Common Use Cases for Break and Activity Rules

Corinne
Updated

Activity Plans make it easy to create schedules that fit your team’s unique needs. This article covers some of the most common ways teams use break and activity rules to manage their schedules effectively. We’ll also share tips and best practices for setting up these rules in Dialpad WFM to help you get started.

Let’s dive in.

Scheduling breaks

You can schedule breaks for multiple shifts, time zones, and requirements by using the right filters in your rules. To set up a break, add Break Rules to your activity plan to define when and how agents can take their breaks.

A Break Rule includes:

  • Length: The duration of the break (e.g., 30 minutes).

  • Time window: Specifies when the break can be taken (e.g., 12 PM–2 PM) and sets the stagger window (the time gap between each agent's break).

  • Who the break applies to: Defines which agents are eligible for the break, such as those on early or mid shifts.

In the Break Window section, the most flexible option is "time from start/end of shift." This allows you to create a general break rule that dynamically adjusts to different shifts.
break-window

If break requirements depend on shift length, use the filters in the Agent Assignment section. This lets you target specific shifts, such as those over or under a certain duration.
break-requirement

Create a Break Rule

To set up a Break rule first, create an Activity Plan, then create your Break Rule.

  1. Navigate to Breaks

  2. Select Add break rule
    break-rule

  3. Choose one of the break types from the list, or create your own break name

    • If you’re creating multiple break rules, use Set custom rule name to choose your own break name.

  4. Determine when you want the break to occur

    • Select Add another window if you want the break to happen more than once a day.

    create-break-rule

  5. Choose how long you want the break to be

  6. Choose the stagger interval

    • This determines the amount of time between each break’s start time so that all your agents aren’t on break at the same time.  
    • If you do not want to stagger breaks, set the time to 0.

  7. Choose if you want the Break Rule to apply to all agents, or only some

    • Use conditions to select or exempt specific agents and/or teams. You can filter by agent/team name, skill, schedule and more.

    create-break-rule(2)

  8. Select Save rule

  9. Select Add break rule to add another Break Rule

Scheduling live or real time channels

When scheduling live queues, it’s important to ensure you have the right coverage to serve customers and meet your SLAs. The best way to achieve this is by scheduling activities based on forecasted demand.

The simplest and most efficient approach is to use the 'Follow Forecast' option. This automatically adjusts staffing levels to match the forecasted requirements for each time interval throughout the day. The system does this by analyzing the forecast for the queues linked to the activity you’re scheduling.

Tip

If your email or messaging queues have strict SLAs (e.g., a target response time under one hour), you can schedule these activities using the same method for precise coverage.

Using the 'Follow forecast' feature

To set up an Activity Rule using the Follow Forecast feature, create an Activity Plan.

  1. Select Activities

  2. Select the activity, OR, select + to create a new activity

  3. Navigate to How would you like to schedule it?

  4. Select Use a forecast
    schedule-live-channels

  5. Confirm the queue, or select a different one

  6. Set the minimum coverage required for the activity

    • Dialpad will first meet the minimum requirements for all activities and then use any extra capacity to fulfill the total forecasted demand.
    • Be careful not to set the minimum coverage too high, as it could prevent other activities from being scheduled.

  7. Set a session length to control how long agents will be scheduled on the activity in one go before moving onto another task.

    • This is helpful to prevent fatigue on high-intensity live channels.

  8. Add filters to define who this activity should be scheduled for. If no filters are applied, this rule will apply to all agents within the plan. You can filter by:

    • Agent (e.g. Ben and Sally)
    • Agent skill (e.g. Chat, Phones)
    • Scheduled activities (e.g. agents who are scheduled on Phones)
    • Shift (e.g. Early shift)
    • Shift length (e.g. shifts between 6 and 9 hours long)

  9. Select Save

Scheduling non-real time channels

For channels with longer first response times or asynchronous conversations where the customer isn’t always present (e.g. email), you might need a different scheduling approach.

We recommend using the 'allocate time' option, or the 'fixed staffing' option.

  • Allocate time lets you to set the time required per activity. You can choose to share this requirement across the team, or set it as an individual target.

  • Fixed staffing lets allows you to manually specify the number of agents you need at certain times.

Using the 'Allocate time' feature

To set up an Activity Rule using the ‘Allocate Time’ feature, create an Activity Plan.

  1. Select Activities

  2. Select the activity, OR, select + to create a new activity

  3. Navigate to How would you like to schedule it?

  4. Select Allocate Time
    scheduling-non-real-time-channels

  5. Set the time parameters for this activity:

    • Determine the required time (i.e how long it will take the agent to complete the task).
      • Required time can be set per agent, or across the team.
    • Set a session length to control how long agents will be scheduled on the activity before moving onto another task.
    • Add schedule windows to define when the activity should be scheduled.
      • at: Lets you choose a specific start time.
      • at end of shift: the activity will be scheduled as the last activity in the agent’s shift.
      • at start of shift: the activity will be scheduled as the first activity in the agent’s shift.
      • between: Lets you set a specific window of time.
      • If no window is applied, then the activity will be scheduled whenever time is available.

  6. Add filters to define who this activity should be scheduled for. If no filters are applied, this rule will apply to all agents within the plan. You can filter by:

    • Agent (e.g. Ben and Sally)
    • Agent skill (e.g. Chat, Phones)
    • Scheduled activities (e.g. agents who are scheduled on Phones)
    • Shift (e.g. Early shift)
    • Shift length (e.g. shifts between 6 and 9 hours long)

  7. Select Save

Using the 'Fixed time' feature

To set up an Activity Rule using the ‘Fixed time’ feature, create an Activity Plan.

  1. Select Activities

  2. Select the activity, OR, select + to create a new activity

  3. Navigate to How would you like to schedule it?

  4. Select Fixed staffing

  5. Set your staffing requirement in windows (specific periods of time)

    • Choose how often you want the window to occur (every day, weekdays or specific days).
    • Choose when the window occurs.
    • Set the session length (how often you want coverage to change).
    • Choose how many agents you want working in each window.

  6. Add filters to define who this activity should be scheduled for. If no filters are applied, this rule will apply to all agents within the plan. You can filter by:

    • Agent (e.g. Ben and Sally)
    • Agent skill (e.g. Chat, Phones)
    • Scheduled activities (e.g. agents who are scheduled on Phones)
    • Shift (e.g. Early shift)
    • Shift length (e.g. shifts between 6 and 9 hours long)

  7. Select Save

Scheduling offline time

Agents often have tasks beyond customer-facing work, such as admin, training, and development. These non-customer-facing activities, like weekly admin tasks or knowledge work, are essential and should be scheduled alongside their regular shifts.

For ‘offline’ time, we recommend using the 'Allocate time' option. The Allocate time option lets you to set the time required per activity. You can choose to share this requirement across the team, or set it as an individual target.

Using the ‘Allocate time’ option

To set up an Activity Rule using the ‘Allocate Time’ feature, create an Activity Plan.

  1. Select Activities

  2. Select the activity, OR, select + to create a new activity

  3. Navigate to How would you like to schedule it?

  4. Select Allocate Time
    schedule-offline-time

  5. Set the time parameters for this activity:

    • Determine the required time (i.e how long it will take the agent to complete the task).
      • Required time can be set per agent, or across the team.
    • Set a session length to control how long agents will be scheduled on the activity before moving onto another task.
    • Add schedule windows to define when the activity should be scheduled.
      • at: Lets you choose a specific start time.

      • at end of shift: the activity will be scheduled as the last activity in the agent’s shift.

      • at start of shift: the activity will be scheduled as the first activity in the agent’s shift.
      • between: Lets you set a specific window of time.
      • If no window is applied, then the activity will be scheduled whenever time is available.

  6. Add filters to define who this activity should be scheduled for. If no filters are applied, this rule will apply to all agents within the plan. You can filter by:

    • Agent (e.g. Ben and Sally)
    • Agent skill (e.g. Chat, Phones)
    • Scheduled activities (e.g. agents who are scheduled on Phones)
    • Shift (e.g. Early shift)
    • Shift length (e.g. shifts between 6 and 9 hours long)

  7. Select Save

Common use cases

Other common break and activity rule use cases and our recommendations include:

Use Case

Recommendation

The task requires a specific number of agents to be working on it at specific times.

Use the 'fixed staffing' option.

  • In the Staffing requirement section, define the number of agents required at these specific times.

  • If this is a very important task, move the rule to a high position in the activity rule list.

The task should be scheduled at the quietest times.

Use the 'allocate time' option.

  • We recommend not adding a scheduling window to allow activities to be scheduled during quieter times. Alternatively, you can use this option to exclude your busiest days.

  • In the activity rules list, move this rule to a lower position, below any fixed staffing or follow forecast rules. This ensures that the activity is scheduled during times when coverage is not critical.

The task needs to be completed at specific times but anyone can do it.

Use the 'allocate time' option.

  • Set the required time to the total amount needed, either per day or per week. Be sure to select the 'shared between agents' option, which allows the time for this activity to be assigned to any agent.

  • Add a schedule window to target the specific times you need agents to work on this activity.

The task needs to be the first or last thing agents do on their shift.

Use the 'allocate time' option.

  • Enter the amount of time agents need to spend on this task per day or week and select the 'per agent' option. This ensures that each agent is scheduled time for this task.

  • Add a scheduling window and choose the 'start of shift' or 'end of shift' option. This will ensure the activity is scheduled as the first or last task of the agent's shift, regardless of the time they start.

  • If it’s essential that each agent completes this task first or last, set it as the highest priority, above any follow forecast or fixed staffing rules.

 

The task requires agents to do it for their entire shift.

Use the 'fill unscheduled time' option

  • Select the 'set number' option and enter the number of agents that are required to do this activity

  • If this only applies to specific agents, e.g. a supervisor or senior agent, apply an agent assignment filter to target agents with this skill, or select them by name.

  • If this is a very important task, move the rule to a high position in the activity rule list.

 

The task is a fall-back or default activity when there's nothing else to do.

Use the 'fill unscheduled time' option. This means that the rule will fill any gaps in the schedule.

  • Select the 'everyone' option. This means this rule will target all agents.

  • In the activity rules list, move this rule to the lower position, at the bottom of the list. This means the activity will be scheduled when there are no other requirements needed.

 


 

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