Workforce Management Capacity Planning
Four best practices to improve forecasting accuracy, staffing decisions, and long-term performance.
Workforce Management (WFM) Capacity Planning ensures the right number of people, with the right skills, are hired and trained at the right time. Effective capacity planning serves as the foundation for other Workforce Management processes, including short-term forecasting, scheduling, and real-time management. At its core, it aligns staffing decisions to demand so service levels, cost, and employee experience remain in balance.
For capacity planning to be effective, WFM teams must work closely with Operations partners. Ongoing, collaborative discussions help align on current trends, forecast assumptions, underlying drivers, and monthly performance insights. When engaged early, operational leaders provide critical context around anticipated shifts, planned initiatives, and actions that may influence future demand.
4 Best Practices for Optimizing WFM Capacity Planning
- Build a forward-looking capacity model.
Develop a capacity model that proactively determines when hiring is required and how many people to hire. The model should project demand 12–18 months out and support both annual budgeting and ongoing reforecast cycles.
- Account for employee attrition.
Capacity plans must account for ongoing attrition, including attrition during the new hire training cycle. This ensures the right number of employees are fully ramped and productive when needed.
- Forecast based on reality, not aspiration.
Hiring projections should reflect current performance trends and planned initiatives rather than aspirational staffing targets. Forecasting to “desired” FTE levels often leads to understaffing and declining service metrics.
- Reforecast monthly.
Start with a realistic forecast, then develop a plan to achieve budget targets. Monthly reforecasts allow organizations to adjust for changes in volume, productivity, and performance before issues escalate.
New Hire Ramp Strategies to Implement Now
Thoughtfully designed new hire strategies improve time to proficiency, strengthen performance outcomes, and reduce attrition. Best practice designs include:
Workforce plans informed by historical ramp data
- Planning for higher Average Handle Time (AHT) during early ramp periods
- Accounting for increased shrinkage to support training, coaching, and non-productive time
Well-designed curriculum and tools
- Engaging learning environments that prepare agents with the skills required to succeed
- Centralized knowledge management systems that provide fast access to accurate information
Formal new hire transition programs (often referred to as “nesting”)
- Micro-learning refreshers to reinforce complex or critical topics
- Immediate access to coaching, feedback, and on-the-job support
Employee engagement
- Intentional culture immersion throughout training and early tenure
- Clear expectations, frequent performance discussions, and ramped metrics aligned to tenure
Technology enablement
- Use advanced routing to match call complexity to new hire proficiency, including:
- Ensuring sufficient volume to keep new hires productive
- Reducing unnecessary transfers through call-type optimization
For organizations with significant peak-season volume, filling hiring classes alone is not enough. Proactive planning is required to determine how many people are needed in each workgroup and how work is distributed. Strategies may include assigning new hires to simpler call types, progressively upskilling over time, and augmenting staffing gaps with outsourced support.
Many organizations struggle during peak periods by overstaffing simpler work while underinvesting in upskilling for complex contacts. This imbalance drives higher transfers, strains tenured staff, and increases overall workload. Successful peak execution requires sufficient volume, structured training, and a clearly forecasted progression to advanced skills.
New Hire Capacity Planning, when executed well, consistently delivers positive ROI. Organizations that rely solely on annual planning cycles miss opportunities to adjust in-year. Monthly analysis enables proactive decision-making, risk mitigation, and tighter alignment between Workforce Management and Operations.
Contact us to learn more about The Northridge Group’s Workforce Management solutions.
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