Workforce - Time blockers

Overview

gaiia now supports the ability to block time off on a technician’s schedule, ensuring they cannot be scheduled during this time. In this article, we’ll cover how to configure ‘Time Blockers’ and apply them to a technician.

Creating a Time Blockers

In order to be able to create a time blockers, you'll need the right permissions first. 

To create a new time blocker, navigate to Workforce > Settings > Time Blockers and then click + New Time Blocker. From here, fill in the fields to create your time blocker.

1. Time Blocker Type: Choose from a drop-down of pre-configured blocker types (e.g., lunch, vacation, personal, etc.).
2. Are you booking for a few hours or a few days? If you are booking for hours or partial days, toggle off All Day and you’ll be able to select the exact start time.
   • Note: Multi-Day Time Blockers are currently not available.
3. Start Date/Start Time: Select the day and the time that this time blocker begins.
4. End Date/End Time: Select the day and the time that this time blocker ends.
5. Select Technicians: Select the technician(s) that this block applies to.
   • Only technicians available within the time frame will appear.

Once all of the fields have been filled out, click Create and the technician(s) will have that corresponding time blocked off their schedule.

If the technician has a scheduled work order for the same time you’re trying to block off, you’ll receive an error saying “one or more technicians were unavailable.” Please ensure that the technician has no scheduled or assigned work orders prior to blocking off their time.

Viewing Existing Time Blockers

To view existing time blockers, navigate to Workforce > Schedules and you’ll see blockers in their calendars. In the below image, the technicians have a Dinner break scheduled.

Current Limitations

• Non-Recurring: The time blockers are single, non-recurring time blocksers. Meaning they cannot be set to recur week after week
• Visibility: Time Blockers will not be shown for the MVP in the Technician’s Profile (shift tab) and Field Service App dashboard. 
• Schedule Page: Engaging with Time Blockers will not pop up a card highlighting key information, similar to work orders
• Flexible Time Blockers: The ability to create a time blocker and move it with a click and drag action on the schedule view (ex. Lunch/Dinner being moved forward or backward).
• Single Day: Time Blockers beyond 24 hours are currently not available.
• Time Blocker Overview: The overview table with all time blockers cannot be filtered or sorted.
• You currently have to manually un-assign and un-schedule work orders from a technician in order to schedule a time blocker.