--- title: Exploring Workforce Optimization for ITSM description: Use Workforce Optimization for ITSM to optimize your workforce and manage your teams efficiently. Coach your teams so that they gain the skills that let you address the demands from your customers. Efficiently schedule your teams work to provide better coverage with integrated channel management. locale: en-US canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/exploring-workforce-optimization-wfo-itsm.html release: australia product: Workforce Optimization for IT Service Management classification: workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management topic_type: concept last_updated: "2026-03-12" reading_time_minutes: 5 breadcrumb: [Workforce Optimization for ITSM, IT Service Management] --- # Exploring Workforce Optimization for ITSM Use Workforce Optimization for ITSM to optimize your workforce and manage your teams efficiently. Coach your teams so that they gain the skills that let you address the demands from your customers. Efficiently schedule your teams work to provide better coverage with integrated channel management. **Important:** Starting with the Brazil release, Workforce Optimization for ITSM is being prepared for future deprecation. It will be hidden and no longer installed on new instances but will continue to be supported. For details, see the [Deprecation Process \[KB0867184\]](https://support.servicenow.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0867184) article in the Now Support Knowledge Base. ## Workforce Optimization for ITSM overview As a manager, you can monitor the demand for agents and skills in your organization to resolve issues. Assess agent skills, identify areas where they need improvement and provide training to enhance their skills set. Track your teams performance, and manage the schedule of all agents in your assignment group—all from a unified location. As an agent, you can manage your own schedule, access the schedules of your peers and request time off or shift swaps. To plan for your Workforce Optimization for ITSM implementation, see [Getting started with Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/getting-started-workforce-optimization-itsm.md). ## Workforce Optimization for ITSM workflow The image displays the manager workflow between the different modules in Workforce Optimization for ITSM. Each of these modules can be used independently or together in the application. \[Omitted image "manager-wfo-itsm.png"\] Alt text: Infographic that shows the Workforce Optimization for ITSM Manager workflow. See the text description for the infographic next section. ## Channel Management Monitor your team in real time and jump in to help when there’s a need. Using this application, you can also: - Route work to specific groups based on agent skills - Review real-time performance as the team is actively working on tasks across channels - Monitor pending work items in a queue ## Scheduling Access the calendar of your teams to know which agents are scheduled for coverage and which agents have taken time off. Using the application, you can also: - Assign agents to shifts - Define break time - Preview and publish team schedule - Approve agent time-off or shift-swap requests ## Work scheduler Plan your teams' work and assign work items based on their skills, availability, capacity, and time zone. Using the application, you can also: - View your teams' shifts, events, and work assignments - Assign or reassign work items from a central location - Use matching rules to rank team members - Add criteria for matching rules to assign work items based on the rules ## Teams Monitor performance trends for your teams using KPI groups. Create a set of KPIs and apply them to all groups within a team and assess team performance from one location. Using the application, you can also: - Identify all the teams that you manage as well as the ones you have visibility into - Analyze KPIs that are crucial for your team - Drill into agents within each team and monitor their performance - Access the profile of each agent to view details such as their manager, peers, and assignment groups - Drill down into the skills for each agent or recommend them for coaching ## Coaching and Skills Assessment Enhance the quality of work done by your agents using Coaching. Use Predictive Intelligence to recommend skills based on issues the agents have resolved. Create coaching opportunities based on the recommendation and train the agents to acquire those skills. Using this application, you can also: - Automate the scoring, grading, and assessment of agent skills - Use coaching opportunities to create assessments - Track training assigned to agents based on their assessments - Analyze the skill gap and recommend training ## Getting started with Workforce Optimization for ITSM Easily find tasks that you must complete in a module in Workforce Optimization for ITSM. |Workforce Optimization for ITSM modules|Benefit|Finding tasks to complete in the module| |---------------------------------------|-------|---------------------------------------| |Channels|Automatically route work to assigned groups|[Getting started with Channels in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/exploring-channels-configurable-workforce-optimization-itsm.md)| |Schedule|Schedule your teams' work using Schedule|[Getting started with Scheduling in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/explore-schedule-configurable-wfo-itsm.md)| |Work Scheduler|Assign work using Work scheduler|[Getting started with Work scheduler in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/work-scheduling-wfo-itsm.md)| |Teams|Analyze team performance using Teams|[Getting started with Teams in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/explore-teams-configurable-workforce-optimization-itsm.md)| |Coaching|Train your teams with Coaching with Learning|[Getting started with Coaching in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-service-management/workforce-optimization-for-it-service-management/explore-coaching-configurable-workforce-optimization-itsm.md)|