Schedule Optimization enables you to optimize task scheduling, auto-assign tasks, and adapt to changing conditions. By applying policies, you can create the best possible schedule that maximizes task assignment and minimizes travel time.

Configuration overview

The Schedule Optimization configuration comprises four main elements: Policies, Scheduling attributes, Batches, and Scopes. The workflow involves configuring policies and scheduling attributes, creating batches to execute optimizations, and scopes optimized by the appropriate method. There are additional configurations that trigger optimization to run throughout the day as scheduling conditions change.

The steps to set up Schedule Optimization are:

  1. Activate the Schedule Optimization plugin. For more information, see Activate Schedule Optimization.
  2. Set the properties of the schedule optimization engine to tailor its behavior and functionality to your organization's specific needs.
  3. Optionally, you can set up Territory-Based Optimization, Schedule Optimization with Workforce Optimization for Field Service, and Schedule Optimization for Planned Crews depending on your specific needs.
  4. Create policies to determine how to optimize agent schedules based on defined objectives or constraints. For instance, if a company has 20 technicians with appointments in a city, you can configure a policy to minimize driving time. By running a batch the night before, the system evaluates all tasks and generate an optimized schedule that minimizes agents' driving time. For more information, see Create a policy for Schedule Optimization.
  5. Configure the scheduling attributes to create reusable sets of common optimization settings like the default travel estimate provider and task conditions to consider when optimization runs. For more information, see Create a scheduling attribute for Schedule Optimization.
  6. Create optimization batches with the desired schedules and settings. For more information, see Create a batch for Schedule Optimization.
  7. Create optimization scopes to associate batches with existing scheduling attribute configurations, optimizing either by assignment groups or territories. For more information, see Create a scope for Schedule Optimization
  8. Schedule batches to run automatically to assign tasks to agents and optimize schedules.
  9. Optionally, Create intraday configurations to automatically update agents schedules in response to events, such as an agent running late and Configure immediate optimization for prioritized events.

Schedule Optimization supports a high volume of tasks across all three optimization methods by default. If your scheduling needs require expanded capacity, you can contact support or submit a change control request to adjust the configuration.