Variable time zones

[Louisa Allen]

We have approached by our Help Desk Management with regards an issue with changing "Help Desk is closed" timings. Out of working hours they want to play a message saying "the Help Desk is closed" however one week to another the weekend closed / openning hours can change.

We do not want to be changing anything ourselves within the strategy and our agents have access to Config Manager and Config Manager only (restricted access).

We need them to have access to supply start and end times which can somehow be used in a strategy. Any ideas on where to start... your help is appreciated.

Hope this makes sense.

[Fra]

[quote author=Louisa Allen link=topic=1952.msg6526#msg6526 date=1165937893]
We have approached by our Help Desk Management with regards an issue with changing "Help Desk is closed" timings. Out of working hours they want to play a message saying "the Help Desk is closed" however one week to another the weekend closed / openning hours can change.

We do not want to be changing anything ourselves within the strategy and our agents have access to Config Manager and Config Manager only (restricted access).

We need them to have access to supply start and end times which can somehow be used in a strategy. Any ideas on where to start... your help is appreciated.

Hope this makes sense.

[/quote]

Louisa,

it makes sense, it's very easy to implement and also the way supposed to be followed  : options like opening hours can be put in the Annex tab of customer tenant, that is in Resources of your CME. These options can be then selected from inside any strategy or subroutine (GetConfigOption[xxx,StartFromTenant]).

[cavagnaro]

Maybe an external Database table with schedules? So you read use this value? Not sure if it may work.
Another may be the use of statistical days and tables.

[Adrian]

Hi Louisa, we have a web-based tool for setting opening/closing hours and days (such as bank holidays) so you don't have to use configuration manager. Get in touch with me at Softlab on 01217885476 if you are interested.

[Lewey]

[quote author=Fra link=topic=1952.msg6527#msg6527 date=1165938770]
[quote author=Louisa Allen link=topic=1952.msg6526#msg6526 date=1165937893]
We have approached by our Help Desk Management with regards an issue with changing "Help Desk is closed" timings. Out of working hours they want to play a message saying "the Help Desk is closed" however one week to another the weekend closed / openning hours can change.

We do not want to be changing anything ourselves within the strategy and our agents have access to Config Manager and Config Manager only (restricted access).

We need them to have access to supply start and end times which can somehow be used in a strategy. Any ideas on where to start... your help is appreciated.

Hope this makes sense.

[/quote]

Louisa,

it makes sense, it's very easy to implement and also the way supposed to be followed  : options like opening hours can be put in the Annex tab of customer tenant, that is in Resources of your CME. These options can be then selected from inside any strategy or subroutine (GetConfigOption[xxx,StartFromTenant]).
[/quote]

Fra,
Where exactly is the customer tenant as I am unable to find it under resources? The reason I ask is I would like to  to automate Bank Holiday routing and like Louisa it will then be a simple change in CME.  I have tried to utilise Special days v Statistical tables but cannot see how you link them to a strategy?

[bublepaw]

There is function called IsSpecialDayEx which useses Statistical Table and Statistical Days. Both of those object can be easily configured through CME.
You need to create Statistical Table called 'Working Hours', and Statistical Day 'Helpdesk Open', Add Statistical Day to Statistical Table. In stratedy Create If block with expresion  IsSpecialDayEx['Working Hours','','',true] = 1. Green port means working hours, red port means outside working hours.

This solution is cleaner then options as You can set different hours for every day of week or even on specific day.

Hope this is clear

Paul

[mark]

[quote author=Adrian link=topic=1952.msg6544#msg6544 date=1166012938]
Hi Louisa, we have a web-based tool for setting opening/closing hours and days (such as bank holidays) so you don't have to use configuration manager. Get in touch with me at Softlab on 01217885476 if you are interested.
[/quote]

Louisa, Adrian has the right idea (as does cava) in my opinion.
We have built our own in FP. Allows the business to set their own opening hours as well as adhoc closure times (links in with an internal number for updating announcements as well).

I am just about to start a project to rebuild it though, re-write the lot in Java and have some additional security (link to AD possibly) and a larger calendar.

Adrian, do you have a demo of the web-based tool that you supply? It may be a cheaper and quicker application for us to use, rather than build upon our own current version.

Mark

[tony]

Might be too simple but use IRD to load and unload Open and Closed strategies at specified times/days....?

Tony

[Kevin S]

As long as you are using IRD 7.x, have you thought about implementing List Elements?
Previously, I build a subroutine that uses Lists to check for Holiday messages  - in this case, it only checks for the date, and speaks a treatment only on that date. The concept could be expanded to utilize time of day as well.

The nice things about it are:
1 - you can set it up in advance
2 - If the time(s) change, you can adjust them, and they take place immediately (for example, shortening or lengthening the time)
3 - You don't have to worry about strategies loading or not loading
4 - You don't have to worry about changing the strategy weekly - especially if your organization has any form of Code-Release or Change Control process.

E-Mail me if you need more information.

[mark]

Personally there are a lot of people who have access to CME who I would not give access to list objects. This is one of those times that you need to lock things down so that mistakes are limited in my opinion.

Mark

[Fra]

[quote author=Lewey link=topic=1952.msg8537#msg8537 date=1182498290]
[quote author=Fra link=topic=1952.msg6527#msg6527 date=1165938770]


Louisa,

it makes sense, it's very easy to implement and also the way supposed to be followed  : options like opening hours can be put in the Annex tab of customer tenant, that is in Resources of your CME. These options can be then selected from inside any strategy or subroutine (GetConfigOption[xxx,StartFromTenant]).
[/quote]

Fra,
Where exactly is the customer tenant as I am unable to find it under resources? The reason I ask is I would like to  to automate Bank Holiday routing and like Louisa it will then be a simple change in CME.  I have tried to utilise Special days v Statistical tables but cannot see how you link them to a strategy?
[/quote]

Lewey,

as I said, "Tenant" is the Resources subfolder in the left pane of the CME.

[Lewey]

Hi,

I have added a Statistical table to a subroutine ready for the forthcoming BH and as I have been unable to load test am a tad sceptical of the target values defined in the statistcal days. CME help advises that you are not to set any properties in the stats tab however I have changed the business day start and end.  Will this activate the other properties are will they be ignored?