Intraday Reforecasting

Intraday Reforecasting helps you adjust today’s forecast when actual contact volume is higher than expected.

Dialpad WFM monitors live volume against your forecast and can automatically detect a sustained increase. It then suggests a forecast adjustment, helping you update your forecast and recalculate your staffing requirements for the rest of the day. 

Let's dive into the details.

Who can use this
Dialpad WFM is available to all Dialpad users and as a standalone product. 

Refer to our Pricing Page to see if you have access to this feature. If you have any questions about your plan, reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Dialpad Customer Care.

How Intraday reforecasting works

Dialpad WFM compares your live contact volume with your forecast throughout the day.

Dialpad WFM defines the queue as experiencing a ‘surge’ when all of these conditions are met:

• The actual volume is at least 1.5 times higher than the forecast and includes more than a small number of contacts.
• The difference is unusually large compared with the queue’s recent volume patterns.
• The difference continues for four consecutive 15-minute intervals.

If a surge has been detected, Dialpad WFM recommends an adjustment to the forecast. Once the adjustment is decided and applied, the staffing can be recalculated for the rest of the day. This workflow of automated surge detection, suggested adjustments, and staffing recalculation is how Intraday Reforecasting works. 

How suggested adjustments work

When a surge has been detected::

• An AI reforecast suggestion banner appears at the top of the Forecasts page.
• The affected period is shaded on the actuals chart.
• The chart tooltip shows a Higher volume detected label.

The banner usually appears within a few minutes after the sustained volume increase is detected.

Review a suggested adjustment

Use the suggestion to update the forecast for the queues with higher-than-expected volume.

To review a suggested adjustment, go to Dialpad WFM.

1. Select Forecast tab
2. Select Concurrent Queue Staffing view
3. In the AI reforecast suggestion banner, select See suggestion.
   
4. In the Adjust volume panel, review the queues included in the suggestion.
5. Review the suggested percentage for each queue.
6. Set the adjustment window:
   • Select the start date and time.
   • Select the end date and time.
   • Use the 15-minute time controls to define the window.
     
7. Adjust the percentage for all queues, or change individual queues separately.
   
8. Select Apply adjustment

Dialpad bases the suggested adjustment on how the queue's actual volume compared with its forecast over the previous hour. You can change any of the suggested values before applying them. 

Forecast return

You can enable the forecast return to gradually bring the adjusted volume back to the original forecast, rather than ending the adjustment all at once.

When enabled, the return period defaults to 60 minutes. You can adjust the duration using hours or minutes, with minutes available in 15-minute intervals. 

This is useful when you expect a volume spike to gradually settle rather than stop suddenly.

Create a manual adjustment

You don't need to wait for WFM to suggest an adjustment. You can also create one manually.

To create a manual adjustment, go to Dialpad WFM.

1. Select Forecasts tab
2. Select Concurrent queue staffing
3. In the Adjust volume panel, select New adjustment.

4. Set the adjustment window:
   • Select the start date and time.
   • Select the end date and time.
5. Select the queues you want to adjust.
6. Set the percentage adjustment for each queue.
   • Turn on Forecast return
7. Review the forecast preview.
8. Select Apply adjustment
   

You can create a manual adjustment for an intraday, future, or multi-day window.
 

Manage forecast adjustments

The Adjust volume panel keeps your adjustments in one place. You can search for adjustments and view them under Upcoming or Past.

To create a manage forecast adjustment, go to Dialpad WFM.

1. Select Forecasts tab
2. Select Concurrent queue staffing view
3. Select Adjust volume
   
4. Select an upcoming or past adjustment
   • Select Edit to update the queues, percentages, time window, or Return to forecast settings. Review the forecast preview, then select Apply.
   • Select Delete to remove the adjustment and revert the staffing requirement over the remaining adjustment window.
     

Frequently asked questions

Does Intraday Reforecasting change my schedule?

No. Intraday Reforecasting updates your contact volume forecast and staffing requirements, but it doesn't automatically reschedule your agents. You remain in control over how to adjust the schedule based on the new staffing needs.

Does Intraday Reforecasting add more agents?

No. It helps you identify where your existing agents are most needed. It doesn't change the number of agents available to work.

Does an adjustment change future forecasts?

No. An adjustment only applies to the selected time period, including any Forecast return period. It doesn't change the underlying forecasting model.

Will WFM suggest an adjustment if volume is lower than expected?

Not currently. Suggestions only appear when WFM detects higher-than-expected volume. You can create a manual downward adjustment when needed. 

Will I receive a notification when WFM detects higher volume?

No. There are currently no email or Dialbot notifications. Detection is shown in the app while the Forecasts page is open. 

What if the volume spike ends earlier than expected?

Edit the adjustment to shorten the time period or reduce the percentage. You can also delete the adjustment if you no longer need it.

Which queues does Dialpad WFM monitor?

WFM monitors your organization's queues in the Concurrent Queue Staffing view. Suggestions are queue-specific, so only queues with higher volume are included in the suggested adjustment.