The interactive slot search allows you to easily and effectively assign assignments to a resource. For each assignment, you can see which resource can work on the assignment the fastest. If a resource has time to complete an assignment, a free slot is displayed for it. In addition, you can see how long the individual resources need for the assignment and when the assignment is expected to be finished. This way, you can distribute your assignments among your resources in a time-saving manner.

The target hours are not a mandatory field.

Furthermore, the assignment must be in the worklist and not already assigned to a resource. In addition, it can be helpful to activate the "Automatic update of the planning board" function. To activate this, click on under "Display" on the left side of the planning board. For more setting options that can give you a better overview, read Navigation in the Planning Board and Filtering the Planning Board.

Activation

To be able to activate the slot search, you have to select the worklist first with under "Display". You can then switch the interactive slot search on or off with the checkbox of the same name.

You can also edit resources, assignments etc. when the slot search is activated.

You can make the following settings in the interactive slot search:

Start: Here you can specify from which day forward to search for free slots. You can only plan assignments that are scheduled from today onwards with the interactive slot search. Depending on the setting, even from the current time including an offset, which is added to the time. These settings can be found in the general settings in the section "Automatic assignment distribution".

Filtering the resources

If you do not want all resources to be displayed, you can filter the resources. A resource will then only appear in the interactive slot search, if its details match the details in the assignment info. You can consider the following information in your search for free slots or also optionally switch off:

Focus assignment in the worklist-table: Click on the button above the table to mark the selected worklist assignment in the table and the planning board. Use the action in the table to jump directly to the selected assignment.
Show slot-list: Display all free slots for the selected assignment in the worklist table. You can now sort the list according to the length of the outward journey, for example.
Consider flags: If you activate this option, the flags on the assignments are compared with the flags on the planning board during the slot search. Only slots that match the flags are displayed.
Consider main group: Only slots with the same main group as the assignment are searched for.
Consider group: Only slots with the same group as the assignment are searched for.
Consider SLA deadline: SLA dates are taken into account in the slot search.
Consider Skills: The skills defined in the assignment are compared with the skills of the resources. Free slots are displayed depending on which setting you select.
- Consider skills: off: Skills are not taken into account for the slot search.
- Consider skills: partly: The free slots show you the match rate of the skills of the resource with the required skills of the assignment as a percentage.
- Consider skills: exactly: Free slots are only displayed if the skills match or exceed these.
Consider Geographic coordinates: The address stored for the resource is compared with the address of the customer within the assignment. Depending on which setting you select, free slots are displayed.
- Consider Geographic coordinate: off: Geographical coordinates are not taken into account for the slot search.
- Consider Geographic coordinate: partly: Free slots are also displayed for resources for which no coordinates have been specified.
- Consider Geographic coordinate: exactly: Unsuitable slots will not be displayed.

Symbols for visual distance labels:

- Geocoordinates cannot be calculated (there is no geodata for an address or resource) or geographical coordinates are not taken into account.
- the distance is calculated as the crow flies between the coordinates.
- the distance is calculated using a geodata service (LocationIQ) and falls within the normal limits of a car journey.
- the distance goes beyond a car journey and is calculated either by geodata service or as the crow flies.

Resource filter: By activating the filter, only resources with free slots are displayed.
Debug mode: The debug mode serves to show you why a day was not specified as a free slot. To do this, you must click on the in the right-hand area (within the context information ). If you select a day or a resource in the planning board in debug mode, the context info in the right area jumps to the corresponding text location.

Further planning

You can also specify in an assignment which assignment is the first assignment or which assignment is an additional trip or which assignment is the last assignment. If an assignment overlaps with an already scheduled assignment or the address data has not been geocoded, then the assignment cannot be scheduled. The resource must also have correct address data to be considered by the interactive slot search. If you do not consider geo-coordinates, then it does not matter if the addresses are geocoded or not.

For the skills that are checked, only numeric and date skills can be considered. The skill check is optional and can be switched off.

You can move the slot search in another browser window with the -button in the top right-hand corner of the slot search. If you would like to have the slot search opened again in the same window as the planning board, then close the slot search window.

Color delimitation

The free slots that are displayed to you vary in color. You can define which colors are used in the User Settings. You can for example use colors to highlight how far the resource would have to travel to the assignment. The divisions of the colors can look like this:

Red: The assignment is far away.
Yellow: The assignment is a little closer.
Green: The assignment is very close.

A gray slot always means that information are missing. For example, if no address is in the resource info, the distance to the assignment cannot be calculated. Resources that cannot complete the assignment in one working day due to e.g. too far travel distances will not be displayed to you.

Information

When you hover over a free slot, various information are displayed.

Outward/ return journey: The distance the resource would have to travel to or away from the assignment and the respective estimated duration.
Bee-line or Google Maps: Tells you whether the outward/return journey is calculated using the Geocoding-Service routing or via bee-line. Google Maps routing is used up to a fixed number of kilometers. You can change the kilometer limit in the User Settings.
StartIst/ EndIst: Shows you at what time the assignment for the resource would start/ end. Travel times are taken into account.
Work start/end: Tells you when the resource is expected to start or finish work.
Skills matching rate in %: Shows you the percentage of the resource's skills that match the required skills. Skills that are not fulfilled are displayed.

To assign an assignment to a resource, you must select the desired free slot and right-click to select "Use free slot".