Manage exceptions
The Exceptions page allows you to create, edit, delete, and assign exceptions. Exceptions are activities that take agents away from being in service. Examples of exceptions are meetings, training, and time off.
Exceptions can be placed in an agent’s schedule in a number of ways:
- Requested by agents via an Exception Request for either past and future dates (see Request an exception). This type of exception must be approved by the agent’s supervisor before it is applied to the schedule.
- Assigned to agents before a schedule is run by a supervisor or scheduler (see Assigning an exception). When generating a schedule, WFM applies the exception to the agent’s schedule and moves breaks to accommodate it. WFM also attempts to schedule another agent to work on that date to ensure that requirements are covered for the service queue.
- Assigned to agents after a schedule is run by a supervisor or scheduler using the Agent Schedules page (see Insert an activity). Assigning exceptions after a schedule is run ensures that the schedule accurately reflects current conditions and that a history of exceptions is saved.
- Assigned to agents as a dynamic scheduling event.
- Assigned to agents as an intraday dynamic scheduling vacation or time off exception.
A list of agents assigned a specific exception can be reviewed in the Assigned Exceptions report (see ).
In most cases, the exception placement is obvious and exactly matches what was requested. However, in a few cases, the exception placement is less obvious because the placement must follow certain rules based on the exception request or assigned exception and the agent’s existing schedule, as described below.
For schedules run with assigned exceptions
When running a schedule, the scheduler looks at the assigned exceptions for each agent and attempts to place corresponding scheduled exceptions in the schedule for that agent. The scheduled exceptions might or might not exactly match the start/stop times of the assigned exception.
NOTE It is possible that when assigning entire-day exceptions and partial-day exceptions with variable work shifts, the exceptions might be placed on optional days when agents do not have shifts.
For entire-day assigned exceptions:
- The entire-day assigned exception is applied to the entire shift if one is created for that day. If no shift is created for that day, then the exception is not placed in the schedule.
- For the Balanced scheduling method, if there is an all-day exception on a variable work shift day, the scheduler generally does not use that day if there are other days where the agent is needed. However, the scheduler prefers to schedule for that day if there are no other days where the agent is needed.
For partial-day assigned exceptions:
- Partial-day assigned exceptions are placed only on the portion of the schedule where a shift can be placed (that is, the agent is available to work).
- If no portion of the assigned exception overlaps where a shift can be placed, then the exception is not placed on the schedule.
For approved exception, mentoring, and time off requests
Exception, mentoring, and time off requests all create assigned exceptions at approval time, for both manually- and automatically-approved requests. The exception might or might not be placed on the schedule at approval time as described below.
When no schedule exists:
- If no schedule exists for the agent, then the exception is not placed on the schedule at approval time. The assigned exception is still created so that if or when a scehdule is run, the scheduler attempts to place the exception on the schedule for the agent based on the rules for running a schedule with assigned exceptions.
When a schedule exists:
- For entire-day requests, an exception is placed on the schedule over any paid activities in shifts that start on that day. Any unpaid activities in those shifts are replaced with a Not Available activity. If the agent does not have a shift on that day, then the exception is not added to the agent’s schedule.
- For partial-day requests, an exception is placed on the schedule for the requested time period over any existing paid activities during that time period. Any overlapping unpaid activities in those shifts are replaced with a Not Available activity. If the agent does not have any existing paid activities during that time period, then the exception is not added to the agent’s schedule.
BEST PRACTICE Do not delete exceptions that are no longer used if they were previously assigned to agents. If they are deleted, the historical data associated with them will be lost. Deactivate the exceptions instead.
Creating, editing, and deleting exceptions
The fields on the page when you edit or delete an existing exception, or when you create a new exception, are described below.
NOTE Exceptions that were previously used in a schedule and are still in schedule history cannot be deleted.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Exception Information | The unique name for the exception. Max characters = 50. |
| Activate the exception | Select the check box to activate the exception and make it available for use. If you clear the check box, the exception will no longer be available for use (it is deactivated). |
| This exception is a paid activity | Select the check box if the exception activity is a paid activity. This setting can be overridden when the exception is assigned to an agent. |
| This activity requires a workstation | Select the check box if the exception activity requires the agent to whom it is assigned to occupy a workstation. When selected, the exception is counted when calculating the total number of agents scheduled at the same time (the maximum staffing limit). See Limit the number of agents to schedule for more information. |
| Hyperlink URL | The URL of the webpage an agent must visit to perform the exception activity, if that is required. You must use the full URL (including “http,” “https,” and “www” as needed). The URL appears in the exception in My Schedule. |
| Text to Display | The optional text that appears as a hyperlink in the exception instead of the URL. |
| Activity Metadata | (Optional) Assigns a default metadata value to, or removes a default metadata value from, the exception. For more information about configuring metadata values, see Manage activity metadata values. |
| Color | The color that represents this exception in the schedule. |
Assigning an exception
The fields on the page when you assign an exception to one or more agents are described below.
NOTE You cannot edit an assigned exception. You can overlay an assigned exception with a new assigned exception for the same agents and date/time. The first assigned exception is then replaced with the new assigned exception the next time the schedule for those agents is run.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Exception | The exception you want to assign to agents. |
| This exception is a paid activity |
By default, this check box shows the paid status assigned to the exception. When you assign the exception to one or more agents on this page, you can select or clear the check box to override that setting. |
| Agents |
The agents who you can assign to the exception. You can assign one, multiple, or all agents to the exception. |
| Dates | The start date and end date of the exception activity. You can also enter a start date and then specify a number of occurrences for a recurring activity. If you enter a number of occurrences, the End Date field is disabled. |
| Duration |
The start time and end time of the exception activity. If you choose Entire Day, the Start Time and End Time fields are disabled. The read-only Hours field calculates the length of time of the activity based on the start and end times.
|
| Entire Day | Select this check box if the activity lasts the entire work day. When selected, the Start Time and End Time fields are disabled. |
| Frequency | The frequency of the activity—day, week, month, or year. |
| Occurrence | Depending on your choice of frequency, this section displays the options you can choose to set the daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly occurrence. |
| Note |
(Optional) Add additional information about the exception that is specific to the assigned agents. The information you enter is visible to those agents in My Schedule when the exception is scheduled. You can view, edit, or delete the note in Agent Schedules. You cannot edit an existing note here, but you can overlay the assigned exception with a new exception for the same assigned agents and the same time and date that includes a different note. The new exception then replaces the original exception the next time a schedule is run for those agents. |
Examples of configuring frequency and occurrence
The following examples demonstrate how you can set the frequency and occurrence of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly exceptions.
Once only
To assign an exception that occurs only once, use these settings.
| Field | Setting |
|---|---|
| Start Date, End Date | Same date |
| Frequency | Day |
| Daily Occurrence | Every 1 days |
Once a week
To assign an exception that occurs once a week on Monday for 10 weeks, use these settings.
| Field | Setting |
|---|---|
| Start Date | Date of the first Monday in the series |
| Number of Occurrences | 10 |
| Frequency | Week |
| Weekly Occurrence | Every 1 weeks |
| On These Days |
Monday NOTE Selected days are blue, unselected days are white. |
Once a month
To assign an exception that occurs once a month on the second Monday for 12 months, use these settings.
| Field | Setting |
|---|---|
| Start Date | Date of the first Monday in the series |
| Number of Occurrences | 12 |
| Frequency | Month |
| Monthly Occurrence | Select the option and complete the statement as follows: “The second Monday of every 1 months.” |
Once a year
To assign an exception that occurs once a year on January 15 for five years, use these settings:
| Field | Setting |
|---|---|
| Start Date | The first January 15 in the series |
| Number of Occurrences | 5 |
| Frequency | Year |
| Yearly Occurrence | Select the first option and complete the statement as follows: “Every January on this date: 15.” |