🧪 Surfboard performance is currently in Beta.
We are actively testing and refining this feature. We welcome all feedback!
What is time-on-task?
Time-on-task is what we call adherence at Surfboard. The calculation used for time on-task can be described as:
"The total time you were scheduled less the total time you were off-task (not following the schedule) represented as a percentage score"
Here's a simple example of how it's calculated:
How to start tracking time-on-task for your team
1️⃣ Make your performance connection
Surfboard uses an additional system, Merge.io, to track performance. You'll need to make an additional connection to your ticketing platform to track adherence.
🔗 Surfboard currently supports performance for Zendesk, Intercom and Dixa.
If you'd like to make a connection, ask our team and we'll send you a link.
2️⃣ Link your activities to ticket groups
If you haven't already, you need to link ticket groups to your service activities. Surfboard can only track adherence for activities that have been linked to ticket groups. When an activity is linked to a ticket group, we count it as a 'service task'.
3️⃣ You're all set up!
You'll be able to see time-on-task scores on the performance page from the next day. Head to your performance page to take a look around.
What we track per system
What we track varies a little bit per system. In every case we are checking which surfer did the action and what time they did it. For example, Sam closed ticket #1234 at 9.05 on Monday 1 Aug 23.
Zendesk
When the status of a ticket changes (open, solved, or pending)
Whenever a message is added to a ticket. This can be an internal note or message, or a reply sent to a customer.
Intercom
When the status of a ticket changes (open, closed, or snoozed)
Whenever a message is sent to a customer.
Dixa
When the status of a ticket changes (open, closed, or snoozed)
Whenever an internal note is added to a ticket.
How scores are calculated
Surfboard gives a time-on-task score (or adherence as it's sometimes called) for every day that a surfer has a scheduled shift.
A surfer starts with a score of 100%. Whenever a surfer does something differently than what was scheduled, or is inactive while they should be working on service, this time detracts from their score.
For example, Jane is scheduled on 'Phones' for 1 hour. During that time, Jane took an unplanned 15-minute break. This means Jane was only on-task for 45 out of the 60 mins she was scheduled for. This gives her a time on-task score of 75%.
What detracts from your score ⬇️
Service activities
When an activity is linked to a ticket group, we count it as a 'service activity'.
When service tasks are scheduled, Surfboard checks to see if the surfer was working in the linked system (e.g. Zendesk) at that time. If the surfer becomes inactive or starts working in the wrong system, this will detract from their score.
Non-service activities, breaks and meetings
When other activities (i.e. activities not linked to ticket groups), breaks or synced calendar events are scheduled, Surfboard does not expect to see any surfer activity inside of ticketing platforms.
As a result, this time is usually 100% on task. A surfer's score will only be lowered if they are working in a ticketing platform when they were not scheduled to be. For example, a surfer is working in Intercom when they are scheduled to be on a break.
👍 Surfers will never be penalised for taking planned breaks, attending meetings, or doing offline work. Learn more about syncing calendar events
Want to dig into the technical nitty-gritty of how time-on-task scores are calculated?