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Prerequisites

Before creating a schedule, you need to set up several items. This guide walks you through each prerequisite.

Tip

If you use Daktela Contact Centre, most prerequisites (workplaces, employees, skills) can be downloaded automatically. See Daktela CC Integration.

1. Workplaces

A workplace defines where work happens and what rules apply.

Tip

Workplaces can be imported directly from Daktela. See Import workplaces from Daktela.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Workplaces.
  2. Click + Add Workplace.
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Name - Workplace name
    • Country - Affects public holidays
    • Work on Holiday - Whether the workplace operates on holidays
  4. Set Working hours:
    • Days - Select operating days (e.g., Mon-Fri or all days)
    • Working Hours Start - When work begins
    • Length - Duration in hours
    • Enable Range to add multiple time blocks
  5. Click Save.

Workplace tabs

The workplace detail has four tabs:

Tab Description
Employees Assign employees and administrators to this workplace
Shifts Assign shifts available at this workplace
Skills Assign skills used at this workplace
Settings Additional configuration options

2. Employees

Employees must exist in the system and be assigned to a workplace.

Tip

Employees can be imported directly from Daktela. See Import users from Daktela.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to People > Employees.
  2. Click + Add Employee or use Import Employees to import from Daktela.
  3. Fill in the employee details:
    • First Name, Last Name - Employee name
    • Username - Login username
    • Email - Email address for notifications
    • Personal Number, Phone Number - Optional contact info
    • Roles - Admin or Agent
    • Active - Whether the employee is active
    • Access - Whether the employee can log in
    • Adult - Whether the employee is an adult (affects shift restrictions)
  4. Click Save.

Employee tabs

The employee detail has five tabs:

Tab Description
Skills Assign skills with competence level (0-100%)
Skills Combinations Define which skills the employee can handle simultaneously
Contracts Assign contracts to the employee
Shifts Assign allowed shifts
Request View employee's requests

Tip

You can assign employees to contracts, skills, and shifts in bulk from the detail of the contract/skill/shift itself. See Bulk assignment below.

3. Contracts

A contract defines an employee's working conditions - how many hours they can work, on which days, breaks, etc.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to People > Contracts.
  2. Click + Add Contract.
  3. In the General tab, fill in:
    • Name - Contract name (e.g., "Full-time 8h", "VPP")
    • Days - Select working days (Mon-Sun checkboxes)
    • Day Hours Limit - Maximum hours per day
    • Week Hours Limit - Maximum hours per week
    • Month Hours Limit - Maximum hours per month
    • Number of Hours per Day - Standard hours per day (for scheduling)
    • Holidays Allowed - Allow work on public holidays
    • Night Shifts Allowed - Allow night shifts
  4. In the Employees tab, assign the contract to multiple employees at once using the dual-list picker.
  5. Click Save.

Contracts list columns

Column Description
Contract Name Name of the contract
Holidays Allowed Whether holidays are permitted
Night Shifts Allowed Whether night shifts are permitted
Days Working days shown as badges (WEEKDAYS or individual days)

4. Skills

Skills define what an employee can do and what needs to be covered.

Tip

Skills can be imported directly from Daktela (from queues). See Import skills from Daktela.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Skills.
  2. Click + Add Skill or use Import Skills to import from Daktela.
  3. Fill in:
    • Name - Skill name (e.g., "Telefon", "Chat", "Email")
    • Icon - Icon displayed in the schedule (dropdown with preset icons)
    • Allow to Combine - Allow this skill to be combined with others in a single shift
    • On Call - Mark this skill for on-call shifts
  4. In the Users section, assign the skill to multiple employees using the dual-list picker.
  5. Click Save.

Skills list columns

Column Description
Skill Name Name with icon
Allow to Combine Whether skill can be combined with others
On Call Whether skill is used for on-call shifts

Note

Bulk assignment sets all selected employees to 100% proficiency level. For finer control, adjust the level in the employee detail (People > Employees > employee > Skills tab).

5. Shifts

Shifts define work blocks - when they start, how long they last, and on which days they apply.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Shifts.
  2. Click + New Shift.
  3. In the General tab, fill in:
    • Shift Type Name - Shift name (e.g., "FO Poranna 08:30-16:30")
    • Abbreviation - Short code displayed in schedule (e.g., "FOP", "FOD")
    • Days - Select which days the shift applies to (Mon-Sun checkboxes)
    • Shifts Start - Start time
    • Shifts End - End time
    • Range - Enable to define a time range instead of fixed times
    • Color / Background - Colors for display in the schedule
    • Description - Optional description
    • On Call - Mark as an on-call shift
    • Holiday - Shift applies on public holidays
  4. In the Employees tab, optionally restrict the shift to specific employees.
  5. Click Save or Update.

Shifts list columns

Column Description
Shift Name Full shift name
Days WEEKDAYS or WEEKEND badge
Valid Validity period (if restricted)
Time Start and end time
Sign Abbreviation badge (e.g., FOP, FOD, FOW)
Active Whether the shift is active
Holiday Whether the shift applies on holidays
On Call Whether it's an on-call shift

Note

The employee allowlist on a shift also affects automatic scheduling (Smart Schedule, Fill Gaps) - the solver won't assign the shift to employees not on the list.

6. Needs

Needs define how many employees with which skill are required at a given time.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Needs.
  2. Click + Add Need.
  3. Fill in:
    • Skill - Required skill (dropdown)
    • Workplace - Target workplace
    • Period - Target period (optional)
    • Days - Select which days (Mon-Sun checkboxes)
    • Holidays only - Check if this need applies only on holidays
  4. In the Requirements section, define time blocks:
    • Min - Minimum number of employees
    • Needs Start - Start time
    • Length - Duration in hours
    • Use range - Enable for variable staffing levels
  5. Click Save.

Needs list columns

Column Description
Workplace Target workplace
Skill Name Required skill with icon
Days WEEKDAYS, WEEKEND, or HOLIDAYS badges
Valid Validity period

7. Breaks

Breaks define rest periods that can be scheduled within shifts.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Breaks.
  2. Click + Add Break.
  3. Fill in:
    • Name - Break name (e.g., "Lunch", "Coffee break")
    • Duration - Break length (e.g., 0:30 for 30 minutes)
    • Description - Optional description
    • Abbreviation - Short code for display (e.g., "OBD")
    • Color / Background - Colors for display in the schedule
    • Active - Whether the break is active
    • Paid - Whether the break is paid
    • Mandatory - Whether the break is required
    • Allow Overlap - Whether breaks can overlap with other activities
  4. Click Save.

Breaks list columns

Column Description
Break Name Name of the break
Duration Length in minutes
Active Whether the break is active
Paid Whether the break is paid
Mandatory Whether the break is required

8. Periods

Periods define time ranges for schedule planning.

How to create

  1. In the left menu, go to Settings > Configuration > Periods.
  2. Click + Add Period.
  3. Fill in:
    • Period Name - Period name (e.g., "June 2026")
    • Description - Optional description
    • Period Start - Start date
    • Period End - End date
    • Active - Whether the period is active
  4. Click Save.

Periods list columns

Column Description
Period Name Name of the period
Description Description text
Period Date range (e.g., 6/1/2026 - 6/30/2026)

Bulk assignment

You can assign employees to contracts, skills, or shifts in bulk from the detail of each item.

How to do it

  1. Open the detail:
    • Contract: People > Contracts > open contract > Employees tab
    • Skill: Settings > Configuration > Skills > open skill > Users section
    • Shift: Settings > Configuration > Shifts > open shift > Employees tab
  2. You'll see a dual-list picker with two columns - available employees on the left, assigned on the right.
  3. Use arrows (or double-click) to move employees between columns. You can select multiple items at once.
  4. Click Save.

Notes

  • For skills, bulk assignment sets proficiency to 100%. Adjust individual levels in the employee detail.
  • For shifts, an empty employee list means "anyone at the workplace can have this shift". A filled list acts as a whitelist - the automatic scheduler respects it.
  • Bulk assignment is not available from the employee detail - there you select items individually.

Skills combinations

Skills combinations define which skills an employee can handle simultaneously in a single shift. Without combinations, the solver creates a separate shift for each skill. With combinations, multiple skills (e.g., Call + Chat) can be merged into one shift for one employee.

Example

If a workplace has needs for skills Call, Chat, and Email, and employee Anna has the combination [Call, Chat]:

  • The solver creates one shift with requiredSkills = [Call, Chat] that Anna can cover alone.
  • For Email, a separate shift is created for another employee.

1. Enable skill for combining

A skill must have the Allow to Combine switch enabled to be included in combinations.

  1. Go to Settings > Configuration > Skills and open the skill.
  2. Enable Allow to Combine.
  3. Save.

Note

You can only disable Allow to Combine if the skill is not used in any active employee combination.

2. Set up combinations for an employee

  1. Go to People > Employees and open the employee detail.
  2. Switch to the Skills Combinations tab.
  3. Click + to add a new combination row.
  4. In the dropdown, select 2 or more skills that the employee can handle simultaneously. Only skills with Allow to Combine = true appear in the dropdown.
  5. Add more rows if the employee has multiple independent combinations.
  6. Save.

Impact on scheduling

When running Smart Schedule, the solver:

  • Merges needs for combinable skills into one shift with multiple requiredSkills
  • Creates separate shifts for skills not in any combination
  • This reduces the total number of shifts and lets one employee cover multiple skills at once