Navigate the Main Forecast page

AI-generated summary

Genesys Cloud provides comprehensive forecasting and workforce planning capabilities through its Main Forecast page, which integrates up to 5 years of historical interaction data with 2 years of forecast projections across multiple media types including inbound voice, chat, callbacks, messages, and email. The platform presents data in graphical and tabular formats at 15/30/60 minute, daily, and weekly intervals, with data retention varying by granularity: 15-60 minute intervals retain 59 weeks of forecast and 31 weeks of actuals, daily granularity extends to 261 weeks of actuals, and weekly granularity covers all available data. Access to the Main Forecast interface requires specific licensing (Genesys Cloud CX 1-4, Digital, WEM Add-on, or EX) and appropriate permissions including Workforce Management, Forecast, Analytics, and Routing queue access. The platform offers multiple visualization formats: Historical view for comparing actual interactions against past forecast snapshots, Trend view for identifying patterns, Forecast view for current and future projections, Graph view for high-level trend and anomaly identification, and Table view for precise column-based analysis. Navigation features include Business Unit selector, Date Range Selector with timezone information, Granularity Selector supporting multiple intervals, and Zoom level Selector with pre-configured and manual scroll options. Users can zoom using Ctrl+mouse scroll (Windows) or Command+ (Mac), with supported granularities varying by zoom level: 15, 30, and 60-minute intervals for periods up to 2 weeks; daily granularity for ranges from one week to 2 months; and weekly granularity for the entire data range. The platform supports metric selection defaulting to Offered interactions, with Average Handle Time available as an alternative. Key analytical capabilities include automated nightly forecast snapshots enabling version comparison for accuracy validation, though snapshots cannot be used for scheduling or capacity planning. The Analysis section enables dataset comparison through three options: Forecast Snapshots display automatically generated nightly forecasts from specific past dates, Actual Overlays permit pinning historical data segments to specific forecast weeks for direct comparison, and the Detected Outliers tab displays statistical outliers identified during forecast generation. Genesys Cloud automatically detects and normalizes outlier values—actuals that differ significantly from expected patterns—during continuous forecast generation to improve accuracy while preserving original historical values. The Detected Outliers tab provides planning group identification, occurrence week, actual historical values, normalized expected values, and percentage differences to explain forecast calculations. Outlier detection operates at weekly granularity only and is performed separately for each planning group. Visual indicators appear based on granularity settings: weekly granularity displays a marker for the week containing the outlier, while daily, hourly, or interval granularity highlights the entire affected week with a shaded band. The Main Forecast view includes multiple supporting widgets: the Totals widget displays forecast totals for selected metrics within the date range; the Data Comparison widget shows graph values on hover and provides details including continuous forecast, actuals, and additional datasets, with optional comparative analysis data when both forecast and actuals are available, and supports locking data points via double-click for stable reference exploration; the Planning Group widget filters data by planning groups using Quick Filter for name-based searches or Advanced Search for Media Type, Queue, Language, and Skills criteria; and the Display Options widget offers Reset colors and Reset all settings functions to restore default view configurations. Genesys Cloud workforce management supports inbound voice, chat, callbacks, messages, and email media types for forecasting and scheduling, with scheduled callbacks, non-scheduled callbacks, and ACD voicemail appearing as callbacks in forecasts and schedules.

PrerequisitesClick to expand

Genesys Cloud CX 3, Genesys Cloud CX 4, Genesys Cloud CX 3 Digital, Genesys Cloud CX 1 WEM Add-on II, Genesys Cloud CX 2 WEM Add-on I, or Genesys Cloud EX license
The following permissions:
- All permissions under Workforce Management > mainForecast
- Workforce Management > mainForecast – View
- Workforce Management > Planning group – View
- Analytics > conversationsAggregate – View
- Routing > Queue – View

The Main Forecast view displays actual and forecasted aggregate interaction data. Forecasts include up to 104 weeks (two years) of data, while actuals include up to 261 weeks (five years) of data. The data includes and . Data is organized by planning groups and can be filtered by metric, dates, and planning groups. You can view the data in table and graph views.

The Main Forecast page also helps you understand how Genesys Cloud generates forecasts by detecting and normalizing outliers. Outliers are actuals that differ significantly from expected values. During forecast generation, Genesys Cloud automatically normalizes these values and uses the normalized values instead of the outlier values to improve forecast accuracy. The Detected Outliers tab displays actual values that Genesys Cloud identified as outliers during forecast generation.

The Main Forecast view has the following sections:

Forecast navigation sectionClick to expand

The main content of the view includes a graph and options to retrieve and explore the data.

Displays the Main forecast page

The Main Forecast view displays one metric at a time. Use the metric selector list available on the upper left corner of the Main Forecast page to switch between Offered and Average Handle Time metric. The Offered metric is displayed by default.

Time zone selector

Select a time zone from the list on the upper right corner. This field displays the forecast in the time zone of the Business Unit by default.

Business Unit selector

Access the data for a specific business unit by selecting it from the Business Unit selector on the upper right corner.

Main Forecast views

The Main Forecast views include:

– View the historical portion of the data including all the actual interaction data in Genesys Cloud and any data that is imported via Historical Data Import. By default, Genesys Cloud stores up to five years of history. You can use the Historical view to compare historical actuals to past Continuous Forecast snapshots to measure forecast accuracy.
– View data trends. The graph is a combination of Historical and Forecast Views and allows access to all available data for the Business Unit.
– View the forecast graph of the current and future portions of the data. You can further use the Forecast View to compare forecast and actual overlays data.
– View the Main Forecast in graph format. You can use the graph for high-level exploration that reveals trends, seasonality, and anomalies at a glance.
– View the Main Forecast in a column-based table that displays exact values and enables side-by-side comparison of intervals, snapshots, and overlays. Use the table view when you need precise, accessible, column-level analysis.

Latest

Navigates to the latest data point (most recently generated forecast) in the graph view or the corresponding row in the table view. This option is available only in the Trend view.

Date Range Selector

Filter data to a specific date range. In addition, upon mouse hover over, view the business unit time zone and display time zone details.

Zoom level Selector

Control the range of the data that you want to view on the graph. You can use the different pre-configured zoom levels to quickly navigate the graph.

The zoom level impacts the granularity displayed in the forecast chart and when the zoom level does not match the pre-defined options, it is blank. You can also zoom in and out of the chart using the Ctrl and mouse scroll wheel (Windows) and command + (Mac).

Granularity Selector

Control the granularity of the data you want to view. The following table illustrates the supported granularities per zoom level:

Granularity	Supported Zoom Level
15 minutes	<= 2 weeks
30 minutes	<= 2 weeks
60 minutes	<= 2 weeks
Day	=> one week <= 2 months
Week	=> one Month

The Main Forecast page supports:

15 mins, 30 mins, or 60-mins granularity for the first 59 weeks of the continuous forecast and most recent 31 weeks of actuals.
Daily granularity for the first 59 weeks of the continuous forecast and up to 261 weeks of actuals.
Weekly granularity for the entire range of available data.

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Option

Description

Main forecast metric selector

Time zone selector

Select a time zone from the list on the upper right corner. This field displays the forecast in the time zone of the Business Unit by default.

Business Unit selector

Access the data for a specific business unit by selecting it from the Business Unit selector on the upper right corner.

Forecast status

Displays the current status of the Main Forecast. When changes that affect the forecast occur, such as a historical data import or planning group configuration change, Genesys Cloud rebuilds the forecasting model.

The forecast status changes as the model rebuild progresses:

Up to date: The Main Forecast displays the latest available forecasting results.
Forecast data is stale: Changes that affect the forecast occurred and the displayed forecast does not yet reflect those changes.
Forecast retraining in progress: Genesys Cloud is rebuilding the forecasting model to incorporate the changes.
New forecast available: The model rebuild completed and updated forecasting results are available. Click Refresh to display the latest forecast.

Refresh

When a new forecast becomes available, Genesys Cloud displays a notification. Click Refresh to load the latest forecasting results. After you refresh the forecast, the status returns to Up to date.

Main Forecast views

The Main Forecast views include:

– View the historical portion of the data including all the actual interaction data in Genesys Cloud and any data that is imported via Historical Data Import. By default, Genesys Cloud stores up to five years of history. You can use the Historical view to compare historical actuals to past Continuous Forecast snapshots to measure forecast accuracy.
– View data trends. The graph is a combination of Historical and Forecast Views and allows access to all available data for the Business Unit.
– View the forecast graph of the current and future portions of the data. You can further use the Forecast View to compare forecast and actual overlays data.
– View the Main Forecast in graph format. You can use the graph for high-level exploration that reveals trends, seasonality, and anomalies at a glance.
– View the Main Forecast in a column-based table that displays exact values and enables side-by-side comparison of intervals, snapshots, and overlays. Use the table view when you need precise, accessible, column-level analysis.

Latest

Navigates to the latest data point (most recently generated forecast) in the graph view or the corresponding row in the table view. This option is available only in the Trend view.

Date Range Selector

Filter data to a specific date range. In addition, upon mouse hover over, view the business unit time zone and display time zone details.

Zoom level Selector

Control the range of the data that you want to view on the graph. You can use the different pre-configured zoom levels to quickly navigate the graph.

Granularity Selector

Control the granularity of the data you want to view. The following table illustrates the supported granularities per zoom level:

Granularity	Supported Zoom Level
15 minutes	<= 2 weeks
30 minutes	<= 2 weeks
60 minutes	<= 2 weeks
Day	=> one week <= 2 months
Week	=> one Month

The Main Forecast page supports:

15 mins, 30 mins, or 60-mins granularity for the first 59 weeks of the continuous forecast and most recent 31 weeks of actuals.
Daily granularity for the first 59 weeks of the continuous forecast and up to 261 weeks of actuals.
Weekly granularity for the entire range of available data.

Analysis sectionClick to expand

Click the image to enlarge.

Analysis section displays actuals versus forecast fields

This section allows selection of additional analysis datasets to compare historical and forecast information. Depending on the selected analysis option, you can compare historical forecasts, overlay historical actuals, or review detected outliers that influenced forecast generation.

Category	Description
Forecast Snapshots	View the forecasts generated in the past. These forecasts are automatically generated and updated every night, providing refreshed predicted values. You can view a snapshot of the continuous forecast generated in the past on a specific day, allowing you to compare its past versions of the forecast with the current version. Continuous forecast snapshots do not include modifications as they are system-predicted values. For example, if you select a snapshot from one week ago, the chart displays the continuous forecast generated one week ago. You cannot use snapshots for scheduling or capacity planning but you can use it to compare with historical actuals for accuracy and also compare with newer forecasts to see how the forecast has changed over time. To configure the color of the snapshot line on the chart, click the colored circle next to the snapshot name and choose a color from the palette. Click the image to enlarge.
Actual Overlays	Pin segments of the historical data to a specific week in the forecast. For example, you can show last week’s actuals starting this week to make a comparison.

Category

Description

Forecast Snapshots

View the forecasts generated in the past. These forecasts are automatically generated and updated every night, providing refreshed predicted values. You can view a snapshot of the continuous forecast generated in the past on a specific day, allowing you to compare its past versions of the forecast with the current version.

Continuous forecast snapshots do not include modifications as they are system-predicted values. For example, if you select a snapshot from one week ago, the chart displays the continuous forecast generated one week ago. You cannot use snapshots for scheduling or capacity planning but you can use it to compare with historical actuals for accuracy and also compare with newer forecasts to see how the forecast has changed over time.

To configure the color of the snapshot line on the chart, click the colored circle next to the snapshot name and choose a color from the palette. Click the image to enlarge.

Actual Overlays

Pin segments of the historical data to a specific week in the forecast. For example, you can show last week’s actuals starting this week to make a comparison.

Detected outliers sectionClick to expand

The Detected Outliers tab displays historical values that Genesys Cloud identified as statistical outliers during forecast generation.

Genesys Cloud automatically detects and normalizes outlier values when generating the continuous forecast. Although the historical actual value remains unchanged, the forecasting engine uses the normalized value instead of the outlier value when calculating future forecasts.

For each detected outlier, the tab displays information that helps explain the forecast calculations, including:

the planning group
the week in which the outlier occurred
the actual historical value
the expected (normalized) value used for forecasting
the percentage difference between the actual and expected values

For example, if the historical value for a planning group is 227 interactions but that value is identified as an outlier, Genesys Cloud may use a normalized value of 693 interactions when generating the forecast. The Detected Outliers tab allows you to understand why the forecast is based on the normalized value instead of the historical value.

Notes:

Outliers are detected only at weekly granularity.
Outlier detection is performed separately for each planning group. Changing the selected planning groups updates the detected outliers that appear in the tab.
If the selected date range does not contain any detected outliers, the tab displays No outliers detected.

When the selected date range contains detected outliers, the graph displays visual indicators based on the selected granularity.

Granularity	Display
Weekly	Displays a marker for the week that contains the detected outlier.
Daily, hourly, or interval granularity	Highlights the entire affected week with a shaded band instead of displaying a marker.

This behaviour reflects that outliers are detected only at the weekly level.

Data or widget selection sectionClick to expand

Click the image to enlarge.

Data or widget section that displays the data corresponding to the widget selected.

The right side of the Main Forecast view displays several widgets that provide additional information and options.

Widget	Description
Totals widget	View forecast totals for the selected metric based on the selected date range.
Data Comparison widget	View graph values by hovering the mouse over the graph. View details such as continuous forecast, actuals, and any additional selected datasets. The widget displays data corresponding to the default data point. The default data point is Latest or middle of the graph, if Latest is not visible based on the selected date range. If both forecast and actuals are available for the specified data point, the comparison widget includes comparative analysis data, such as difference and accuracy. You can lock the data point on the graph or row in the table by double-clicking a data point. Once done, the Data Comparison widget remains fixed on the locked item and does not update as you move across other data points providing a stable reference point while exploring the dataset.
Planning Group widget	Select planning groups to filter the data. Use the Quick Filter to find planning groups based on their name. Use the Advanced Search option to find planning groups based on Media Type, Queue, Language, and Skills. Notes: Genesys Cloud has always detected and normalized outlier values during continuous forecast generation. The Detected Outliers tab provides visibility into those normalized values and explains how they influence forecast calculations. Workforce management supports inbound voice, chat, callbacks, messages, and email media types for forecasting and scheduling. Scheduled callbacks, non-scheduled callbacks, and ACD voicemail media types appear as callbacks in forecasts and schedules.
Display Options widget	Reset the Main Forecast view to defaults using the following options: Reset colors – resets all graph lines to use default colors. Reset all settings – resets all settings including the selected view, metric, date range, selected planning groups, selected datasets, and enabled widgets.

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