Constraints protect a skill from staff shortages. They specify when agents may start an activity, switch to wrap-up, log off or lower their qualification for a skill or a language — and when they are warned against it or may not do it at all.
Setting up constraints
The Constraints tab is a calendar, see The calendars. Each entry applies for its period and has its own Constraints tab with a table: one row per action, one column per condition.
| Row | Agent’s action |
|---|---|
| Activity warning, Deny activity | start an activity |
| Wrap-up warning, Deny wrap-up | turn on manual wrap-up |
| Logout warning, Logout deny | log off |
| Skill change warning, Deny skill change | lower their qualification for a skill |
| Language change warning, Deny language change | lower their qualification for a language |
When you turn on a row, its fields appear. Each column holds a threshold; 0 turns the condition off. A row takes effect as soon as one of its conditions is met:
| Column | The row takes effect … |
|---|---|
| If less than | if at most this many agents of the skill are available — including the agent who is asking |
| If call AVG wait time longer than [s] | if calls wait longer on average |
| If fax AVG wait time longer than [s], If email AVG wait time longer than [s], If chat AVG wait time longer than [s] | likewise for faxes, emails and chats |
| If more than [calls / hour] and the corresponding columns for faxes, emails and chats | if more conversations per hour come in |
How constraints work
- The check takes place when an agent triggers the action. It takes into account all skills for which the agent is qualified, that are currently within their business hours and in whose constraints calendar an entry is currently running.
- Prohibitions take precedence over warnings.
- If a prohibition applies, the agent sees Action not permitted; their state stays unchanged. If a warning applies, the Agent asks Want to perform this action?, and the agent decides themselves. In both cases, the window gives the reason, for example Hit threshold … in ACD … with value ….
- If a supervisor of the agent has turned on Answer requests, the supervisor decides instead of the constraints.
When permission is required describes what this looks like for the agent.