Last updated: 2023-11-24

Source: https://support.freshservice.com/support/solutions/articles/50000009366-creating-an-on-call-shift

Summary

A shift is a pattern for time slots by day or time zone or both. For example, there could be a weekday shift, a weekend shift, APAC shift, North America shift, or North America weekday shift. There could be one or more shifts in a single on-call schedule to provide coverage in the form of advanced patterns.

Step 1

Once you've created an on-call schedule, you'll be prompted to create a shift.

Step 2

You are now on the Shift Detail page. Name the shift. Ex: Weekday, weekend, EMEA, North America, etc.

Step 3

Build the Primary roster by adding agents – one at a time or in bulk – and specify the Rotation Type right next to it.

Step 4

Specify the rotation type using the options available in the dropdown.

  • Daily Rotation: By default, the shift will begin at 12AM. Use the Start date \| time option to change this as per your requirements. You can even specify the Shift end date within this option if needed.

  • Weekly Rotation: Use the dropdown to select the day of the week when the shift should begin.The handoff would happen at 12AM of the selected day.

  • Monthly Rotation: Use the dropdown to specify the day of the month when the handoff should happen. For example, in this case, the handoff will happen on the 6th of every month.

  • Custom Rotation: Use the dropdown to create more complex rotation types by hour, day, week, or month such as:

    • - Every 2 or 3 weeks - Every 2 days - Every 3 hours - Every 2 months - Etc.

    Step 5

    Customize the on-call shift interval using a dropdown.

    The options available in the dropdown are:

  • *24\7:** Agents will be available on call on all days and at all times.
  • Restrict to specific time periods in a day: Select the time slot based on your requirements. For example, 9 AM to 5 PM, or 6 PM to Midnight. You can add up to 10 time slots. For instance, at a service center that operates between 9 AM to 5 PM and then 7 PM to 10 PM, the proprietor might want to offer support during non-business hours partly i.e. from 6 AM to 9AM, and then 5PM to 7 PM, and then 10 PM to Midnight.
  • Restrict to specific days in a week: Select the days on which you would like to provide support and even specify the time. For example, in the example given below, agents will be on call from Monday, 6 AM to Wednesday, 9 AM, and then again from Friday, 12 AM to Saturday 11:59 PM every week. 
  • Business Hours: Agents will be on call during the Business Hours associated with the Agent Group. If you have not associated any business hours with the agent group then we will use the default business hours defined for your helpdesk.

    • `` Pro Tip: Go to Admin> Agent Group> Edit Group page to see the Business Hours associated with an agent group ``

  • Non-Business Hours: Agents will be on call during non-business hours.

    • The system will automatically calculate the Non-Business Hours for a shift based on the Business Hours associated with the agent group.

    E.g.: An agent group is associated with the following business hours:

    Then the Non-Business Hours Schedule will be as follows:

    Step 6

    Design the Secondary and Tertiary rosters similarly using steps 2 to 4.

    ``` ```

    Step 7

    Specify the time zone for which your shift is designed.

    Use Case

    For instance, in our example, we add three agents to the primary roster with a daily rotation, another three agents to the secondary roster with a weekly rotation, and two agents to the tertiary roster with a custom rotation plan set to every two weeks.

    As you design the shift, you can preview it in the calendar right underneath.

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