User Availability Management
User Availability Management allows team members to mark themselves as unavailable (out of office, on leave, etc.) and automatically prevents case assignments during those periods. The system redistributes workload to available team members, ensuring continuous case processing.
Overview
When users are unavailable, the system:
Prevents new assignments - Stops automatic assignment of new cases, QA reviews, escalations, and to-dos
Redistributes workload - Automatically reassigns work to available team members using configurable distribution methods
Maintains transparency - Documents all reassignments in activity feeds for team visibility
Refreshes daily - A daily process updates availability statuses and processes reassignments
How It Works
For Users
Users can log their unavailability through their profile when administrators enable self-service management:
Click your profile menu (top-right)
Select Manage Availability or Out of Office
Enter unavailability details:
Start date - When unavailability begins
End date - When you return to work
Reason (optional) - Out of office, PTO, training, etc.
Save your availability status
The system automatically prevents assignments during your unavailability period and resumes normal assignment when you return.
For Administrators
Administrators can manage user availability on behalf of team members:
Navigate to Users & Queues > User Management
Select the user to update
Click Set Availability
Configure unavailability period:
Start date
End date
Optional notes
Save changes
This is useful for managing availability when users are unexpectedly absent or unable to update their own status.
Automatic Workload Redistribution
When a user becomes unavailable, the system automatically redistributes their pending assignments using one of three methods:
Least Work
Assigns work to the available team member with the fewest current assignments. Balances workload across the team.
Best for: Teams with varying workload capacities or part-time members.
Random
Randomly distributes work among available team members.
Best for: Teams where all members have equal capacity and expertise.
Round Robin
Distributes work sequentially to each available team member in rotation.
Best for: Ensuring equal distribution of work over time.
What Gets Redistributed
User Availability Management affects these assignment types:
Case Assignments
New cases being assigned through Auto-Dispatch or manual assignment processes will skip unavailable users.
Existing cases: Cases already assigned before unavailability are NOT automatically reassigned. Administrators can manually reassign if needed.
QA Reviews
Cases requiring QA review will be routed to available QA reviewers instead of unavailable ones.
Escalations
Escalated cases will be directed to available team members in the escalation chain.
To-Dos
New to-do items are assigned to available team members rather than those marked unavailable.
Daily Availability Refresh
The system runs a daily process that:
Checks availability status - Reviews all users' availability periods
Identifies unavailable users - Determines who is currently out of office
Processes reassignments - Redistributes pending work from unavailable to available users
Updates status - Marks users as unavailable or available based on their schedule
Logs activities - Documents all changes in activity feeds
This process runs automatically overnight and ensures availability statuses are current each morning.
Configuring User Availability Management
Enable User Availability Management
Navigate to Settings > System Setup > System Preferences
Locate the User Availability section
Enable User Availability Management
Choose redistribution method:
Least Work
Random
Round Robin
Configure self-service options:
Allow users to manage their own availability (recommended)
Restrict to administrators only
Save your changes
Activity Logging and Transparency
All availability-related actions are logged in activity feeds:
User sets unavailability - "John Smith marked unavailable 2/1/2026 - 2/5/2026"
Case reassignment - "Case #12345 reassigned from John Smith (unavailable) to Jane Doe"
User returns - "John Smith returned from unavailable status"
This ensures team leads and administrators have visibility into workflow changes caused by unavailability.
Integration with Other Features
Smart Queueing
Users marked unavailable will not receive Smart Queue assignments. When they return to available status, Smart Queueing resumes normal operation.
Auto-Dispatch Rules
Auto-Dispatch respects user availability. Cases will not be auto-dispatched to unavailable users and will route to available team members instead.
Manual Assignment
Administrators can still manually assign cases to unavailable users if necessary (e.g., urgent matters that only a specific person can handle). The system will show a warning but allow the override.