(To learn more, watch the ASSK webinar presented Feb 15, 2024)

Have a mandatory online training module that agents can complete when they’re ready? But only if there’s enough staff? The ASSK allows you to configure a non-contact/out of queue event so an agent can ASSK to add it to their schedule. Depending on the event configuration, agents may request the designated ASSK event and add it to their schedule in real time without additional intervention from an administrator, or the configuration can require that the event pass business rules before approval. Administrators determine the eligibility of events and configure applicable business rules, including allowable staffing variance, which run when the agent makes the request.

Video tutorial (7:15)

 

Creating the ASSK event

Application Administrator

The application administrator identifies the eligible event types for agent self-service, as well as configures any applicable business rules used to evaluate individual self-service requests.

Configuring Event Types

The first step is to create new eligible event types. Navigate to Settings > Application settings > Event type settings > Event types > Click here to create a new event type.

After creating the basic properties for the event, navigate to the Event type behaviors.

There is a new predefined event type classification for Agent Self-Service request.

1. Select this classification.
2. Click Save behaviors.

Two new attributes of event types determine ASSK eligibility:

1. Is this event type available for agent selection in the Agent Self-Service Kiosk? If Yes, the event type will appear on the self-service kiosk page.  This is hard-coded as Yes for Agent Self-Service Request event types.
2. If eligible for Agent Self-Service Kiosk, does this event type require rule validation? If Yes, the system will validate the request against the proscribed rule(s) prior to approving the event. If No, requests are automatically approved and appear on the schedules when the agent completes the request.
   Available rules include schedule performance (will deny a request if it will result in a staffing shortage), restricted action plans, hire date restrictions, date eligibility, and others. Only events that pass all the validation rules are added to schedules.

To view all the settings, click the Custom behavior settings tab.

Custom behavior settings

All events include the option to customize the behavior settings. For ASSK events, some of these options are disabled.

Can this event type be used as a default work type?

This is false and disabled for ASSK events because we do not allow agents to perform self-service tasks on work intervals (i.e., they can’t make their own work schedule).

Does this event occur at work / onsite?

This is true and disabled because we do not allow agents to use the self-service kiosk for time-off events.

Is this event type’s start time and duration constrained by an agent work type event?

This is available because ASSK event types may be constrained by work, or they can be “free floating” events that do not depend on the agent already being scheduled for a work event. For example, if an agent wants to add an hour of online security training to the end of a shift.

Is the scheduled agent logged into a queue during events of this type?

This is false and disabled because we do not allow agents to put themselves into an in-queue event – all ASSK events are considered out of queue.

Does this event type require supervisor approval?

This is false and disabled because the event types can be independently configured for “requires validation” (the last option), or auto-approved if they do not require validation. This option would conflict with the other behavior settings specific to ASSK enabled event types.

Are agents available for callback into queue during events of this type?

This is available to allow recalling an agent currently scheduled in an ASSK event type to return to the queues to handle surging contact volume.

Do events of this type travel with agent schedule swaps?

This option is available to enable moving the entire schedule with a swap, giveaway, or takeaway transaction.

For real-time adherence, should agents be considered logged into queue during events of this type?

This option is available for ASSK event types because, while the in queue / out of queue option is disabled, there is the option to consider the event in queue for adherence.

By default, these event types are considered “out of queue” for the purpose of counting scheduled agents in queue (to compare with staffing requirements). However, the “in queue for adherence” option may be enabled to control whether these self-service events count as out of adherence intervals.

Is this event type available for agent selection in the Agent Self-Service Kiosk?

This is true and disabled for the ASSK event type classification.

If eligible for Agent Self-Service Kiosk, does this require runtime validation?

This is available and determines whether agents can simply select the event type, date, and duration and the event is automatically placed on their published schedule (if it passes the 'constrained by work type behavior setting), or if the event must first pass a collection of rules. If Yes, the request is validated against a collection of user-configurable business rules. If No, the request is automatically approved and appears on an agent’s schedule when submitted.

Self-service validation plans

The self-service kiosk feature includes the ability to create Self-Service Kiosk Validation Plans – sets of business rules that will run prior to placing a requested ASSK event on an agent’s schedule.

These plans are named and reusable containers that match event types to business rules and contain the following elements:

• Basic properties includes a name and an effective date range, which defines the applicable date range for the business rules. This supports a different collection of rules for different times of year. This date range is used to validate the Date Range Eligibility Rule.
• Member event types defines the inventory of self-service event types that are included in this validation plan. You may include an event in more than one plan.
  • For each Event Type, you can configure the applicable business rules and parameters. The rule may be toggled on / off, and any that require user defined values (e.g., Schedule Performance Rule), will allow input of specific values.
• A Participants list defines the inventory of agents to whom the business rules apply. This can be based on an activity, a supervisor, a custom user group, or an ad-hoc collection of agents. Note: an agent may be assigned to overlapping validation plans. In this case, the validation engine will validate all rules from all applicable plans.

Creating the validation plan

1. Navigate to Plan > Self-service validation plans.
2. Select Click here to create a new validation plan.
3. Provide a name and effective date range for the plan.
4. Click Save.

Adding member event types

Click Set up member event types.

 

1. Click Include for each event type that you wish to include in the validation plan.

 

If the event type is not listed, check the custom behavior settings of the event (Settings > Application settings > Event type settings > Event types > Event type hub) to ensure that the event has Yes for Is this event type available for agent selection in the Agent Self-Service Kiosk? and Yes for If eligible for Agent Self-Service Kiosk, does this require runtime validation?

Both must be Yes for the event to appear on the list of event types eligible for a validation plan.

 

Configuring the Business Rules

2. For each included event type click Configure to set up the rules.

3. To apply a rule, click on the rule name to open the configuration panel.

4. Select Yes, include this rule in the validation plan from the drop-down menu. For some rules there are additional options.

5. Click Save for each rule setting after configuring.

 

The following business rules may be applied to self-service requests:

• Schedule Constraints Rule This rule checks the event behavior setting Is this event type's start time and duration constrained by an agent work type event? If Yes, it will deny the request if the start time and duration is not within a scheduled work event. If the event is not constrained by work, the validation engine does not evaluate this rule.
• Date Range Eligibility Rule This rule will deny any request outside the date range specified in the validation plan basic properties. If the event custom behavior setting does not require runtime validation, this rule does not apply.
• Agent Hire Date Restriction Rule If enabled, this rule will deny any self-service request initiated by an agent who is currently inside a “new hire” window.
• Maximum Date Interval Rule allows determining how far in advance a self-service request may be granted. This supports, for example, the ability to restrict self-service requests any further out than two weeks. If included, select the number of days in advance an agent can make a request from same day only or up to 30 days in advance.
• Agent Restricted Action Plan Rule If enabled, this rule will deny any self-service request initiated by an agent who is currently subject to a restricted action plan (RAP) that includes self-service activities.
• Schedule Performance Rule This rule allows establishing thresholds for granting the request based on staffing shortage or surplus. For example, the rule will deny any self-service request that would drop the staffing level below the designated staffing variance threshold.
• Event Duration Rule If enabled, this rule allows setting a minimum and maximum duration for the request. Minimum can be 0:00. For example, if the allowable event duration is 30 minutes, a request for one hour will be denied.

Additional options for the Schedule Performance Rule

Forecast selection: Allows basing the rule on the published forecast or you may select any working forecast.

Forecast algorithm selection: Most will leave as Skill-based forecasting methods, however, you may change to standard forecasting or manual entry.

Allowable Staffing Variance (in hours): This allows the system to approve or deny the ASSK event based on forecasted staffing variance. The staffing variance is calculated by subtracting the required people from the scheduled people for the duration of the self-service request and converting that to staffing hours. The application then converts to 'staffing hours variance' by dividing the net-staffing number by the number of intervals per hour (typically 4). Select from -10 to +15 staffing hour variance. Because of the variance in staffing in the net line statistics, this looks at the average over the duration of the ASSK event. Selecting +2 or +3 will allow for shrinkage or changes in call volume. Selecting a negative number will allow understaffing for the interval (e.g., for mandatory training when it’s OK to miss service level for the interval).

What Activities does the headcount apply to? How should the system account for multi-skilled agents? Select ALL activities or EACH activity. Applying the rule to ALL activities means the staffing net lines are calculated using closest parent activity (all activities combined), and the rule will fail if the total net staffing hours error for all activities is below the specified threshold. However, if the rule is applied to EACH activity, the rule will fail if ANY activity has a net staffing hour that is below the specified threshold.

Agent view

To add an event to their schedule, agents navigate to Schedule > Self-service request and complete the form.

1. Request type: Select the event. Only designated events will appear on the list.
2. Date
3. Start and end time
4. Description / comment Required.
5. Click Next then Save.

If the selected event type does not require business rule validation, the event is “approved” and will immediately appear on the published schedule after the agent checks a box to acknowledge the change to their schedule and Saves.

If the selected event type requires business rule validation, then the application validates the request against the applicable business rules.

If any rule from any validation plan fails, the application will deny the request.

Events that do not pass validation are not placed on a published schedule. Agents are not able to save an event that fails validation but can go back and change the parameters of the request and try again.

 

Only events that pass validation appear on the agent’s published schedule (after acknowledgement and saving by the agent).

Notifications

When the agent saves an approved self-service request, the CommunityWFM notification server will send a notification to the agent, the agent’s immediate supervisor, and any scheduler or administrator from the same site as the requesting agent.

Troubleshooting

Schedule constraints error when making a request.

When making a request, an agent is getting a message that it can’t be completed due to The selected date, duration, and event type violates the schedule constraints rule. This may be due to:

• No schedule in place for the date/time of the request if the event type behavior is set to be constrained by work (i.e., a schedule must be in place for the time of the ASSK event).

How can I tell who has changed an ASSK event?

If a supervisor makes changes to an ASSK event, you can review who made the change in the Change audit log (Report > Administrative & utility > Change audit log > Application > Schedule event report). Agents can't edit an ASSK event after it is on their schedule.

How can I tell who has requested/received an ASSK event?

To determine who has added the event type to their schedule, you can run an event review status change report. Navigate to Report > Administrative & utility > Event Review Status Change. One of the options is to Restrict the report by event types. Select the ASSK event to see who added the event, and the date and time on their schedule.