---
sourceDocument: Zurich Conversational Interfaces
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/conversational-interfaces

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Conversational Interfaces

ft:clusterId :

    - convint

bundleId :

    - convint

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Assignment Rule form

# Assignment Rule form {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Zurich  
Updated July 31, 2025  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read
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## Summary of Assignment Rule form

The Assignment Rule form in ServiceNow's Advanced Work Assignment (AWA) feature enables managers to create and modify rules that route work items to agents efficiently.
These rules determine how work items are assigned based on criteria like agent availability, skills, shifts, and specific handling preferences.
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## Key Features

* **Name and Application:** Define the assignment rule's name and associate it with a specific application, defaulting to Global.
* **Assign by:** Choose the method of assignment:
  * **Last Assigned:** Routes work to the agent who has waited longest since last assignment.
  * **Most Capacity:** Routes to the agent with the greatest availability.
* **Auto-assign handling:** When enabled, work items are automatically accepted by agents without manual approval, disabling agent acceptance or rejection actions. Display options let you choose how chat interactions are shown in the agent interface.
* **Rejection handling:** Allows agents to reject work items and supports automatic reassignment if items are not accepted or rejected within a specified timeout period. Timeout presence state controls the agent's availability status after timeout. This setting is unavailable if auto-assign is enabled.
* **Skill handling:** Enables skill-based routing by:
  * Routing based on agent skill level (most qualified).
  * Enforcing mandatory skills required for the work item.
* **Shift handling:** Assigns work items based on agent shifts and available time within shifts. Options include:
  * Selecting agents with least or most time left in their shifts.
  * Adding time constraints to ensure agents have continuous availability for the required time to complete work items.

  This feature requires the Advanced Work Assignment plugin and Workforce Optimization plugins (for Customer Service or ITSM). Managers must have agent schedules planned to utilize shift-based assignment.

## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

By configuring assignment rules using this form, customers can optimize work distribution among agents, ensuring work items are routed efficiently based on availability, skills, and shifts. Auto-assign options streamline agent workloads by eliminating manual task acceptance, while rejection and timeout settings ensure work items do not remain unassigned. Skill and shift handling allow for precise targeting of the right agents at the right time, improving service levels and agent productivity.  
When creating or changing an Advanced Work Assignment assignment rule, the Assignment Rule form contains the following fields.
{#awa-assignment-rules__table_dkx_dpy_h5b__entry__2}

| Field | Definition |
|-|-|
| Name | Name of the assignment rule. |
| Application | Name of the application to which this assignment rule belongs. The default application is Global. |
| Short description | Brief description of the assignment rule. |
| Assign by | Type of assignment. Select one of the following values: * Last Assigned: Routes a work item to the agent who has gone the longest without being assigned work. * Most Capacity: Routes a work item to the agent who has the greatest availability for handling the work. {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_rfw_jpy_h5b} |
| Auto-assign handling | Work items are automatically accepted without agents having to select Accept or Reject. * Enable auto-assign work items: Select this option to have work items automatically accepted on behalf of agents. Agents are unable to manually Accept or Reject work items. * Display options: Select one of the following values: * Select Inbox card to accept the chat interactions and add them to the agent inbox. Agents can open the accepted interaction from the inbox. * Select Inbox card and workspace tab to accept chat interactions and open a tab for each accepted interaction. {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_dxq_l5f_svb} {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_w43_lpy_h5b} |
| Rejection handling | Work items are rejected and handled. * Allow agents to reject: Enable agents to reject work items in their inbox. * Reassign on timeout: Enable reassignment of work items not accepted or rejected by agents within the specified timeout period: * Timeout value (Days and Hours, Minutes, Seconds): Length of time allowed for an agent to accept or reject a work item before the assignment times out (ends) and is reassigned to another agent. * Timeout presence state: Agent availability state after the timeout occurs: Available, Away, or Offline. {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_ifm_mpy_h5b} {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_hfm_mpy_h5b} This tab isn't available when auto-assign handling is activated. |
| Skill handling | Skill-based work assignments. * Enable skills: Route work items to agents with the appropriate skills. When selected, the Evaluate skill level and Enforce mandatory skills check boxes appear cleared. * Evaluate skill level: Route work items to the most qualified agents based on their skill level. * Enforce mandatory skills: Route work items to agents with required skills. {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_lrd_4py_h5b} |
| Shift handling | Work items are assigned to agents based on shifts. * Enable-shift based assignment: Assign work items to agents based on time available in their shifts. * Add time constraints: Add the time required to complete work items in shifts and whether agents should be continuously available for the required time period.This field appears only when the Enable shift-based assignment option is selected. * Agent criteria: Select an agent based on the time left in the agent's shift. This field appears only when the Enable shift-based assignment option is selected. Available options: * Least time left in shift: Assign a work item to an agent from a group of available agents based on the least amount of time available in their shifts. * Most time left in shift: Assign a work item to an agent from a group of available agents based on the maximum time available in their shifts. {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_ujv_spy_h5b} * Time required: Time required to complete a work item. * Available continuously for the required time: Assign work items to agents who are continuously available for the required time period without any breaks in a shift. Agents who don't have the minimum time required in their shifts aren't considered for work item assignments. Note: The Shift handling field is available only if the Advanced Work Assignment plugin (com.glide.awa) is activated and the Workforce Optimization for Customer Service plugin (com.snc.wfo.csm) or the Workforce Optimization for ITSM plugin (com.snc.wfo_itsm) plugin, or both, is activated. As a manager, you must have planned schedules for agents to assign them shifts. For more information, see and [Scheduling in Workforce Optimization for ITSM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-schedule-configurable-wfo-itsm&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-it-service-management&ft:locale=en-US). {#awa-assignment-rules__ul_tjv_spy_h5b} This field appears only when the Add time constraints option is selected. |
[Table 1. Assignment Rule form]

{#awa-assignment-rules__table_dkx_dpy_h5b}