> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ticketcord.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Business Hours

> Configure operating hours for your support team

Define when your support team is available to affect SLA timers, auto-responses, and availability indicators.

<Info>
  Business hours configuration is an **Enterprise** feature.
</Info>

## Why Set Business Hours?

Business hours help you:

* **Fair SLA Tracking**: Don't breach overnight
* **Set Expectations**: Tell users when to expect responses
* **Auto-Responses**: Different messages outside hours
* **Staff Scheduling**: Show who's available when

## Configuring Business Hours

### Setting Your Schedule

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Settings">
    Dashboard → Configuration → Business Hours
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Timezone">
    Choose your team's timezone
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define Hours">
    Set start and end time for each day
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Schedule is now active
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Weekly Schedule

Define hours for each day:

| Day       | Start    | End     | Status  |
| --------- | -------- | ------- | ------- |
| Monday    | 9:00 AM  | 6:00 PM | Open    |
| Tuesday   | 9:00 AM  | 6:00 PM | Open    |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM  | 6:00 PM | Open    |
| Thursday  | 9:00 AM  | 6:00 PM | Open    |
| Friday    | 9:00 AM  | 6:00 PM | Open    |
| Saturday  | 10:00 AM | 2:00 PM | Limited |
| Sunday    | -        | -       | Closed  |

### Multiple Shifts

For 24/7 coverage with breaks:

* Add multiple time ranges per day
* Example: 9 AM - 12 PM, 1 PM - 6 PM

## Timezone Settings

### Selecting Timezone

Choose from standard timezones:

* Your team's primary location
* UTC for distributed teams
* Customer-centric timezone

### Daylight Saving

* Automatically handled
* Schedule adjusts with DST changes
* No manual updates needed

## Holidays

### Adding Holidays

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Business Hours">
    Go to Business Hours settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Holidays">
    Select the Holidays tab
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Holiday">
    Enter date and description
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Holiday is added to calendar
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Holiday Options

| Option             | Description                       |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| **Full Day Off**   | Treated as closed                 |
| **Modified Hours** | Custom hours for that day         |
| **Recurring**      | Annual holidays (Christmas, etc.) |

### Example Holidays

| Date   | Name             | Hours        |
| ------ | ---------------- | ------------ |
| Dec 25 | Christmas        | Closed       |
| Jan 1  | New Year's       | Closed       |
| Jul 4  | Independence Day | 10 AM - 2 PM |

## Impact on Features

### SLA Timers

With business hours enabled:

| Setting                 | Behavior                                 |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Pause Outside Hours** | Timer stops after close, resumes at open |
| **Count All Time**      | Timer runs 24/7 regardless               |
| **Per Priority**        | Different rules by priority              |

### Auto-Close

Timing is calculated in business hours:

* "Close after 24 hours" = 24 business hours
* Excludes nights, weekends, holidays

### Auto-Responses

Configure different messages:

**During Hours:**

```
Thanks for reaching out! Our team will respond shortly.
```

**Outside Hours:**

```
Thanks for your message! Our team is currently offline 
and will respond when we're back at 9 AM EST.
```

## Displaying Hours to Users

### In Ticket Panels

Show availability in embed:

```
🟢 We're Online
Support available until 6:00 PM EST
```

Or:

```
🔴 Currently Offline
Support returns at 9:00 AM EST
```

### Expected Response Time

Dynamically calculate:

* "Expected response: \~2 hours"
* "Expected response: Tomorrow at 9 AM"

## Multiple Schedules

### By Category

Different hours for different ticket types:

| Category        | Hours             |
| --------------- | ----------------- |
| General Support | M-F 9-5           |
| Sales           | M-F 8-8, Sat 10-2 |
| Emergency       | 24/7              |

### By Team

Different teams, different schedules:

* US Team: EST hours
* EU Team: CET hours
* Combined coverage: Extended hours

## Staff Scheduling

### Viewing Availability

Business hours help show:

* Who's currently on shift
* When shifts change
* Coverage gaps

### On-Call Integration

Combine with on-call features:

* Primary staff during hours
* On-call staff outside hours
* Automatic routing by schedule

## Best Practices

<Tip>
  **Be Realistic**
  Set hours you can actually staff. Overpromising leads to poor experience.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Communicate Clearly**
  Tell users your hours in ticket panels and welcome messages.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Plan for Holidays**
  Add holidays in advance. Last-minute changes cause confusion.
</Tip>

<Tip>
  **Review Coverage**
  Regularly check if hours match actual availability.
</Tip>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="SLA still running overnight">
    Check that SLA policy is set to use business hours, not 24/7.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Wrong time showing to users">
    Verify timezone setting matches your intended display zone.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Holiday not recognized">
    Ensure date format is correct and holiday is saved.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Card title="Need Help?" icon="headset" href="https://ticketcord.net/discord">
  Questions about business hours? Join our Discord
</Card>