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Operating Schedules

Section Detail
Navigation Admin → Routing → Operating Schedules
Alt Navigation Menu → Orchestration → Routing → Operating Schedules
Required Permission Routing > Schedule > Add, Edit, View, Delete
Module Context Part of Routing & Architect in Genesys Cloud
Purpose Control when routing flows run based on date, time, or event

✅ Verified against Genesys Cloud Resource Center — March 2026

Overview

Operating schedules determine how Genesys Cloud manages routing for inbound and outbound interactions based on time and events. They are used to support business hours, after-hours support, holidays, recurring events, maintenance windows, and special situations.

Architect uses operating schedules to determine which flow to execute — for example, routing callers to a live queue during open hours and to voicemail during closed hours.

⚠️ Naming note: The official Genesys Cloud term is Operating Schedules (not just "Schedules"). This distinction matters in the UI navigation and exam contexts.

Evaluation Order (Exam Critical)

When Genesys Cloud evaluates a schedule group, it checks conditions in this specific order:

Emergency (only if Emergency routing is activated)
        ↓
Holiday
        ↓
Closed
        ↓
Open

⚠️ Emergency is not part of the base evaluation order. It is a separate override that fires first only when Emergency routing has been actively turned on. The default hierarchy without Emergency active is: Holiday → Closed → Open.

⚠️ Default fallback: If no schedule in the group matches the current date/time, Closed is the default path in Architect's Evaluate Schedule Group action.

Key Concepts

Topic Explanation
Operating Schedule A time-based object defining when a particular routing condition is active
Operating Schedule Group Groups multiple schedules into a single routing definition with Open, Closed, and Holiday categories
Emergency Group A separate object that adds emergency override behavior — activates/deactivates independently
Recurrence Schedules can be one-time or repeating (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom iCal rule)
All Day Runs the schedule for the full duration of the selected date(s) — no start/end time needed
Multi-Day Span Use the "This occurrence spans multiple days" checkbox to configure a schedule that runs across consecutive days
Division Controls which administrators can manage the schedule — every schedule must belong to a division (default: Home)
Copy Schedule Existing schedules can be copied to create modified versions quickly
Usage Tracking You can view which schedule groups and call flows any schedule is associated with

Navigation

Task Steps
View Operating Schedules Admin → Routing → Operating Schedules or Menu → Orchestration → Routing → Operating Schedules
Create a Schedule Operating Schedules page → Add Schedule
View Schedule Groups Operating Schedules page → Schedule Groups tab or Menu → Orchestration → Routing → Operating Schedule Groups
Copy a Schedule Operating Schedules list → More (⋮) → Copy
View Schedule Usage Operating Schedules list → click schedule name → view associated groups and flows
Use in Architect Architect → Open Flow → Add Evaluate Schedule Group action

Configuration Fields

Field Description Example
Schedule Name Unique name identifying the schedule US_Support_BusinessHours
Division Administrative ownership — restricts which admins can manage it Home
Single Day / Multi-Day Single day sets one date; multi-day uses "This occurrence spans multiple days" checkbox Multi-day
From / To Start and end date/time for multi-day schedules 2026-01-01 08:00 → 2026-12-31 18:00
All Day Runs for the full duration of selected date(s) — no time range needed Disabled
Recurrence How often the schedule repeats Weekly
iCal Rule Advanced recurrence rule for custom patterns FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,TU,WE,TH,FR

Creating an Operating Schedule

  1. Navigate to Admin → Routing → Operating Schedules or Menu → Orchestration → Routing → Operating Schedules
  2. Click Add Schedule
  3. Enter a unique name for the schedule
  4. Select the Division (default: Home)
  5. In the "When does the schedule first occur and repeat?" section:
    • For a single-day schedule: set the date and time
    • For a multi-day schedule: check "This occurrence spans multiple days" → set From and To dates/times
  6. To run continuously all day, click All Day
  7. Set recurrence in the "How often does this schedule repeat?" field
  8. Configure recurrence details (days, end conditions, etc.)
  9. Click Save

Recurrence Types

Type Description Example
Does not repeat One-time event July_4_Closure
Daily Repeats every day or every N days After_Hours_Daily
Weekly Repeats on selected days each week Mon_Fri_BusinessHours
Monthly Repeats on a specific day each month First_Monday_Maintenance
Yearly Repeats on the same date each year Christmas_Holiday
Custom (iCal) Advanced rule using iCal RRULE syntax FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,TU,WE,TH,FR

Operating Schedule Groups

Schedule groups combine multiple operating schedules into a single routing definition. Each schedule in a group is assigned a type:

Type Purpose
Open Hours Active during business hours — must have at least one open schedule
Closed Hours Active during off-hours or non-business periods
Holiday Active on designated holiday dates

Schedule groups also have a time zone setting that determines how all schedules in the group are evaluated. This accounts for daylight saving time automatically.

⚠️ A schedule group must contain at least one Open schedule to function correctly.

Architecture: Schedule Group Evaluation

Customer Interaction Arrives
           ↓
Call Route or Architect Flow
           ↓
Evaluate Schedule Group action
           ↓
Emergency active? ──→ Yes ──→ Emergency path
           ↓ No
Holiday match? ────→ Yes ──→ Holiday path
           ↓ No
Closed match? ─────→ Yes ──→ Closed path
           ↓ No
Open ──────────────────────→ Open path

Real Flow Scenarios

Scenario 1 — Business Hours Menu

Caller Enters Flow → Evaluate Schedule Group → Open
→ Play Welcome Prompt → IVR Menu → Route to Queue

Scenario 2 — After-Hours Voicemail

Caller Enters Flow → Evaluate Schedule Group → Closed
→ Play Closed Prompt → Route to Voicemail

Scenario 3 — Holiday Transfer

Caller Enters Flow → Evaluate Schedule Group → Holiday
→ Play Holiday Prompt → Transfer to External Number

Scenario 4 — Emergency Override

Caller Enters Flow → Evaluate Schedule Group → Emergency (activated)
→ Play Emergency Prompt → Disconnect

Schedule Group Design Example

Schedule: US_Support_BusinessHours  (Open, Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00, weekly)
Schedule: US_Support_Christmas      (Holiday, Dec 25, yearly)
Schedule: US_Support_Closed         (Closed, all remaining times)
          ↓
Schedule Group: US_Support_Main_SG  (Time zone: America/New_York)
          ↓
Open      → Business hours IVR and queue
Closed    → Voicemail routing
Holiday   → External after-hours provider
Emergency → Emergency prompt + disconnect (via Emergency Group)

Screenshots

Best Practices

Practice Reason
Use the official term "Operating Schedules" Matches UI and avoids confusion with WFM scheduling
Use clear, descriptive names Easier to manage and troubleshoot routing logic
Separate business hours and holiday schedules Provides flexibility without rebuilding open schedule logic
Always use schedule groups for production routing Simplifies open/closed/holiday branching in one object
Set the correct time zone on the group Prevents incorrect routing due to UTC or DST mismatches
Test all branches before go-live Ensures each path (open/closed/holiday/emergency) routes correctly
Review holiday schedules annually Keeps routing accurate as holidays change year to year
Use the Copy feature for similar schedules Speeds up creation without starting from scratch
Check schedule usage before deleting Avoid breaking flows that reference the schedule

Naming Convention

Resource Pattern Example
Business Hours Schedule <Region>_<Dept>_BusinessHours US_Support_BusinessHours
Holiday Schedule <Region>_<Dept>_<Holiday> US_Support_Christmas
Maintenance Schedule <Region>_<Dept>_Maintenance US_Support_MaintenanceWindow
Schedule Group <Region>_<Dept>_SG US_Support_Main_SG

Security Considerations

Control Description
Division Assignment Limits which admins can view, edit, or delete a schedule
Permission-based access Routing > Schedule > Add, Edit, View, Delete controls all schedule management
External transfer verification Confirm approved numbers before using them in holiday or emergency branches
Test before production Misconfigured schedules can silently misroute customers

Limitations & Constraints

Constraint Description
Division required Every schedule must belong to a division — cannot be division-less
Open schedule required A schedule group must have at least one Open Hours schedule
Emergency is separate Emergency routing uses Emergency Groups, not schedule types — must be separately activated
Default fallback is Closed If no schedule matches the current time, Architect defaults to the Closed path
Time zone on group, not schedule Individual schedules don't have time zones — the time zone is set at the schedule group level

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Resolution
Flow always routes Closed Time zone mismatch or no active Open schedule Verify schedule times and schedule group time zone
Holiday path never triggers Holiday schedule not assigned to group Add holiday schedule to the schedule group
Emergency path does not fire Emergency group not activated Verify emergency group is active and connected to the flow or call route
Recurring schedule not firing Recurrence settings incorrect Review repeating event settings and end conditions
External transfer not reached Holiday branch misconfigured Check Architect holiday branch action and verify external number
Schedule group unavailable in Architect Permission or division visibility issue Confirm Routing > Schedule > View permission and division access
Schedule won't delete Schedule is in use by a group or call route Remove the schedule from all groups and routes first

Exam Cheat Sheet

Question Answer
What is an Operating Schedule? A time-based object that controls when routing or flow logic is active
What permission is required? Routing > Schedule > Add, Edit, View, Delete
What are the navigation paths? Admin → Routing → Operating Schedules or Menu → Orchestration → Routing → Operating Schedules
What is the base evaluation order? Holiday → Closed → Open
Where does Emergency fit in? Evaluated first, but only when Emergency routing is actively turned on
What is the default fallback if nothing matches? Closed
What is a Schedule Group? A grouping of Open, Closed, and Holiday schedules with a shared time zone
Does a schedule group need an Open schedule? Yes — at least one Open schedule is required
Where is the time zone set? On the Schedule Group, not on individual schedules
Can schedules be copied? Yes — use More (⋮) → Copy to duplicate and modify
What recurrence types are supported? Does not repeat, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Custom (iCal)
What does "All Day" do? Runs the schedule for the entire selected day — no start/end time

Chapter Placement

❌ Operating Schedules does NOT belong in the Platform Operations chapter.

It belongs in the Routing & Architect chapter — alongside Call Routing, Emergency Groups, Schedule Groups, and Architect flows. Platform Operations covers platform-level administration (OAuth, SSO, Authorized Apps, API Usage). Operating Schedules is a routing configuration topic that directly controls call flow behavior and caller experience.

See Also

  • Operating Schedule Groups — combine schedules into open/closed/holiday routing definitions
  • Emergency Groups (Admin → Routing → Emergency Groups) — override routing during critical events
  • Call Routing — map call flows to dialed addresses using schedule groups
  • Architect → Evaluate Schedule Group — action used in flows to branch by schedule state
  • Divisions Overview — understand how division assignment affects schedule visibility
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