Enable and configure shift trades

Prerequisites

The following permissions required for agents:

Workforce Management > Shift Trade Request > View
Workforce Management > Shift Trade Request > Edit

The following permissions required for supervisors:

Workforce Management > Management Unit > Add
Workforce Management > Management Unit > Edit
Workforce Management > Management Unit > View

Shift trading enables agents in the same management unit to trade daily shifts with other agents based on business rules that the administrator configures. The opportunity to trade shifts increases agent satisfaction and reduces the time an administrator spends manually changing schedules.

Enable shift trading

To configure shift trading for the management unit, perform the following steps:

Click the Admin menu.
Under Workforce Management, click Management Units.
Do one of the following:
- Add a new management unit.
- Open an existing management unit.
Click the Shift Trades tab.
To allow agents to trade shifts, click Enable Shift Trading.
To allow the system to approve shift trades that meet configured constraints automatically, click Enable Automatic Review.
To allow agents to request a shift trade with a specific individual, click Enable Direct Trade Requests.
Note: Agents cannot see other agents’ schedules. However, they can request a trade with a specific agent. The request recipient receives a notification of the trade offer in their inbox. Agents can also choose not to receive direct trade offers. For more information, see Navigate the Shift Trades panel.

Set the minimum hours until either traded shift starts

Under Minimum Hours Until Either Traded Shift Starts, use the arrows to define the number of hours before either shift is eligible for trade. Depending on the number set here, agents cannot create trade requests where the first possible trade occurs less than the number of hours in the future. For example, if the minimum is 24 hours, agents cannot request trades for the current shift. Agents can request trades for shift 24 hours from now.

This constraint gives agents and administrators proper warning about a change to the schedule that results from a schedule trade.

Select agent matching criteria for shift trades

Optionally select whether agents can only trade shifts with agents in the same queue membership, language, skills, or (new regions only) the ability to handle the same planning group). Once set, agents and administrators cannot override the criteria to create requests with non-matching agents. Under Agent Matching Criteria Requirements, choose any combination of the following:

Agents must have the same queue memberships. The agents must belong to the same queue. If agents are in different queues, they do not appear in the same schedule.
Agents must have the same languages. Two agents can trade shifts only if they have the same language skills.
Agents must have the same skills. Two agents can trade shifts only if they have the same ACD skills.
Agents must be able to handle the same planning group. Two agents can trade shifts only if they are able to handle the same planning group. This is based on the composition of the planning group which may include one or more queues, languages and skill sets.

Set up shift trade rules

For the following constraints, select whether you allow, do not allow, or require administrator review:

Shift trades with unequal paid time. By default, the system allows this constraint.
Shift trades that are one-sided, which allows an agent to drop a shift but does not receive one in return. Another agent can pick up the shift, but does not give up one in return. By default, the system allows this constraint.
Shift trades resulting in minimum weekly paid time violations. By default, the system sets this constraint to not allowed.
Shift trades resulting in maximum weekly paid time violations. By default, the system sets this constraint to not allowed.

Specify activity category rules for shift trade requests

Activity category rules determine what to do with each activity type when a shift trade occurs between agents. Select an action for each activity type. For example, you can choose to keep breaks and meals with a schedule, or you can choose to prevent agents from trading time-off activities. You can choose to replace an activity by another activity, for example, replace a training activity on the first agents schedule with on-queue for the agent receiving the trade.

To specify these rules, perform the following steps:

Under Activity Category Trade Rules, locate the activity category you want to configure.
Note: External activity codes, activities created via API, and third party services and solutions, are not included in the rules. This can result in employees being unable to trade shifts containing an external activity code, such as Activity Plans, Coaching, and Learning Modules.
Next to the activity, select one of the following actions:
- Do not allow trade: An agent cannot trade any shift that includes this activity.
- Keep with Schedule: The activity given by one agent applies to the schedule received by the other agent.
- Replace: The activity given by one agent does not apply to the schedule received by the other agent. Instead, the time range receives a selected activity.
- Replace with: If you select Replace, then choose the activity that replaces the previous activity.
Repeat step 2 for each additional activity.