Forecasting case and conversation volumes in Dynamics 365 Contact Center

Forecasting case and conversation volumes in Dynamics 365 Contact Center (Advanced AI-driven demand prediction for strategic and operational planning).

Real-time User Journey

This journey describes how a Contact Center Supervisor uses forecasting to ensure operational readiness:

1. Trend Analysis: The Supervisor opens the Forecasting dashboard and reviews AI-generated predictions for the next quarter (Long-term) based on historical data.
2. Slicing the Data: They filter the forecast by Channel (e.g., Voice vs. Chat) and Queue to see where the heaviest volume is expected.
3. External Data Integration: To get a complete picture, the Supervisor Imports workload data from an external legacy system to include channels not yet migrated to Dynamics 365.
4. Operational Adjustment: Seeing a predicted surge in chat volume for the upcoming week (Short-term), the Supervisor adjusts agent shift schedules to ensure SLA compliance.
5. Export for Stakeholders: The Supervisor Exports the interactive charts into a spreadsheet for the monthly budget meeting to justify hiring additional seasonal staff.

Step-by-Step: How to Enable This Feature

To enable and configure forecasting, follow these steps in the Dynamics 365 admin interface:

• Step 1: Access Configuration

Sign in to the Customer Service admin center or Contact Center admin center.

• Step 2: Navigate to Insights

Go to Operations > Insights > Forecasting.

• Step 3: Create a Forecast Scenario

Select Create to set up a new forecasting scenario. You will need to:

• Choose the Channel type (Case or Conversation).
• Select the Historical period (Microsoft recommends at least 6–12 months of data for accuracy).
• Step 4: Configure Data Slicing

Define the attributes for slicing (e.g., by Queue or Organization Unit). This allows the AI to generate more granular predictions.

• Step 5: Run and Schedule

Save the scenario and run the initial forecast. You can set the forecast to Auto-refresh (daily or weekly) so the predictions stay current with the latest interaction data.

• Step 6: (Optional) External Import

If using external data, navigate to the Import section within the forecasting tool and upload your .csv file following the provided schema.

Infographic: Forecasting Capabilities

Feature	Scope	Key Benefit
Long-term Forecasting	Daily volumes for months/years.	Strategic hiring and budget planning.
Short-term Forecasting	Intraday (15/30 min) intervals.	Precise agent scheduling and shift management.
Data Slicing	By Channel, Queue, or Skill.	Identifying specific bottlenecks before they happen.
External Integration	Supports 3rd party workload data.	Holistic view of the entire contact center.
Interactive Charts	Visual trend comparison.	Quick interpretation of complex demand patterns.

References

Forecasting case and conversation volumes in Dynamics 365 Contact Center