5 Benefits of Adding a Workforce Management Solution to Your PSAP

As a Sales Engineer, I have worked with leading police forces in the United Kingdom, where the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) helps emergency services adopt workforce management (WFM) strategies to improve efficiency and resource allocation. Similar to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) in North America, EENA highlights the importance of having the right personnel with the right skills in the right desk to serve the public. 

That experience showed me how vital WFM is for both budget control and rapid, high-quality emergency response. Yet many Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in North America still manage 24/7 schedules with spreadsheets, manual processes, or generic scheduling software, resulting in too much time spent reworking rosters, juggling callouts, and struggling to meet minimum staffing requirements. 

As call volumes rise, PSAP leaders face a key question: how can we cover every seat, every time, without exhausting people or budgets? 

A modern workforce management solution is becoming the answer. 

Workforce management refers to the processes and tools that optimize the productivity, efficiency, and performance of a team. For PSAPs, that means forecasting call volumes, automating schedules, managing leave, and ensuring compliance with labor rules. Modern workforce management solutions also incorporate AI-driven forecasting, automated workflows, and real-time reporting, enabling agencies to make data-informed decisions, adapt to changing demands quickly, and enhance overall operational effectiveness. 

The right WFM approach goes beyond simple scheduling. It helps centers maintain consistent coverage, minimize manual tasks, and give dispatchers and call-takers more control over their work-life balance. 

Use historical call trends to accurately schedule call-takers and dispatchers during peak periods. 

View key metrics in one place and quickly adjust to changing conditions. 

Assign and manage shifts efficiently to meet staffing requirements. 

Gain the data needed to make timely, informed decisions. 

Enable self-service time-off requests with built-in approvals or waitlists. 

Workforce management is a common practice in the traditional call center space, but those approaches do not directly fit the needs of a 911 center. In call centers, schedules are typically built around individual agents, without considering desk assignments or the unique operational requirements of public safety.  

Unlike commercial call centers, 911 centers must account for the intricacies of specialized roles, varying local practices, and the critical nature of emergency response, making a tailored approach to workforce management essential. 

Many PSAPs still rely on spreadsheets, paper processes, or generic scheduling software to manage complex, round-the-clock schedules. These tools were never built for the high-volume, mission-critical environments of 911 centers. 

Supervisors spend hours reworking schedules to handle callouts, vacations, or emergencies and often communicate changes through emails or texts, creating delays and increasing the chance of errors. Traditional tools rarely provide real-time visibility into who is on post, on break, or needs relief, making it difficult to respond to sudden spikes in call volume from special events. 

As call volumes rise and staffing remains tight in every 911 center, these gaps make it harder to meet minimum staffing requirements, control overtime, and support employee well-being. Without a purpose-built workforce management solution, maintaining efficiency and compliance becomes an ongoing challenge. Increasingly, agencies are also looking to leverage AI-driven workforce management, which can bring smarter forecasting, automated schedule adjustments, and proactive insights to better meet the evolving demands of 911 operations. 

For over 30 years, Wilmac has helped public safety agencies modernize critical operations. Now, Wilmac Continuity WFM extends that mission as the first AI-powered workforce management platform purpose-built for public safety. It gives 911 centers the visibility, flexibility, and real-time control needed to cover every seat without burning out their people or their budget. 

It also equips leaders with real-time data to forecast staffing needs, respond to growing call volumes, and plan for evolving emergency scenarios. By automating routine tasks and providing live seat-level insight, Wilmac Continuity WFM frees supervisors to focus on training, quality of service, and team well-being.