Applying Travel and Timing Rules

A key part of Scheduler's slot search logic is its ability to apply travel and timing rules. These rules ensure that the appointment slots offered to your telephone agents are not only available but also practical and efficient for your field agents.

Travel Rules

Scheduler uses the postcode from the source record to calculate the travel time to the appointment location. The application also considers the locations of any existing appointments in a field agent's schedule.

The primary travel rule is the maximum travel time. This setting, which you configure in your workflow, defines the maximum amount of time a field agent can spend travelling between appointments. Scheduler will only propose slots that are within this travel time from a field agent's previous or next appointment.

Timing Rules

In addition to travel rules, Scheduler also applies a set of timing rules to determine which slots are viable. These rules are based on the Slots Policy you have configured in your workflow settings.

• Appointment Times per Day: Scheduler will only show slots at the specific times of day that you have defined as being available for booking.
• Default Meeting Duration: The duration of the meeting is used to ensure that there is enough time in a field agent's schedule for the new appointment, taking into account any adjacent bookings.

By combining these travel and timing rules, Scheduler is able to intelligently filter the available slots and present your telephone agents with a list of options that are both convenient for the customer and efficient for your field team.