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Many public safety communications centers rely on schedules that look accurate on paper but quickly break down once real-world conditions change. 

In this recorded webinar, Wilmac Technologies highlights a gap that surprises many 911 leaders: workforce management is a standard in nearly every communications and call-taking environment, yet public safety has largely been left without it. 

Scheduling creates the static “who works when” roster. Workforce management is the broader, dynamic system that uses data, such as call volume forecasts, to guide staffing decisions and help centers stay steady when conditions shift. 

You will learn why workforce management became a must-have everywhere else, what has held PSAPs back, and how Wilmac Continuity WFM brings this capability to emergency communications in a way that supports reliable coverage, reduces administrative burden, and improves operational continuity. 

Workforce Management vs. Scheduling: Transforming Public Safety Staffing with Wilmac Continuity WFM

Public safety communications centers operate in a mission-critical environment where staffing accuracy directly impacts service reliability. Yet many centers still rely on spreadsheets or basic scheduling tools that were never designed to handle constant intraday changes, complex rules, or fluctuating demand. 

This webinar provides a practical explanation of workforce management, how it differs from scheduling, and why that difference matters in emergency communications environments. Wilmac Technologies shares real-world insights into how workforce management improves visibility, consistency, and control across daily operations. 

What is Workforce Management (WFM)?

Workforce management has been a standard in communications and call-taking operations for more than 30 years across industries like customer service, financial services, and healthcare. Public safety communications centers, however, have largely been left without it, relying instead on static schedules and manual processes even as conditions change constantly. 

Workforce management uses data to plan and manage staffing in real time. It connects schedules to operational demand through forecasting, applies labor rules consistently, and shows how staffing aligns with workload throughout the day. Modern workforce management platforms use built-in artificial intelligence to analyze historical patterns, forecast demand, and flag staffing risks earlier. 

Wilmac Continuity WFM brings this approach to 911 operations. Built for PSAPs, it combines forecasting, built-in artificial intelligence, and real-time operational control to move beyond static scheduling. 

Workforce Management vs. Scheduling 

Scheduling focuses on creating a plan. It answers a single question: who is working, and when? Once published, that plan quickly becomes outdated in a 911 environment where call volume shifts, absences happen, and coverage needs change throughout the day.

Workforce management is built for that reality. It goes beyond scheduling by bringing automation, centralization, and artificial intelligence into one operational approach, helping communications centers maintain reliable coverage and make staffing decisions with greater speed and consistency.

In the webinar, Wilmac Technologies explains how workforce management supports PSAP operations by: 

• Automating time off, overtime, swaps, and schedule adjustments so teams spend less time on manual coordination
• Centralizing staffing workflows and data into a single system to reduce visibility gaps and inconsistent processes 
• Using forecasting and built-in artificial intelligence to interpret historical patterns, anticipate demand, and flag coverage risks earlier 

For 911 centers, this difference goes beyond operations. Workforce management helps centers maintain workforce continuity so teams can stay focused on serving the public with dependable, uninterrupted emergency communications. 

Key Areas Covered in the Webinar

Automating scheduling and staffing workflows 

Supervisors and scheduling leads often manage bids, schedule changes, time off, and overtime through spreadsheets and disconnected tools. The webinar demonstrates how Wilmac Continuity WFM automates these repetitive, rules-based workflows while maintaining human oversight. 

Key outcomes include: 

• Faster schedule creation
• Streamlined bidding and approval workflows
• Reduced manual coordination and fewer errors

Centralizing workforce management into one system 

Fragmented tools create visibility gaps and operational risk. The webinar shows how centralizing workforce management improves accuracy, transparency, and consistency across daily operations. 

Key outcomes include: 

• One source of truth for schedules and staffing data
• Real-time updates visible to everyone who relies on the schedule
• Reduced dependency on a single scheduling expert

Using data and forecasting to support staffing decisions

The session explores how workforce management incorporates forecasting and reporting to help centers anticipate needs instead of reacting to problems. 

Key outcomes include: 

• Better alignment between call volume and staffing 
• Earlier identification of overtime and coverage gaps 
• Faster insights through natural-language reporting with AskWFM 

So, when it comes to WFM vs scheduling, the two work together and without WFM, scheduling isn’t optimized.

Strengthen Workforce Continuity and Operational Readiness

Scheduling alone is no longer sufficient for today’s emergency communications environments. Workforce management provides the structure, visibility, and adaptability required to maintain reliable coverage as conditions change. 

Wilmac Continuity WFM helps organizations improve workforce reliability by automating scheduling workflows, supporting real-time operational decisions, improving compliance, and ensuring every shift is staffed with the right people at the right time.