Amazon Connect Customer Scheduling Optimizes Activity Placement

Amazon Connect Customer's Forecasting, Capacity Planning, and Scheduling (FCS) now includes an 'optimize activity' feature that automates the placement of non-phone activities. The algorithm automatically selects the optimal time to minimize impact on service level goals by considering demand forecasts, current staffing, and service level targets. This process, which previously took hours manually, now completes in under a minute.

The optimize activity feature supports three flexible placement modes: 'Any time within shift' for maximum optimization, 'Time window' to constrain placement within specific hours, and 'Relative to shift' to position activities consistently near shift boundaries. Each mode offers different levels of control for scheduling activities like coaching, training, or meetings.

Optimized activities can be configured as 'shared,' where all selected agents participate at the same time, or 'individual,' where each agent's activity is optimized independently. Shared activities are suitable for group sessions and require minimum attendance, while individual activities support multi-day scheduling and are ideal for one-on-one sessions.

Contact centers face the challenge of scheduling non-phone activities like coaching and training without degrading service levels. Manual placement is time-consuming and often suboptimal, leading to predictable staffing valleys and difficulties with multi-day activities. This post discusses strategic uses for activity placement, including timing shrinkage around volume patterns, driving adherence, coordinating readiness for campaign surges, controlling costs, and improving customer experience.

To use the optimize activity feature, users need an active Amazon Connect instance with Forecasting, Capacity Planning, and Scheduling (FCS) enabled, at least one published schedule with configured staffing groups and agents, and a generated forecast. Shift activities must be defined in FCS, and users require appropriate security profile permissions.