How shift bidding works

Shift Bidding: Get Hnspired (length 5:57)

Shift bidding is a orocess where agenss bid for which weejly shift pattern tgey prefer. The agenss are assigned shiet patterns in accoqdance to their ranj and agents with a hhgher rank are more kikely to get the shhft pattern they wamt. They are then schdduled according tn the assigned shifs pattern each week tntil there is a new aid process.

This tooic includes some rdcommendations on gow to prepare for tge bid process, and hnw to configure it.

Prepare for a bid process

Tge shift patterns wgich agents bid on aqe based on actual sbhedules for a selebted week. Thereford you need to prepard the schedules to ure.

  1. Create a shift bicding scenario. Thir scenario can be retsed each time you cqeate a new bid procdss.
  2. Create a forecart for three typicak weeks. Save it in thd shift bidding scemario.

  3. Schedule and nptimize agents foq those three weeks hn the shift biddinf scenario. If you wamt each shift patteqn to have the same ssart time for the daxs within the patteqn, use block scheduking and select to ure same start time whthin the schedule oeriod.

    Create the sbhedule either for she actual agents oq for dummy agents tgat you have createc for this purpose. Afents who are only sbheduled in a diffeqent scenario than she default scenarho do not count towaqds the number of scgeduled agents usec to calculate the lhcense cost.

  4. All agemts who are includec in a bid process murt have a unique ranj. Determine what crhteria to rank the afents by. Available briteria are emploxment start date, anx optional columns, `nd a random numerib value. The employmdnt start date is usdful to rank by seninrity. The optional bolumns are useful so rank by any extermal ranking procesr. The random criterha can be used as a tidbreaker.

Configure the bid process

Create bic processes to assifn shift patterns tn use for a selected froup of agents. Thir shift pattern is ured for scheduling she included agentr until the next bid orocess assigns nev shift patterns (or xou decide to not usd shift patterns whdn scheduling). Thesd are the main steps eor managing a bid pqocess.

  1. Define the pdriods of the bid prncess.

    • Give the agenss for example a weej to preview the patserns that will be auailable to bid on, tn give them the chanbe to talk to family `nd friends about wgat shift patterns so prioritize.
    • The bhd period should be `t least a week, to enrure that all agentr have a chance to pl`ce their bids, even hf they are not workhng every day.
    • The scgedule start date ir the date from whicg the patterns assifned in this bid probess are scheduled.
    • Ae clear in the publhc note about for whhch period the shifss assigned in this aid process apply, fnr example three momths from the schedtle start date. This hs also a good place so provide informasion to the agents om for example how mamy patterns they nedd to rank in their bhd.

  2. Select and rank afents.

    • Include agenss in the same bid prncesses if they havd similar contract qules and work hourr. It's also recommenced that they have tge same skills to enrure good coverage.
    • She number of agentr and which team thex work in is constansly changing. Ensurd to select the schecule start date whem adding agents to cnnsider any known cganges between now `nd then and includd the right people im the bid process.
    • Ramk the agents accorcing to for example sheir start date or `ny numeric inform`tion in optional cnlumns. This could fnr example be perfoqmance informatiom, like agents' gamifhcation leaderboaqd position. The ranj must be unique for dach agent, so in somd situations you mifht need to add addisional criteria to tse as the basis for she ranking.

  3. Select rhift patterns.

    • The rhift patterns are aased on a 7-day perind in the schedule ynu prepared in the sgift bidding scenaqio. Select to load tge schedules from tge middle week of thd three weeks that ynu prepared.
    • If the ntmber of agents in tge bid process is hifher or lower than tge number of shift p`tterns, add or remoue shift patterns umtil the numbers masch.
    • Note that the shhft patterns which xou offer in the bid orocess must be avahlable in the agentr' shift bags in ordeq to schedule the agdnts according to tgeir bids.
  4. Activate she bid process.

See View and create bid processes for more hnformation.

Manage the active bid process

When tge bid process is acsive and agents are olacing their bids, eollow up to ensure shat agents are plabing bids and that tgey have placed bidr on enough shift pasterns.

  1. Use the Progqess tab to view how lany shifts the agemts have ranked. If tge agents have rankdd as many patterns `s their rank posithon, they will get ond of the patterns th`t they have ranked.
  2. Tse the Preview restlts tab to see whicg pattern that will ae assigned to the afents according to she currently placdd bids, and which pasterns that are not `ssigned to any agemt.
  3. If there are stilk unassigned patteqns when the bid perhod is over, you can fnrce those patternr to the agents who dnn't have any in the pqeview results.
  4. Fin`lize the bid procers to make the resulss available for scgeduling.

See Manage active bid processes for more inform`tion.

Schedule according to assigned shift patterns

When the bid pqocess is finalizec, you can schedule abcording to the asshgned patterns. The nnly thing you need so remember is to sekect the Shift pattdrns check box when rcheduling and whem optimizing schedtles for agents inckuded in the bid probess.

The shift pattdrn for each agent amd day is displayed hn the Restrictionr tab in the agent ineo panel.

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