Component Descriptions

This topic contains descriptions of the Workforce Management (WFM) components.

Web

WFM Web is a server application that is hosted on a servlet container and provides content for two Web browser-based user interfaces, one for Supervisors, one for Agents, and one for the agent mobile client. The appropriate interface opens after login, depending on the login information you enter.

The system administrator or supervisor provides agents with the URL to access WFM Web for Agents on their desktop (for example, http://<wfm_web_server>:8080/wfm85x) or smartphone (http://<wfm_web_server>:8080/wfm85x/m). The agent simply enters their user name and password in the Login window.

• Web for Supervisors—Includes calendar management, forecasting, scheduling, real-time agent adherence, contact-center performance statistics, configuration of email notifications, and reporting. These functions are all entirely accessible through any computer with a supported browser and network access.
• Web for Agents—Enables contact center managers to easily distribute schedule information to their employees and provides agents with proactive scheduling capabilities, such as entering schedule preferences, planning time off, schedule bidding, and trading schedules.
• Agent Mobile Client—Enables agents to use their mobile devices to access their schedules, enter schedule preferences, plan time off, trade schedules, and change their personal information settings.

Tip

There is an increased demand on the web server when WFM Web is deployed, because it now provides almost all client user-interface functionality. In addition, WFM Web is also the web server component that generates reports. To find sizing recommendations for WFM Web server, see the Genesys Hardware Sizing Guide.

Redesigned Web Supervisor and Agent interfaces

In 8.5.2, the WFM Web Supervisor and Agent interfaces were redesigned. The previous applications are still available, but are renamed WFM Web for Supervisors (Classic) and WFM Web for Agents (Classic). The Help was also renamed. See Workforce Management Web for Supervisors (Classic) Help and Workforce Management Web for Agents (Classic) Help.

Important

As of August 2019, the Web for Agents (Classic) UI is deprecated and will be unavailable in future releases. Genesys recommends that you change the configuration to display the current Agent UI instead of the Agent (Classic) UI. The latest Agent UI has feature parity with Web for Agents (Classic) UI.

Enabling Supervisors to access the interface

The Web Supervisor interface (introduced in WFM Web 8.5.214.14) displays only the updated Forecast module, with all of the same functionality of the classic version, but with new controls, icons, and tools bars with which supervisors can perform Forecasting tasks. You can control supervisors' access to this interface by setting the NewSupervisor configuration option to the appropriate value.

See also, the Workforce Management Supervisor Help.

Enabling Agents to access the interface

The Web Agent interface (introduced in WFM Web 8.5.205.07) displays all of the same functionality of the classic version, but with new controls, icons, and tools bars with which agents can perform their day-to-day tasks. You can control agents' access to either interface by setting the ClassicAgent and NewAgent configuration options to the appropriate values.

See also, the Workforce Management Agent Help.

Backup-Restore Utility

Use this utility (found in the Database Utility component IP) to format a new database schema to update the WFM database, which is a common task that must be done as part of an upgrade to a newer WFM release.

Tip

If you are migrating from an earlier release to WFM 8.5 and want to find important advisories about the database migration process, see the procedures provided in the “Workforce Management Migration Procedures” chapter of the Genesys Migration Guide.

Servers

The GUI applications are supported by the following servers:

• WFM Server—Automatically synchronizes configuration data, and acts as the main data and application services source and locator for WFM clients.
• WFM Data Aggregator—Collects historical data and provides real-time agent-adherence information to users of WFM Web for Supervisors.
• WFM Builder—Builds WFM schedules.
• WFM Web Server—Serves content for the Web browser-based GUI applications and generates reports upon request from users of WFM Web for Supervisors.
• WFM Daemon—can be configured to send (through a customer-supplied SMTP server) email notifications to agents and supervisors.

Database

WFM also requires a database to store all the relevant configuration, forecasting, scheduling, agent adherence, performance, and historical data.

Connections to Genesys Framework

WFM connects to the following Genesys Management Framework servers:

• Stat Server—Provides statistical data to WFM Data Aggregator.
• Configuration Server—Provides Genesys’ centralized configuration information to the WFM, and authenticates all WFM users and components.

WFM works in single-site environments or across multi-site enterprises.