Agent Scheduling

To define a shift (such as the first day of the week, time format, start and end time, and the duration of break); allow shift notifications; and to allow agents to swap shifts and request leaves, in addition to configuring the respective approval workflows:

1. Click the Settings tab.

2. On the General subtab, specify values in the following fields.

   • First day of the week: This field contains the days of the week as options. Select the day when you want the work week to begin for a shift.

   • Time format: If you want the time in the shift to appear in the 12-hour time format, select 1:00 pm. If you want the time in the shift to appear in the 24-hour time format, select 13:00.

   • Open time: Select the start time of the shift.

   • Close time: Select the end time of the shift.

   • Default break duration: Select the duration of the break.

   • Show Reminders: Select this check box if you want agents to be notified when their shift begins. You can configure the time in minutes.

   • Allow agents to swap shifts: Select this checkbox only if you want to enable agents to request swapping of their shifts with other agents.

     The agent who receives a shift swapping request can accept or reject the request.

   • Require manager approval for swaps: Select this checkbox only if you want the shift swapping requests to be sent to the shift manager for approval.

     The shift manager is the user that appears in the Manager for approvals field on the Shift Details tab of the Agent Scheduling window.

   • Allow agents to request time off: Select this checkbox only if you want to enable agents to request leave
     

   • Require manager approval for time off requests: Select this checkbox only if you want leave requests to be sent to the leave manager for approval.
     

     The leave manager is the user that appears in the Manager column for the respective leave category on the Time Off Categories tab of the Agent Scheduling window.

3. Click Save.
   The general settings are configured.

To create a category for leave (for example, PTO, sick leave, and training):

1. Click the Settings tab, and then the Time Off Categories subtab.
   A table appears, displaying the following columns:
   • Time Off Category
   • Description
   • Manager
2. Click New.
   The Create Time Off Category window appears.
3. In the Name field, enter the time-off category name.
4. In the Description field, enter a description of the category.
5. From the Manager drop-down list, select the name of the manager who must be notified of the leave request..
6. Click Save.
   The leave category is created.

To create a work area for a shift (for example, IT, sales, security, and support):

1. Click the Settings tab and then the Areas subtab.
   The Areas window appears.
2. Click New.
   A blank row appears in the table.
3. In the Name field, enter a name for work area.
4. In the Description field, enter a description of the area.
5. Click Save.
   The work area is created.

You can use scheduling constraints to define parameters such as the agent's minimum shift duration, maximum shift duration, minimum time between shifts.

1. Click the Settings tab and then the Scheduling Constraints subtab.

2. Specify values in the following fields:

   Field	Description
   Agent's minimum shift duration (in minutes)	Enter the minimum shift duration for an agent. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed. The minimum value for this field is 15 minutes.
   Agent's maximum shift duration (in minutes)	Enter the maximum shift duration for an agent. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed. The minimum value for this field is 15 minutes.
   Agent's minimum minutes between shifts	Enter the minimum duration that you want to provide between shifts.
   Maximum number of hours per day for an agent	Enter the maximum number of hours per day that can be assigned to an agent.
   Maximum hours per week for an agent	Enter the maximum number of hours per week that can be assigned to an agent.
   Number of minutes after a shift starts that the first break can be scheduled	Enter the number of minutes after a shift starts that the first break can be scheduled. The minimum value for this field is 15 minutes.
   Number of minutes before a shift ends that the last break can be scheduled	Enter the number of minutes after a shift ends that the last break can be scheduled. The minimum value for this field is 15 minutes.
   Is a meal break required?	Select an option to provide details of the meal break.
   How many minutes does a person need to be scheduled to be eligible for a meal?	Enter the duration for which an agent needs to be scheduled on the job to be eligible for a meal break. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed.
   What is the duration of the meal?	Duration of the meal break. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed.
   Is the meal paid?	Whether the meal is paid for by the company.
   Is a break required?	Select an option to provide details of the break.
   How many minutes does a person need to be scheduled to be eligible for a break?	Enter the duration for which an agent needs to be scheduled on the job to be eligible for a break. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed.
   What is the duration of the break?	Duration of the break. The value automatically gets converted to hours and displayed.
   Number of minutes between meals and/or breaks	Enter the gap between meals or breaks.
   Maximum number of employees on break at one time	Select how many agents can be on a break at one time.
   Average agent hourly cost	Enter the cost per hour for an agent.

3. Click Save.

The Shifts tab allows you to create, copy and edit shift details. To create shifts:

1. In the Shifts tab, click New.
   The Create Shift window appears.
2. Specify the Shift Name.
3. Enter a description in the Create Shift window. Click Save.
   The shift gets created and a window appears.
   
4. Verify the shift name in the Shift name window.
5. Select the Manager for approvals from the drop-down menu to approve tasks for the shift.
6. Verify the description of the shift.
7. Select the Call Center from the drop-down menu to associate the shift to a specific call center.
8. Select the Number of slots you want to allocate for the shift.
9. Select the Work Area for the shift in the Area field. You can choose the area that you created on the Config tab.
10. Select the Start time of the shift.
11. Select the End time of the shift.
12. You can choose to assign a color to a shift to distinguish between multiple shifts.
13. Select the Required skills for the shift you are creating. Select the skills from the Available column and move to the Selected column.
14. Select the Allow break checkbox to define the break time duration for the shift. You can configure the break duration in increments of 5 minutes.
    1. Select the Break duration from the drop-down menu.
15. Define the Schedule of the Shift:
    1. Select the Start date and End date.

    2. Select specific days of the week.

You can edit shift details from the Schedule tab.

1. Select the shift you want to edit and click Edit.
2. Modify the required fields.
3. Click Save.

You can assign shifts by drag and drop.

1. From the Assign drop-down menu, click By Drag & Drop.
2. In the Shift column, double-click the first cell select a shift. The available shifts appear in the drop-down.
3. Select a shift from the drop-down menu. 
   In the first row, the shift and the shift timings appear. 
4. From the first row, drag the shift and drop it in the corresponding agent cell to assign the shift.
5. You can do this for the number of slots available for the respective shift. After all the slots are filled, you cannot apply that shift to other agents.
6. Click Publish to save all the changes and make the schedule available for the agents and other managers.

You can change the hours for the shift and breaks per shift.

1. Double-click the shift you want to modify for an agent in the Agents section. The Edit Assignment pop-up window appears.
2. Click the + (plus) icon for the required shift.
3. Modify required options. You can modify Start time, End time, add or delete breaks. You can also add comments.
4. Click the Save button.

You can also assign not ready reasons to agents. To assign not ready reasons:

1. Double-click the shift you want to modify for an agent in the Agents section. The Edit Assignment pop-up window appears.
2. Select a reason from the list. 
   
3. Click Save.

1. From the Assign drop-down menu, click In Bulk.
2. Select the Scope to assign the shift for a specific time.
3. You can Filter the list of Available Agents by:
   1. Agent Name
   2. Call Center
   3. Agent Team
   4. Agent Skills
4. Select one or multiple agents (hold CTRL to select multiple) from the Agents available column and move them to Agents to schedule column.
5. Click Save to save the shift assignment.
6. Click the Publish button on the bottom-right corner of the Agent Scheduler to save all the changes and make the schedule available for the agents and other managers.

1. From the Assign drop-down menu, click By Copying Across Dates.
2. Select Source and Target date range.
3. Select the list of Agents to assign the shift.
4. Click the Copy button and the Publish button.

1. Click the Schedules tab and then click the By Shift tab.
2. From the Shift drop-down menu, select the shift.
3. Click the +Assign Available Slots option. The Assign Available Slots window appears.
4. From the Agent drop-down list, select the agent to whom you want to assign the shift.
5. In the Available Slot to Assign column, double-click on the cell to select a slot.
6. From the drop-down list, select a slot.
7. Click Assign to save the changes.

1. Click the Schedules tab and then click the Available Slots tab.
2. Click Auto Schedule. The Auto Schedule window appears.
3. From the Select a published forecast drop-down, select a published forecast.
4. From the Select a shift option, select a shift to which you want to assign agents. If you want to create a new shift, click Or Create a new shift option and then create a new shift.
5. From the Assign Agent section, select one of the options and then click OK.

You can generate the forecast report that you have created and download it in CSV format to your local drive. To generate the report:

1. Double-click the name of the forecast for which you want to generate the report. The Forecast Parameters window appears. 
2. Click the Generate Report button. 
3. Open the CSV file to view the details or save the file to your desktop.

Based on the forecast you have created, you can assign agents to shifts by using the Auto Schedule option. Before you auto-schedule work, ensure that the forecast that you have created is published.

1. In the Agent Scheduling window, click Auto Schedule. The Auto Schedule window appears.
2. From the Select a published forecast drop-down list, select a published forecast.
3. From the Select a shift drop-down list, select a shift.
   After you select a shift, from the Choose a model for each day in the shift pane, you can edit the forecast date for a specific shift date.
4. If you want to create a new shift, select the Or create a new shift option, and then click Configure. See Shift Details for information about the shift properties.
5. Click OK.
6. From the Assign Agents section, select one of the options to assign work to your agents.
7. Click OK. A message is displayed to show that the request is in progress.
8. After the process is complete, the process complete message is displayed.