What Is WFM Software and Why Using It Is Profitable

Technologies are intended to make our lives easier, and in terms of business operation, WFM software fully complies with this statement. Do you know what this exceptional type of software product is? Probably, you want to launch WMF scheduling software to guarantee the flawless operation of your staff and business as a whole, but you still have no idea how to do that. Then, our article may be helpful for you.

What does workforce management software do?

The main idea of workforce management software is to boost your staff’s operation and ensure that your human resources are applied tip-top according to their job roles, skills, and a certain schedule which should be maintained to streamline the whole workflow.

Typically, the WFM tool varies according to the requirements of the industry and the niche it is applied. Yet in general, the main duties you can handle with this type of software are as follows:

• Development of successful and effective schedules for your employees in an automated mode.
• Time management – namely, tracking your staff’s clock-ins and clock-outs, work hours, days off, sick leaves, etc.
• Regulatory compliance – that’s what typical WFM software helps to regulate and implement in the company’s regiment.

That’s the core, and it can be accompanied by additional features and tasks a particular business needs. For instance, you can get a WFM application that can be used on multiple devices, apply labor forecasting tools integrated into it, or add some analytics tools and reports to the product to get clear and accurate analytics for further development of a company.

All these features depend on the idea of software developers mostly, and there are multiple products in the markets from basic free WFM software to more sophisticated and complex products offered on a paid basis.

Why use call center WFM tools?

What is the main idea why workforce management software is a great helper for businesses? There are several reasons for this.

• With an automated workforce management system, you can operate with huge amounts of data, which is impossible when you rely simply on your brains. You get a tool that collects, operates, and processes data about the whole staff, its schedules, and operation processes/assigned tasks. Nothing will be missed in that case.
• WFM scheduling software is the best thing for complex scheduling. When you have teams of workers who have to work on shifts, some of your employees are hired part-time, and some work full-time, it is hard to keep all the schedules in order. With a WFM scheduler like Shifton, that becomes eating pears as everything is scheduled and fixed, and notifications are provided for all your staff timely about their shifts!
• Advanced features of WFM software like labor forecasting are indispensable for big and medium-sized businesses that tend to scale up and need to get a clear vision of how many workers, which specialists, and which load are required for their further goals.
• Payroll is what can be based on a workforce management app. Taking the example of Shifton, you can automatically count work hours for each employee, add some rules or coefficients for correct payroll calculation, and get error-free accounting when it’s time to pay your employees. Due to multiple templates and adjustable scenarios, even the most complex and multi-factor payroll calculation can be implemented in WFM software.

So, when it is quite clear why WFM platforms are great business tools, let’s get through their main and most significant features.

The main features of WFM software making It a truly profitable toolset

Although employee workforce management software may vary and numerous products of that kind have already launched on the market, there are typical features you can find in almost every product of that type.

• Employee scheduling tools. These include the simple creation of shifts, flexible changes, and opportunities to find a perfect match for each shift among workers depending on their skills, work hours, or duties. That’s why using WFM products is a great idea for complex structures, particularly, as a call center workforce management software or software for restaurants, retail networks, big enterprises with huge sales departments, etc.
• Extended forecasting tools help businesses avoid multiple pitfalls in planning workload and budget and comply with customers’ needs and expectations flawlessly.
• Time tracking and absence management are what you need to reduce the risks of missed shifts and understaffing.
• Overworking management helps to indicate overworked employees and account for their extra work hours. Besides, it helps to reduce overworking and disperse shifts fairly to put reasonable loads on each employee.
• Compliance with current labor rules and laws. You can be sure that you do not break any laws in your human resource policy.

In terms of technical features, the best WFM software for call centers today complies with the following trends:

• Mobile accessibility is crucial as most employees get access to the tool via their smartphones.
• Cloud technologies for data collection and storage. That helps to provide instant access to all data, schedules, payroll information, etc.
• Adjustable access policy. That is, you can make rules and limit access for each group of application users to guarantee safety and confidentiality.

These features are simply the core, and in various types of WFM software for call centers or other industries, they may be accompanied by other, narrower features.

What are the benefits of WFM software call centers?

As for the beneficial sides of WFM platforms for businesses, they are as follows:

• Simpler and faster operation planning.
• Improved control over the working time of your staff.
• Easier scheduling and instant changes in schedules.
• Optimized budgets for HR goals.
• Error-free payroll accounting.

WFM scheduling tips for management by Shifton specialists

When you already know what is WFM software, it’s time to comprehend how to choose and use it thoughtfully. Our WFM scheduling tips may help you with that.

1. Decide on the toolset you need. Highlighting the main problems you want to solve with the help of WFM software and your business’s current needs is the core idea of the choice.
2. Inspect the efficiency. You can try all the functions of the chosen WFM and apply all of them, or stop on a limited list of the most sought-after to ease the use of the software.
3. Get in touch with the support team to ensure you get help from it timely. For example, in Shifton, we provide instant communication with clients to help them with each problem they have.
4. Do not delay the implementation of the WFM scheduler. The faster you start using it, the better results you get instantly.
5. Consider Shifton as your best WFM software for call centers. The most important scope of functions you need to enforce your workflow is already integrated into our product.

Making summaries

So, workforce management software is what can help you improve the whole operation of your business. It works as a regulating, controlling, forecasting, and planning tool for your employee management goals. With a good software product, you minimize multiple risks, adjust the entire workflow to your current needs and plans, and you can be sure that your company works clockwise. Thus, if you still do not use it, probably, it’s your time to start!