Shift Types

Categorize and configure different kinds of work shifts to streamline time tracking and payroll management.

What Are Shift Types?

Shift types are customizable categories that define different kinds of work shifts within your organization. Each shift type can have unique properties that affect pay calculations, visual identification, and operational tracking.

Examples: Regular live chat, covering for other agents, emergency shift, operations, other work types.

Why Shift Types Are Useful

Shift types provide structured organization and automated calculations that make time management more efficient:

Payroll Automation

Configure rate multipliers to automatically calculate different pay rates. For example, overtime shifts can be set to 1.5x normal pay without manual calculations.

Visual Organization

Color-code shift types for instant visual identification across your dashboard, making it easy to distinguish between different work categories at a glance.

Operational Tracking

Track chat availability to distinguish between shifts focused on live customer support versus other types of work or training.

Agent Permissions

Control which shift types each agent can access, ensuring they only see and start shifts appropriate for their role.

How Shift Types Appear

Permission-Based Access

Shift types appear differently based on user permissions:

  • Administrators can create, edit, and delete shift types
  • Agents see only the shift types they're permitted to use

In Shift Management

Agents can start shifts using permitted shift types in two ways:

Quick access from the user menu dropdown. View documentation

Managing Shift Types

Creating New Shift Types

Click "Add Shift Type"

Use the blue button to create a new shift type

Configure Basic Properties

  • Name: Descriptive title (e.g., "Regular Live Chat", "Emergency Shift", "Operations")
  • Rate Multiplier: Pay calculation factor (1.0 = normal pay, 1.5 = time-and-a-half)
  • Color: Visual identifier for the shift type

Set Availability Type

Choose whether this shift type is for "Chat Duty" (live customer support) or "Other Work"

Editing Shift Types

Find the Shift Type

Browse or search for the shift type you want to modify

Click the edit icon or click directly on the shift type name

Modify Settings

Update any of the configurable properties and permissions

Save Changes

All changes take effect immediately across existing and future shifts

Setting Agent Permissions

Control which shift types each agent can access:

Edit permissions directly when editing a shift type

Best Practices

Start Simple: Begin with essential categories like "Regular Live Chat" and "Operations" before adding specialized types.
Rate Multipliers: Double-check pay calculations. A 2.0x multiplier means double pay - ensure this aligns with your compensation policies.
Permissions: Be careful when changing shift type permissions, as agents may lose access to start certain shifts.