Empowering Workforce Management: The Essential Technical Skills for Success
Ten years ago, a WFM team could manage by extracting canned reports in CSV format, transforming them in Excel, pivoting the data, and generating reports. It was a manual process, but the data requirements for running the business were not as intense, allowing the business to cope. Fast forward, the volume of data in contact centers and WFM platforms has increased significantly, at least by an order of magnitude. The rapid production of data is now overwhelming for the process I mentioned above.
Therefore, WFM teams need to evolve their technical skills to handle and transform these large volumes of data in a more manageable manner. Some might argue that it's not part of the job description, and that data engineering or data analytics teams should handle such requests. While this is true to some extent, other critical business functions like sales, marketing, finance, and risk also require similar support due to their increased scope. This leads to two options: 1) Waiting in queue for the data engineering/analytics team, or 2) Gaining a fundamental understanding of data engineering and visualization to ensure self-reliance for success. Additionally, it's important to note that contact center/WFM data isn't always seen as mission-critical for business operations, which might result in lower priority and longer waiting times.
Thankfully, there are three fundamental technical skill sets that can be learned. Well, more accurately, two core skills and a third skill if you want to future-proof your WFM career:
1) Data Querying: Instead of relying on the data analytics team to retrieve data from databases, learn how to write simple SQL statements to access data on your own. A useful SQL tutorial can be found here: [https://www.w3schools.com/sql/](https://www.w3schools.com/sql/). Starting with data querying is essential because it's where you learn not only how to retrieve large amounts of data, but also how to transform it. Transformation could be as straightforward as grouping similar measurements together in a new column, or as complex as enhancing data by joining seemingly unrelated data sets.
2) Data Visualization: After obtaining your queried data, the challenge is to make sense of it. Learn how to use popular data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, or Microstrategy. These tools share similarities, so mastering one can help you navigate others. One often underrated feature of these visualization tools is the ability to set up automated schedules. This means your SQL queries can run at specific times or based on trigger events, updating your reports automatically. This saves a lot of manual extraction time.
3) Bonus: Data Engineering: Congratulations, you can now query existing tables in your company's databases and visualize data. But what about ingesting new data sources and creating new tables? This is where basic programming skills come in, such as Python. You can learn to create simple data pipelines, which involve taking data from a source, transforming it, and loading it into usable tables. There are many data management applications available, but the major players are Azure (Microsoft), AWS (Amazon Web Services), and Google Cloud. Learning one platform often translates to learning the others, as they offer similar features. This skill can greatly enhance your ability to work with diverse data sources and maintain efficient workflows.
The landscape of workforce management has dramatically evolved over the past decade, with data becoming the backbone of effective decision-making. While traditional manual processes sufficed in the past, the exponential growth of data in contact centers and WFM platforms demands a shift in approach. WFM professionals are urged to embrace these essential technical skill sets. Learning to independently query, transform, and visualize data empowers teams to swiftly derive insights from vast datasets. Additionally, delving into basic data engineering provides a crucial edge by enabling the handling of new data sources and optimizing processes. As WFM roles continue to evolve in an era of data-driven decision-making, mastering these skills not only ensures self-sufficiency but also propels careers forward in an increasingly dynamic landscape.