What is Workforce Engagement Management (WEM)?

Workforce engagement management (WEM) is a collection of contact center software applications designed to increase agent engagement throughout the employment life cycle. They do this by automating tasks associated with scheduling, performance management, quality management, and more. Workforce engagement management has become increasingly important as organizations compete on customer experience (CX). Engaged agents are more committed to organizational goals and will put in extra effort to deliver great experiences.

The term workforce engagement management was coined by Gartner and encompasses the following software functionality:

• Recruitment and onboarding
• Evaluation and improvement
• Time management
• Assistance and task management
• Metrics and recognition
• Voice of the employee

The best WEM tools are designed with agents in mind. They foster engagement through concepts like flexible scheduling, ongoing professional development, data accessibility and transparency, and more.

What applications are included in WEM?

Workforce engagement management suites typically include the following contact center applications:

• Workforce management (WFM): Workforce management tools automate the core contact center functions of volume forecasting, agent scheduling, and intraday management. WFM software is a critical component of WEM, because accurate and flexible scheduling has a significant impact on agent satisfaction and engagement.
• Quality management: Quality management software automates key quality assurance processes and engages agents by facilitating better quality coaching and two-way dialog.
• Performance management: Performance management software plays an important role in WEM by enabling ongoing professional development and engaging agents. Its capabilities include agent dashboards, performance plan workflows, and gamification of performance goals.