Before you can use the Intraday Solver to automatically build your schedule, you need to provide it with the basic building blocks. The solver needs to know who to schedule and what tasks to assign them.
This guide outlines the three essential items you must have in place.
Watch this short video to see these prerequisites set up step-by-step.
1. People (Users) on Your Board
The solver needs to know which team members are available to be scheduled. This is a two-step process:
Invite Users to Your Team (If they are new):
If the users aren't already in your system, you must first invite them.
Go to the Top-Left Menu > Users.
Click Invite/Create New Users to add them to your team.
Add Users to Your Board:
Once users are on your team, you must add them to the specific schedule board you want to solve.
On your board, navigate to Settings > Users.
Click Add People and select the team members you want the solver to manage for this schedule.
2. Activities (The Tasks)
The solver needs a "menu" of activities (tasks, breaks, etc.) that it can assign to your team.
How to Add:
On your schedule board, find the Set Default Activity area or click any empty white space on the schedule.
Click the Plus icon (+) to create a new activity.
Examples:
BreaksPhone SupportEmailProjectsTeam Meeting
💡 Pro-Tip:
Use distinct colors for your activities (e.g., green for "Breaks," blue for "Phone Support"). This makes the final schedule much easier to read at a glance.
3. (Optional) Staffing Requirements
For your most critical, time-sensitive activities (like live chat or phone support), you can tell the solver exactly how many people you need working at specific times.
When to Use This: This is essential for any activity where you need to match staffing levels to customer demand.
How to Add:
When you create or edit an activity (like "Phone Support"), you will see an option to Configure Staffing Requirements.
You can manually input your needs (e.g., "Need 5 people from 9:00-10:00 AM, then 8 people from 10:00-11:00 AM").
🚀 Go a Step Further with Forecasting
For the most accurate and automated setup, you can use our forecasting feature. This will automatically calculate your staffing requirements based on historical data. Please reach out to us if you'd like to get this set up!
✅ Prerequisite Checklist
Before you hit "Solve," make sure you have:
A Board Created: You have a new schedule board.
People Added: Your team members are added to that board (from Settings > Users).
Activities Defined: You have created all the tasks you want to schedule (e.g., Breaks, Email, Chat).
(Optional) Staffing Set: You have configured staffing requirements for any demand-based activities.
📺 Video Index
1. Introduction to the Intraday Solver 0:00
Overview of the video purpose: to explain prerequisites for using the intraday solver.
Importance of having a complete setup before hitting 'solve'.
2. Adding People to the Board 0:20
Create a new board for scheduling.
Ensure you have at least one person (yourself or team owner) on the board.
Navigate to settings and add users:
Go to 'Settings' > 'Users' > 'Add People'.
If no users are visible, invite new users:
Go to the top left menu > 'Users' > 'Invite/Create New Users'.
3. Adding Activities 1:38
Activities must be created for assignment.
In the white space or under 'Set Default Activity', click the plus icon to add activities:
Example activities: 'Projects', 'Phone Support'.
Optionally set a default duration for activities.
4. Configuring Staffing Requirements 2:33
If using staffing requirements, ensure they are added:
After adding an activity, configure staffing requirements.
Optionally, use forecasting for automatic staffing calculations.
5. Conclusion and Support 3:17
Recap of prerequisites: people, activities, and staffing requirements.
Encouragement to reach out for help:
Go to the top left menu and ask questions if needed.