Scheduling & Schedule Groups

What Is Scheduling?

A Schedule defines a window of time — a date, time range, or recurring event — that Architect and Call Routing use to decide which flow runs. A Schedule Group bundles multiple schedules into a single routing definition with Open, Closed, and Holiday categories.

Together they answer the question: "Is it business hours right now?"

Schedules vs. Schedule Groups

Object	What It Does
Schedule	Defines a single time window (e.g., Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, or Dec 25 all day)
Schedule Group	Bundles schedules into Open / Closed / Holiday categories — used by Call Routes and Architect flows

✅ Always build individual Schedules first, then assemble them into a Schedule Group.

Schedule Components

Field	Description
Name	Unique identifier — no spaces recommended for flow references
Division	Administrative ownership
Repeating Event	Off = one-time only; On = recurring
Start / End Date	Date bounds for the schedule
Start / End Time	Time window; or use All Day
Recurrence Rule	How often it repeats (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Custom iCal)
Start Condition	On Date, or Next Time Criteria Met
End Condition	No End Date, After N Occurrences, or On Date

Recurrence Types

Type	Use Case
One-Time	Single maintenance window, one-off closure
Daily	Every day, or every N days
Weekly	Selected weekdays (e.g., Mon–Fri)
Monthly	Specific day of month or weekday pattern
Yearly	Annual holidays (e.g., Dec 25 every year)
Custom iCal Rule	Advanced recurrence syntax

iCal example — Monday through Friday:

FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO,TU,WE,TH,FR

Creating a Schedule

Admin → Routing → Scheduling
Click Add Schedule
Enter a unique Schedule Name and select Division
Toggle Repeating Event On or Off
Set Start Date and Start / End Time (or check All Day)
If repeating: configure recurrence type, start condition, and end condition
Click Save

Schedule Groups

Components

Field	Description
Name	Unique identifier
Division	Administrative ownership
Time Zone	All schedule evaluations use this time zone — critical for accuracy
Open Hours	Schedules representing business hours
Closed Hours	Schedules representing after-hours
Holiday	Holiday / special closure schedules

⚠️ Time zone is the most common misconfiguration. A schedule group set to the wrong time zone will route calls incorrectly — especially after Daylight Saving Time transitions. Always align the time zone to the business location the group serves.

Creating a Schedule Group

Admin → Routing → Scheduling → click Schedule Groups tab
Click Add Schedule Group
Enter name, select division, and select time zone
Assign schedules to each category:
- Click + beside Open Hours → search and select schedule → click Add
- Repeat for Closed Hours and Holiday as needed
Click Save

How Schedule Groups Work in Routing

In Call Routing (Admin → Routing → Call Routing)

The Call Route references a Schedule Group directly:

Open Flow — executes when schedule group evaluates to Open
Closed Flow — executes when schedule group evaluates to Closed
Holiday Flow — executes when a Holiday schedule is active (optional — can fall back to Closed Flow)

In Architect Flows

Use the Evaluate Schedule Group action inside a flow to branch on Open / Closed / Holiday logic — useful when routing decisions need to happen mid-flow rather than at the entry point.

Routing Decision Logic

Incoming Call
      ↓
Call Route checks Emergency Group
      ↓
No emergency active →
      ↓
Schedule Group evaluated
      ↓
┌─────────────┬───────────────┬──────────────┐
│   Open      │   Closed      │   Holiday    │
│   Flow      │   Flow        │   Flow       │
└─────────────┴───────────────┴──────────────┘

Common Schedule Patterns

Pattern	Schedule Setup
Mon–Fri 8am–6pm business hours	Weekly recurrence, Mon–Fri, 08:00–18:00 → assign to Open Hours
After-hours (everything outside Open)	No explicit closed schedule needed — anything not matching Open = Closed
All US federal holidays	Create one yearly schedule per holiday → assign all to Holiday
Holiday with custom message	Assign holiday schedules to Holiday category; build a dedicated Holiday Flow in Architect
Maintenance window (one-time)	One-Time schedule, specific date/time → assign to Closed Hours

Naming Conventions

Format	Example
`<Region>_<Dept>_BusinessHours`	`US_Support_BusinessHours`
`<Region>_<Dept>_Holiday_<Name>`	`US_Support_Holiday_Christmas`
`<Region>_<Dept>_Maintenance`	`EU_Support_Maintenance`
`<Region>_<Dept>_ScheduleGroup`	`US_Support_ScheduleGroup`

Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely Cause	Fix
Calls routing to wrong flow	Time zone mismatch on schedule group	Verify schedule group time zone matches business location
Schedule not triggering	Recurrence rule misconfigured	Review start/end conditions and recurrence settings
Calls always treated as closed	Schedule group not assigned to call route	Edit call route and assign the schedule group
Holiday routing not working	Holiday schedules not assigned to Holiday category	Move holiday schedules to the Holiday slot in the group
DST-related routing errors	Time zone does not observe DST automatically	Use a named time zone (e.g., America/Chicago) not a UTC offset

Key Facts for Exam / Interview

Topic	Answer
Where are schedules configured?	Admin → Routing → Scheduling
What is a schedule group?	A container combining Open, Closed, and Holiday schedules into a routing definition
What evaluates the schedule group in a flow?	The Evaluate Schedule Group action in Architect
Can you have multiple open schedules in one group?	Yes — multiple schedules can be assigned to Open Hours
What handles routing outside Open Hours?	The Closed Flow — no explicit closed schedule is required
What overrides schedule-based routing entirely?	An active Emergency Group