# Scheduling

> Define when your support team is on. Set weekly shifts with timezones, assign teammates to them, and record time off — so ticket assignment only routes to people who are actually working.

Scheduling tells Bookbag *when* each teammate is working, so [assignment](/docs/help-desk/assignment) routes tickets only to people who are actually on. It's the difference between a ticket landing on someone's desk at 3 a.m. and waiting for the next shift.

> **WHERE TO CONFIGURE:** Open the agent's **Help desk → Scheduling** settings. Enable scheduling, then define shifts, assign agents to them, and record any time off.

## Shifts

A **shift** is a weekly working pattern with a timezone. For each day of the week you set whether it's on and the start and end times. Bookbag evaluates "is this shift on right now?" in the shift's own timezone, so a team spread across regions works correctly.

- **Per-day on/off** — mark which weekdays the shift covers.
- **Start and end times** — in `HH:MM`. Overnight shifts (end earlier than start) are supported.
- **Timezone** — each shift carries its own, evaluated with the customer's local clock in mind.

> **MODEL YOUR REAL COVERAGE:** Create one shift per coverage window — e.g. "Americas 9–5 ET" and "EMEA 9–5 CET" — then assign teammates to whichever they work.

## Assigning agents to shifts

Each teammate is mapped to a shift. When scheduling is enabled, an agent is **eligible for assignment** only when their shift is currently on and they're not on time off. Agents without a shift fall back to their manual availability status.

## Time off

Record **time off** as a date range for specific teammates. While someone is on time off, they're excluded from auto-assignment even if their shift would otherwise be on.

> **CHECK:** Time off is checked against today's date — set it ahead of a holiday or PTO and assignment routes around that person automatically for the dates you entered.

## How scheduling drives assignment

1. **Find the agent's shift** — Look up which shift the teammate is assigned to.
2. **Check time off** — If they're on time off today, they're not eligible.
3. **Check the clock** — In the shift's timezone, is the shift on right now? If yes, they're eligible.
4. **Fall back if empty** — If nobody is on shift, [next-shift fallback](/docs/help-desk/assignment) can still route to a scheduled agent.

## FAQ

**Do I have to use scheduling?**

No. With scheduling off, eligibility is based on each teammate's manual availability status instead of shifts.

**Do overnight shifts work?**

Yes. A shift whose end time is earlier than its start (e.g. 22:00–06:00) is treated as spanning midnight.

**What if a ticket arrives when no one is on shift?**

It's left unassigned, or — if next-shift fallback is enabled in assignment — routed to a scheduled agent for when they're back.

**How do timezones work across a global team?**

Each shift carries its own timezone, and Bookbag evaluates whether it's currently on using that timezone, so regional teams behave correctly.

## What's next

- [Ticket assignment](/docs/help-desk/assignment) — How shifts feed routing and the next-shift fallback.
- [Help Desk overview](/docs/help-desk/overview) — The inbox these tickets land in.
- [Email settings](/docs/help-desk/email-settings) — Configure the email channel that feeds tickets.