Introducing Zendesk WFM to Your Teams
Change can sometimes be challenging, especially when introducing new tools like the Workforce Management (WFM) add-on. But it also opens the door to enhanced productivity, greater team cohesion, and a more efficient workflow. Here’s how to introduce these benefits clearly and effectively.
1. Be Open and Transparent About Your WFM Goals
Sharing your goals helps your team see the value behind adopting Zendesk WFM. Common aims include:
- Understanding what the team works on
- Creating balanced schedules
- Identifying staffing needs
- Recognizing top performers
The Performance and Leaderboards feature is key for motivation and engagement. It allows agents to track their key metrics and compare their performance with others in a friendly, transparent way. For example, an agent can see how they’re meeting response times compared to team targets and feel encouraged to improve or celebrate success. Managers gain clear insights into who’s excelling, helping them reward achievements and coach effectively. This openness supports personal growth and wellbeing.
2. Address Concerns Around Real-Time Tracking
Real-time activity tracking may initially raise concerns related to privacy or stress. It’s important to acknowledge these and show how tracking can be flexible and empowering.
With Zendesk WFM’s options, you can customize tracking to fit your team’s preferences:
- Turn off auto-tracking so agents manually start and end their day
- Enable tracking only for specific agents or teams
- Remove timers or certain menu options from agents’ views
New features like Unassigned Shifts and Shift Trade help reduce scheduling frustrations by increasing flexibility. Managers can post open shifts that agents can claim whenever it suits them, removing rigid scheduling headaches. For instance, an agent needing time for a personal appointment can pick up an unassigned shift later to balance their week, reducing stress and supporting work-life balance.
Shift Trade empowers agents to swap shifts with each other easily. Suppose an agent has a family commitment but can’t change their assigned shift through traditional channels; with Shift Trade, they can offer their shift to a colleague and pick up another time slot that fits better. This peer-enabled flexibility increases satisfaction and fosters teamwork.
3. Provide Resources and Encourage Engagement
Smooth transitions require supporting your team with clear resources:
- WFM Glossary: Helps everyone understand important terms, boosting confidence and reducing confusion.
- Agent Guide: How to view schedules, clock in and out, check performance via leaderboards, claim unassigned shifts, and manage shift trades.
- Manager Guide: How to monitor daily activities, schedule effectively, and use leaderboard data to motivate teams.
- Join ongoing WFM webinars for continuous learning, updates on best practices, and the latest releases.
Encourage agents and managers to reach out to Support anytime — questions are welcome, and help is always available.
Conclusion
Introducing Zendesk WFM with transparency, flexibility, and focus on team wellbeing sets your teams up for success. The performance insights, flexible shift options, and peer-to-peer trade ability help agents feel valued and in control. This balance of structure and freedom drives happier, more engaged teams ready to meet their goals.