10 workforce engagement management trends

Every incorrect workforce decision has consequences. When staffing levels fall short, customer wait times increase, service levels decline, and agents face greater pressure to handle rising workloads.

The growing complexity of contact center operations has expanded the role of workforce engagement management (WEM). What began as a way to manage staffing has evolved into a broader strategy that helps contact center leaders make smarter decisions to improve workforce performance, agent engagement, and customer outcomes.

What are the latest trends in workforce engagement management (WEM)?

The latest WEM trends reveal how contact centers are using AI, automation, and workforce intelligence to streamline processes and gain deeper visibility into agent and customer experiences.

To see how the following WEM trends impact contact center operations, let’s consider a common scenario:

A retailer launches its largest holiday campaign of the year, offering discounts, free next-day shipping, and exclusive loyalty member rewards.

Thousands of customers visit the retailer’s website over a two-week period, generating high volumes of contacts related to: checkout issues, missing discounts, order status requests, and loyalty points.

1. AI-driven workforce forecasting

Major retail promotions, seasonal sales, and holiday events can significantly increase customer demand. AI-driven workforce forecasting helps contact centers prepare by analyzing historical interaction data and key metrics, such as contact volume and average handle time, to generate staffing forecasts weeks or months in advance.

Many WEM platforms automate much of the forecasting process, allowing WFM analysts to:

• Leverage existing AI forecasting models instead of building forecasts from scratch
• Configure recurring forecasts for planned events and promotions
• Evaluate historical data and trends to ensure sufficient information is available for creating an accurate forecasting
• Detect missing values, anomalies, and data quality issues before forecasts are generated
• Review the data used to train the AI model and publish staffing requirements once forecasts have been validated

What it looks like in practice

The retailer is preparing for its holiday promotion six weeks in advance.

• Data is reviewed from the previous two holiday promotions, which included 1,150 to 1,300 customer interactions per day across voice, chat, and email.
• Recurring patterns are identified, such as loyalty program inquiries peaking during the first few days of the promotion and return-related contacts increasing the following week.
• Historical average handle times are analyzed by contact type to estimate staffing requirements throughout the campaign.
• Areas with missing or inconsistent historical data are flagged before generating the forecast so they can be addressed before schedules are created.

Based on this analysis, the WEM platform forecasts an average of 1,250 customer interactions per day, with the busiest period expected between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

The AI recommends scheduling 20 agents across all channels during standard business hours and increasing coverage to 25 agents during the midday peak, including agents with expertise in loyalty programs and post-purchase chat support.

A workforce management (WFM) analyst reviews the AI-generated forecast, makes any necessary adjustments based on business priorities, and then deploys the entire schedule with all agents’ shifts before the promotion begins.

2. Intelligent skill-based scheduling

During the holiday promotion, customers contact support for many reasons. Intelligent skill-based scheduling helps contact centers align staffing with the types of inquiries customers are expected to have.

WEM platforms can consider factors such as product expertise, language skills, channel experience, and specialized support knowledge when creating schedules.

What it looks like in practice

As order volume increases:

• Customers contact support about loyalty points
• Some need help changing delivery addresses before shipment
• Others are sending inquiries about international shipping
• Refund and return requests increase among customers

The retailer has separate specialists for loyalty support and post-purchase service. The WEM platform schedules agents based on the skills needed for expected contact types, helping customers reach the right expertise from the start. This leads to lower transfer rates, fewer repeat contacts, and improved first-contact resolution.

3. Real-time intraday management and automation

Operations can change rapidly during a popular holiday. A checkout failure, payment processing issue, or website slowdown can generate many unexpected contacts within a short period of time. Real-time intraday management and automation help a WFM analyst respond as conditions change throughout the day. Instead of relying on manual strategies, leaders receive AI-powered recommendations based on current demand, staffing levels, and service performance.

What it looks like in practice

On the second day of the promotion, a technical checkout issue related to payment processing prevents some customers from completing purchases.

Within two hours:

• Call volume increases by 35%
• Chat demand nearly doubles
• Customers repeatedly attempt purchases and contact support for assistance
• Service levels begin trending below target

The WEM platform recommends immediately moving cross-skilled agents from lower-volume channels into checkout support queues until the technical issue is resolved. This helps a WFM analyst to respond quickly to changing needs and use real-time reporting data to improve staffing decisions during future demand surges. After the payment issue is fixed in an hour, the agents can then return to their scheduled channel.

4. Automated attendance and adherence monitoring

During peak times, unexpected absences, late arrivals, or schedule deviations can quickly affect operational performance. Automated attendance and adherence monitoring gives a WFM analyst and supervisors a real-time view of who is available, who is delayed, how much each agent is staying on task, and where staffing risks may emerge. Some WEM platforms also include self-service tools that allow agents to communicate attendance updates directly for everyone to see instantly, instead of relying on manual processes.

What it looks like in practice

A specific day close to the holiday is expected to be one of the busiest of the year. Halfway through the busy day:

• 5 agents have indicated unexpected absences through the mobile app
• Several agents checked in late due to transportation delays
• A group of agents is booked for training that was not scheduled properly
• Two agents are taking longer than expected to have lunch

The WEM platform immediately highlights the staffing impact across all affected queues and areas. Real-time attendance visibility helps supervisors identify coverage risks early enough to secure additional staffing before peak contact volumes arrive. Adherence monitoring ensures a WFM analyst understands which agents are staying on task and which ones need additional guidance to ensure agents are available as intended to assist customers.

5. AI-powered agent performance support and continuous coaching

During the holiday period, supervisors may be responsible for reviewing a large number of customer interactions across voice and digital channels. Finding meaningful coaching opportunities manually becomes difficult when interaction volumes are high.

With AI-generated performance reports, the platform can identify recurring behaviors that lead to repeat contacts, lower customer satisfaction, or longer handle times. Some solutions also provide real-time guidance during complex interactions, helping agents to navigate situations more confidently.

Based on individual performance trends, agents can receive more personalized coaching and recommendations, while supervisors can deliver feedback more consistently across the team.

What it looks like in practice

Analysis of all interactions shows that customers frequently call back to ask:

• When their international shipment will arrive
• To check on the status of their returned order
• About the policy for dealing with a defective item
• When refunds are expected to appear in their account

The platform identifies interactions where those expectations were not clearly explained and flags agents who may need additional coaching.

By highlighting communication gaps linked to repeat contacts, supervisors can provide real-time coaching to agents to improve customer understanding and reduce unnecessary follow-up inquiries.

6. Automated interaction scoring and quality management

Reviewing only a small sample during a holiday campaign may not provide enough visibility into quality and compliance performance. Automated interaction scoring and quality management help contact centers evaluate interactions at scale, making it easier to identify coaching opportunities, compliance risks, and recurring issues.

What it looks like in practice

During the promotion, agents must consistently explain:

• Return policy requirements
• Refund timelines
• Promotion eligibility rules
• Loyalty program terms and conditions

Over a two-week period:

• 3,000 refund-specific interactions are analyzed
• The platform identifies that refund timelines are not being consistently explained
• Supervisors receive prioritized interactions for review and coaching

By automatically scoring 100% of interactions across voice and digital channels, the WEM platform delivers unbiased evaluations around specific topics, identifies compliance gaps faster, and significantly reduces the time supervisors spend on manual reviews.

7. Screen recording and agent usability feedback

Interactions often require agents to move between order management, payment, shipping, inventory, and loyalty areas. Every additional step can increase handle times and agent effort. Screen recording and agent usability tools help contact centers understand how workflows affect productivity during customer interactions.

What it looks like in practice

A customer contacts support asking, “Where is my order?”

To answer the inquiry, the agent will often:

• Verify the customer’s order details (through the order number or other methods)
• Check the order management system for the current status
• If shipped, they will access the carrier’s tracking information
• Confirm whether any delivery exceptions or delays have been reported

Screen recordings reveal that agents:

• Navigate between multiple internal systems and the carrier’s tracking portal
• Manually copy and paste tracking numbers between applications
• Spend significant time waiting for the carrier to relay the latest shipment update before responding to the customer

The WEM platform provides visibility into exactly what agents are doing during interactions, helping leaders identify process bottlenecks and navigation challenges. Synchronized screen and audio recordings also support more objective coaching and fact-based feedback.

8. AI interaction analytics and customer sentiment intelligence

AI interaction analytics helps uncover recurring themes, while sentiment analysis provides an assessment of how customers likely feel about those experiences. Together, they provide a clearer view of what is driving contact volume and customer frustration during the campaign.

What it looks like in practice

During the promotion:

• More than 30 interactions mention missing loyalty points arrive in an afternoon
• Negative sentiment increases among loyalty members
• Escalation requests begin trending upward

By analyzing all customer interactions, the WEM platform identifies that purchases made through a specific promotional landing page are not triggering loyalty point calculations because the checkout area was not correctly configured. This helped the retailer address the issue early, monitor related customer sentiment, and prevent a larger impact on customer satisfaction.

9. Voice of the customer through post-interaction surveys

A voice of the customer (VoC) program helps a contact center collect direct customer feedback. WEM platforms support customizable survey types with flexible formats and branding, making it easier to gather feedback across different channels and customer journeys.
These insights help leaders understand how internal quality scores translate and detect blind spots that performance data alone may not reveal.

What it looks like in practice

Customers contact support about incorrect delivery estimates. Agents follow the required process by verifying the order, explaining the delay, and providing an updated delivery estimate. Quality evaluations show that agents handled the interactions correctly.

However, post-interaction survey responses reveal a different perspective:

• “The agent was helpful, but I still don’t know if my package will arrive before the weekend.”
• “I got the information I needed, but I wish I had been notified about the delay before contacting support.”
• “The representative was great, but the delay means I wouldn’t get the item on time, so I had to cancel the order.”

The survey responses show that customers remain frustrated by the overall experience, even when agents handle interactions correctly. This information is critical in understanding that other areas, such as the fulfillment center or package carriers, are the issue and not the contact center.

10. Mobile-first agent self-service and schedule empowerment

During high-volume periods, staffing needs can change quickly. Mobile-first agent self-service and schedule empowerment give agents more flexibility while helping contact centers maintain coverage.

Through a mobile app, agents can view schedules, request time off, and pick up available shifts without relying on manual coordination. This makes it easier for agents to manage their schedules while giving contact centers more agility when staffing needs change.

What it looks like in practice

As the promotion enters its final week:

• Contact volumes remain 15% above expected levels
• Weekend queues require additional coverage
• More than 10 extra shifts have become available across customer service and loyalty support teams

Using the mobile app:

• A WFM analyst can target agents anywhere who will not enter overtime hours by working an additional shift
• Agents can view newly created weekend shifts directly from their mobile devices
• Agents looking for additional hours can claim available shifts without manual supervisor coordination

The WEM platform gives agents more control over their schedules through mobile self-service, improving morale while ensuring staffing needs are covered during busy periods.

How RingCentral RingWEM helps contact center leaders turn workforce engagement management trends into action

The latest workforce engagement management trends are changing every stage of the customer journey. As an AI-powered WEM platform, RingCentral RingWEM uses modern capabilities to help contact center leaders make smarter decisions before, during, and after every customer interaction.

Before the interaction: optimize forecasting and scheduling

Customer experience is influenced by workforce decisions made before the first interaction enters the queue. WFM analysts must forecast interaction volume, determine staffing requirements, and ensure the right agent skills are available to meet expected service levels.

RingWEM supports proactive workforce management strategies through:

• AI-powered agent forecasting and “what-if” scenario planning to forecast interaction demand and evaluate multiple staffing scenarios
• Skill-based scheduling to align forecasted workloads with agent skills, language capabilities, certifications, and shift requirements
• Agent self-service and flexible scheduling tools that enable agents to view schedules, request time off, exchange shifts, and participate in shift bidding while helping WFM teams maintain staffing requirements

During the interaction: manage intraday changes and maintain operational performance

Forecasts establish the workforce plan, and schedules get agents on the clock, but a WFM analyst must continuously monitor actual interaction volumes, agent availability, and schedule performance throughout the day to maintain service levels.

RingWEM helps teams respond through:

• Automated intraday management and AI recommendations to adjust staffing plans when interaction volumes shift, handle times change, or unexpected absences affect coverage
• Attendance monitoring and schedule adherence tracking to provide real-time visibility into agent availability, adherence data, and potential staffing gaps
• AI quality management and screen recording to evaluate 100% of customer interactions automatically, identify coaching opportunities, and understand process or system challenges affecting agent performance

After the interaction: use operational and customer intelligence to improve

Every customer interaction leaves behind signals that can influence future decisions. Customer sentiment, recurring contact reasons, and agent performance patterns help contact center leaders identify where staffing strategies, coaching priorities, or operational processes need adjustment.

RingWEM captures and analyzes these signals through:

• AI interaction analytics to analyze customer conversations, identify recurring contact drivers, sentiment trends, and issues contributing to escalations
• Customer surveys to capture direct feedback and compare customer perception with quality and operational performance
• Performance insights to help supervisors identify development opportunities, address knowledge gaps, and improve agent morale.

Stay ahead of evolving workforce engagement management trends with RingCentral RingWEM

The WEM practices that helped contact centers succeed a few years ago were built for a different operating environment. Today, customer expectations and business priorities influence one another more directly, placing greater pressure on every decision.

Learn how RingCentral RingWEM connects workforce decisions, agent performance, and customer outcomes in one platform to improve contact center operations.

FAQ

How can contact centers maintain visibility across onsite, remote, and hybrid teams?

Real-time attendance monitoring and adherence tracking give supervisors a clearer view of agent availability and schedule performance regardless of where an agent is located.

How can modern workforce engagement management software improve the agent experience?

Software linked to a mobile self-service app gives agents greater control over schedules and time-off requests while helping contact centers maintain their desired staffing levels.

How can contact centers better understand customer experience trends?

Tools like AI interaction analytics and customer surveys reveal sentiment patterns, recurring concerns, and emerging issues to drive improvements.

Originally published Jul 10, 2026