Overview
Within Talkdesk Workforce Management (WFM), the time off automation enables users to set up auto-denied rules, after which time off requests are automatically denied or pending by the Automation. With time off automation, customers can automate some or all of the process of processing time off requests, thereby reducing the time spent dealing with repeated requests and focusing on areas that can bring more business value. Agents will also benefit from increased transparency and faster feedback on their requests.
Enabling Automation
Log in to your WFM as an Admin (or the other roles who have Configuration access). Go to Configurations > "Requests" tab > "Time Off" > Edit [1].
Turn on Automation [2], click + Add rules [3] to select the auto-denied rules you would like to use. The 6 default rules are:
- “Time Off events will overlap with existing time off events”
- “Request lead time is less than”
- “Request lead time is more than”
- The remaining group allowance is less than the required time off hours
- The remaining personal balance is less than the required time off hours
- The request days include blackout days
You can set up time-off lead time rules [5] from 1 day up to 112 days. Note: This allows for the setting of a minimum lead time and a maximum lead time.
Auto-approval can be enabled once all auto-deny rules have been configured.
Click Save [6].
Group Allowance
In the Groups tab [7], it allows a Resource planner to set up groups of employees who share an allotted time off that the business is willing to grant for each day configured. This is often done to budget out the amount of time off that needs to be approved in order to give employees a chance to use their accrued time off throughout the year. Creating groups [8] enables the resource planner to balance resources across various groups, such as establishing multiple groups for the Customer Care Team, allowing Customer Care AM and Customer Care PM shifts to draw from their respective buckets. Another example is creating a group for a smaller specialty group of employees, such as a Language Support team.
Navigate to Configurations > Requests > Time off > Groups tab. Admin can click the import button to create groups by import csv files [8]. Also admin can edit existing groups by clicking the Edit button [9].
In the Import modal, click Download template [10] to get a CSV file with the required format. The template will include the following columns: Group Name, Date, Allowed Time Off Hours (h), and Blackout Day (Y/N).
After filling out the template, drag and drop the file or click Choose a file to upload. Ensure the File date format [11] selected in the dropdown matches the date format used in your CSV file. Click Confirm [12] to complete the import.
Important Information:
- The system will create groups for any group names in the CSV file that do not already exist in the system.
- Uploading a file for an existing group will replace the future group allowance for that group.
Once the group is created, the admin can add or remove group members [13] in the group members tab
Locate the group you wish to modify in the list and click the Edit (pencil) icon. On the group management page, you can perform the following actions:
Add Group Members [14]:
- From the Group members tab, click Add group members.
- A panel will appear listing available agents. Select the agents you wish to add to the group.
- Click the Add button to save your changes.
View Group Allowance [17]:
- Navigate to the Group allowance tab.
- Here you can view the total and remaining group allowance for each day in a calendar view.
Running Automation
Agent Submits a Time Off Request
In the month view of the Your Schedule page, an agent can toggle on and off time off opportunities [18] to view the remaining group allowance. When an agent submits a time off request, automation will immediately validate against the activated deny rules. If passed, the request will be approved by automation. Otherwise, the request will be denied, and the agent will be notified immediately. If the group is not configured, the agent's personal balance is empty, the request will remain pending for the Resource Planner, or Leadership Approval.
[Resource planner] Request details
Resource Planner Proceeds with the Time Off Request
Requests that pass re-validation but do not meet the criteria for either auto-approval or auto-denial are flagged for manual review. The resource planner is then responsible for making the final decision to either approve or deny these pending requests.
Notes:
- Every Automation runs against the latest version of automation rules and agent schedules.
Troubleshooting
- Currently, the user needs to manually refresh or re-enter the request details page to see the newest status. Auto-refreshing is not available.
- Turning on / off Automation will only impact the newly created requests.
- Personal balance has to be imported by API as of now; we are going to introduce HR tool integration in future development.