Time	Date and time when the manual adjustment for the forecast must end.
Adjustment Unit	Unit for the manual adjustment. Available units: Percentage—adjustment value percentage. For example, if the forecast data shows case count and if the adjustment value is 15, the manual adjustment shows a 15% increase in case count than the forecast data. Number—adjustment value count. For example, if the forecast data shows case count and if the adjustment value is 15, the manual adjustment shows 15 more cases than the forecast data.
Adjustment Value	The numeric value for which you want to adjust the forecast. The value is applied to each group in the Groups [sys_user_groups] table. The manual adjustment visualization on the time-series chart displays the data for your groups. For example, let's assume that the value is 15 and the unit is number. If you have two groups for a forecast model and both have 2 agents each before you do the manual overlay, when you enter the value as 15, it is applied to each of the two groups and the total value displays as 34. This is calculated as follows: Two agents for group A + the adjustment value 15 = 17 Two agents for group B + the adjustment value 15 = 17 The total is 34. If you have two groups for a forecast model and both have a volume (for example: Cases/ Chats) of 2 before you do the manual overlay, when you enter the value as 15, it is applied to each of the two groups and the total value displays as 34. This is calculated as follows: Two cases/chats for group A + the adjustment value 15 = 17 Two cases/chats for group B + the adjustment value 15 = 17 The total is 34.

Click Save.

The manual adjustment is created in Draft state. The manual adjustment is calculated and displays as a green line in the forecast model. You can analyze or update the forecast with this manual adjustment before you publish it.

Publish the manual adjustment.
1. Click the saved manual adjustment that you want to use for forecasting resources.
2. Click Publish. The state changes to Ready to Publish.
When the Forecast resources for future job is run, it calculates the forecast, checks for manual adjustments, applies those values if any, and moves it to the Published state.
Note:
- When you unpublish a forecast, it moves to Draft state. You can delete a forecast that is in Draft state.
- If you want to end a manual adjustment after it has started and before its end date, you can click End Now.
The forecast will no longer be used in the resource conversion formula.
When the manual adjustment is published:
- The state of the record changes to Published.
- The adjusted values will be used in the resource conversion formula and the demand forecast displayed on the calendar.
- Any other manual adjustment configurations that were created would be unpublished and moved to Draft state.