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BUSINESS HOURS & SHIFTS
The right team. At the right time.
Connect working hours and shifts with conversation and call routing, so incoming requests reach the people ready to handle them.
Customer service · Today
Morning
08:00 – 16:00
Ended
Evening
16:00 – 00:00
On shift
16:30 — Evening shift
F
Fahad · Available
Three details behind a better handover.
A working schedule, an active shift and a user’s availability each answer a different question.
01
Hours define the window.
Define the time conditions used by your service routing.
02
Shifts define the people.
Connect working periods with the users responsible for handling incoming work.
03
Availability informs the route.
A scheduled user may be unavailable. Combine time with the enabled availability rules.
A new shift. A new destination.
Shift-based routing uses work schedules to assign incoming conversations and voice calls to available agents. It extends the contact centre’s queue and routing rules.
Configure the schedule and eligible users in the enabled module. Agree on the route for times when nobody in that group is available.
Connect incoming work to the team responsible for the relevant shift.
Morning shift
Maha
Available
Fahad
Outside shift
Incoming request → Maha
Evening shift
Maha
Outside shift
Fahad
Available
Incoming request → Fahad
Outside these shifts
Maha
Outside shift
Fahad
Outside shift
Follow the configured alternative route
Try a time. This example does not change account settings.
Keep calls moving when a person is unavailable.
Voice routing can consider time, skills, availability and queue load. Set a department or queue hierarchy and a fallback route for an unavailable agent.
Supported forwarding destinations include an extension, a mobile number or another queue. The selected path follows your configured voice policy.
Explore calls and voice1
Check time
Apply the configured time rule.
2
Check availability
Route requests around the team’s working schedule.
Extension
Continue with another colleague.
Mobile
Use the configured forwarding number.
Another queue
Send the call to the designated queue.
A different shift. The same customer story.
Make the next step clear before handing over. Internal notes preserve the useful details, while conversation assignment identifies who continues the follow-up.
Routing new requests by shift does not, by itself, promise to transfer every open conversation when a shift ends. Use assignment or the supported workflow action for that handover.
Explore conversation assignment15:50
Maha
16:10
Fahad
Internal notes stay with the team; they are not customer replies.
See who can take the next request.
Connect the schedule with operational visibility, channel access and the reports available to your team.
Queues
Monitor agent status, waiting calls and average waiting time. Review the queue that needs attention as coverage changes.
Permissions
Admin and supervisor roles control access to configuration and operational views. Keep channel access aligned with the users handling the shift.
Reports
Review service reports to follow response times and team activity.
Before you set your service hours.
How do working hours support enquiry routing?
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Business hours help route enquiries to the responsible team and organise the next contact.
How do we organise service targets and working hours?
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Manage response and resolution targets through SLA policies, and use working-hour settings to organise routing.
What happens outside a shift?
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The result follows the enabled routing policy. Define and test the alternative destination. Voice forwarding can use an extension, mobile number or another queue; messaging behaviour depends on its supported workflow.
How do we route enquiries to the right team?
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Route incoming conversations and calls to the responsible team, with the channel access and working hours it needs.
How do we hand over ongoing conversations?
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Use conversation assignment to give ongoing work a clear owner when responsibilities change.
How do schedules support incoming-work routing?
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Set team schedules and route incoming work according to your operating hours.
Build a service schedule your team can work with.
Bring customer conversations, team follow-up and your service tools into UCaaS. Explore the plan that fits your business and discuss the routing setup you need.