Configure SLAs for callers with different timezones

[SK41]

Hi All,

I have a requirement where i have SLAs that should consider the timezone of  the caller. So, for this I have made the timezone source in the SLA as caller's timezone and there is schedule also that i set it to floating.

I have one doubt here that in the schedule I have changed the timezone to floating but there are schedule entries already specified which is of Australia. My question is that if the caller from a different timezone is there will it work fine for him?

Also, I want to test for different users with different timezones whether the SLAs and schedules  are working fine or not. How can i test and check if it is working fine?

Kindly, help me in this regard.

Thanks!

[Michael Jones -]

As long as the schedule is set as floating, the entries will be applied relative to the user's selected time zone. So if you created a schedule in a time zone with an entry for 8am - 5pm it would only apply during that time zone, but if you then change the schedule to floating, it will then apply between 8am - 5pm for the user's relative time zone. 

Testing different time zones can be challenging as - well - you can't change time itself, but you generally you can test different scenarios by impersonating a user with the time zone you want to test set in their profile. For example on Incident, if you had a Resolution SLA of 2 hours 8am - 5pm floating, you would impersonate users from various time zones, submit Incidents and see whether the SLA clock starts based on the user's relative time of day. 

I hope this helps!

If this was helpful, or correct, please be kind and mark the answer appropriately.

Michael Jones - Proud member of the GlideFast Consulting Team!

[SK41]

Hi Micheal,

It was really helpful. Just one doubt still persists which is that by schedule entries i mean the Australian Holidays. As the schedule earlier runs for Australia timezone. Now I have to make this schedule work for every timezone.

So, that is why wondering will it have any impact on other timezones because the holidays are of Australia and will it work for other timezone holidays?

[Michael Jones -]

Ok - Holidays are confusing, I'll give you that.

So the short version is, if you have holidays on a schedule, they will apply for all time-zones on the day you have specified. They will not change based on the region (so if you have Jan 1st as New Year, it will be Jan 1st for all users in their time-zone)

So, if you need to define different holidays for different regions...

While ServiceNow does - supposedly - support the concept of regional holidays within a shared scheduled, I've never actually seen this configured in such a way that it works as expected. 

I found this article, which supports what I have always ended up doing. The only way to have, for example US Holidays like Thanks Giving, and Canadian Holidays like Canada Day, where it would apply only for some users, is to build separate schedules and also separate SLA's, and then tie which SLA is applied based on the caller's location. I see this approach often used when you have NAM, LATNAM and EMEA customers and support. 

I hope this helps!

If this was helpful, or correct, please be kind and mark the answer appropriately.

Michael Jones - Proud member of the GlideFast Consulting Team!