Setting up shift patterns in Commusoft is crucial for managing your team's availability. It's a required setting for our Scheduling engine, which helps you schedule jobs faster and smarter through self service portals and suggested appointments. It can also ensure manually scheduled appointments are not added outside of a users assigned shift pattern
By clearly defining when an engineer/technician is available or unavailable, you save time on admin tasks and keep your workflow running smoothly, ensuring your calendar always shows accurate availability.
🔎How to access the Shift patterns setting
➡️ Go to your Profile icon → Choose Settings → Locate Schedule and dispatch in the Categories menu → Click View next to Shift patterns
How to set up a shift pattern
➡️ Click Add new shift pattern
Step 1: Basic details
Enter a descriptive name for the shift pattern in the name of shift pattern field.
Click Continue.
Step 2: Shifts
Define the specific working hours for each day of the week if you selected 'Based on the shift pattern' in Step 2.
To add a shift, click and drag your mouse across the desired time slot in the calendar grid for a specific day.
In the Add shift side panel:
Choose shift type: Select either Normal or Overtime.
Select days: Ensure the correct day(s) are selected for this shift. You can select multiple days if the shift pattern is the same.
Enter time range: Set the start and end times for the shift.
If Shift type is Overtime, enter the Cost multiplier as a percentage.
Click Save.
Repeat this process to add all necessary shifts for the week.
To view or delete an existing shift, click on the shift block in the calendar. A "View shift side panel will open, showing details and a delete button.
Click Continue.
Click here for overtime cost multipler examples
Click here for overtime cost multipler examples
When the Shift type is Overtime, you must enter a cost multiplier as a percentage. This value multiplies against the user's normal cost rate to calculate the overtime cost.
Example 1: Your overtime cost is time and a half
To calculate time and a half, enter 150. For a user with a normal cost rate of 85, the overtime cost would be 85 x 150% = 127.50.
Example 2: Your overtime cost is time and a quarter
To calculate time and a quarter, enter 125. For a user with a normal cost rate of 85, the overtime cost would be 85 x 125% = 106.25.
You can add multiple slots for both normal and overtime within your shift patterns.
Cost rates for overtime are always taken from the user's cost price, which is set in the User's profile. This is found in the business details section.
Step 3: Manage breaks
Define any breaks that apply to this shift pattern. The break length is the duration, and the user can take the break at any time within the entered work hours. All relevant breaks allowed within the shift should be added to ensure accuracy.
Click on the Add new break button.
In the Add break side panel:
Enter a Description for the break (e.g., "Lunch", "Tea break").
Set the Working hours during which this break can be taken.
Select the Duration of the break from the dropdown menu.
Click Save.
Repeat this process to add all necessary breaks for the shift pattern.
Click Continue.
Step 4: Assign users
In the Name column, click on the "Please select" dropdown.
Begin typing the name of the user you wish to assign. As you type, a list of matching users will appear.
Select the user from the list. Their name and email will populate the row.
To assign another user, click on the next "Please select" dropdown and repeat the process.
To remove an assigned user, click the Delete button in the Action column next to their name.
Click Save.
A "Shift pattern setup activation" pop-up will appear.
To activate the shift pattern immediately, type "Activate" into the text box and click the Activate button.
To save the shift pattern as a draft, leave the text box empty and click Save as draft.
Users can be assigned and unassigned after the shift pattern is made active.
How to edit the shift pattern
You can adjust various aspects of an existing shift pattern, including its name, shift times, breaks, and assigned users.
Shift patterns can be freely edited; however, when editing a shift slot in step 3, it must be deleted and re-added.
➡️ Under the Actions column, click Edit
Click on Step 3: Shifts
Click on the time slot you wish to edit on the calendar.
Click Delete at the bottom of the side panel.
Re-add the shift pattern with the desired changes by following the steps in the "Setting up a shift pattern" section.
Click Save.
When editing any step, ensure you click Continue to save your changes before navigating away from the page.
How to archive a shift pattern
If a shift pattern has been used, it must be archived instead of deleted. Archiving will retain the data for historical purposes and remove the shift pattern from the active list.
➡️ Click Delete → Type "archive" to confirm → Click Archive.
How to delete a shift pattern
If the shift pattern has not been used yet, it can be deleted.
➡️ Click Delete → Type "delete" to confirm → Click Delete.
Common questions
💭 Are AM/PM/All day events supported within shift patterns?
No, AM, PM and All day events are not supported within shift patterns. This is because the scheduling engine needs to be able to schedule appointments in specific timeslots, and these broader timeframes are not compatible.
💭 Can I assign multiple shift patterns to a user?
No, users can only have one shift patterns assigned at a time. If there's a change to their regular shift pattern, you will need to change the shift pattern in Step 4: Assign users.
🎓 Want more training?
For further training on configuring the scheduling engine, check out our Self service course in the Commusoft Academy.
💬 Still need help?
Ask AI:den, your 24/7 support assistant.
➡️ Go to your Profile icon → Get support → Ask a question
AI:den can answer most questions or connect you with our team if needed.