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Agent Availability and Working Hours

This guide explains how agent availability and working hours work in ConnectNow.

These features help ensure that staff receive calls and chats only during appropriate times, while still allowing the platform to handle customer enquiries reliably.

Agent Availability (Online and Offline)​

Staff members can control whether they receive incoming calls or chats by setting their profile status:

  • Online – Eligible to receive calls and chats
  • Offline – Will not receive any calls or chats

Setting the profile to Offline is useful during non-working hours.
However, manually changing the profile status every day can be inconvenient.

To solve this, ConnectNow provides a Working Hours feature.

What Are Working Hours?​

Working hours allow you to define when a staff member is available, without requiring them to manually switch their profile status every day.

When working hours are configured:

  • Calls and chats are delivered only during the defined time slots
  • Outside the configured hours, the staff member will not receive calls or chats
  • This applies even if the profile status is set to Online

How to Configure Working Hours​

Working hours can be configured in two ways:

Option 1: Configure from the Dashboard (Admin)​

  1. Log in to the ConnectNow dashboard
  2. Navigate to Dashboard → Team Members
  3. Locate the required staff member
  4. Click Manage Work Hours

Option 2: Configure from Staff Profile​

Staff members can configure their own working hours from their profile page after logging in.

This allows flexibility while still maintaining control over availability.

Creating Working Hour Entries​

In the Working Hours dialog, you can create one or more working hour entries.

Each working hour entry includes:

  • Start Time
  • End Time
  • Days of the Week

You can add multiple entries to cover:

  • Split shifts
  • Different schedules on different days
  • Weekday and weekend variations

Example Working Hour Configuration​

A staff member might configure:

  • Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Outside these time slots, calls and chats will not be delivered to the agent.

How Working Hours Affect Call and Chat Routing​

When working hours are enabled:

  • Calls and chats are routed to agents only during their configured hours
  • Agents do not receive interruptions outside working hours
  • If no agents are available:
    • AI assistants continue handling enquiries
    • Callback requests are created if required

This ensures uninterrupted customer handling without disturbing staff.

Best Practices​

  • Configure working hours for all staff members
  • Use multiple time slots for flexible schedules
  • Review and update working hours periodically
  • Ensure at least one agent is available during business hours
  • Combine working hours with department-based routing for better efficiency

Benefits of Using Working Hours​

  • Eliminates the need to manually toggle online/offline status
  • Prevents calls and chats during non-working hours
  • Improves work-life balance for staff
  • Ensures predictable and reliable customer handling
  • Works seamlessly with AI agents and callbacks

Next Steps​

After configuring agent availability and working hours, you can:

  • Review callback requests generated outside working hours
  • Optimize AI assistant escalation rules
  • Adjust staffing schedules based on peak enquiry times

Refer to related feature guides for callback management and escalation workflows.