How does it work?
By syncing your team's time off into the schedule, you can:
Get full visibility over your agent's time
Automatically plan around your agent's planned time off and absences.
Monitor shrinkage
Create accurate timesheets for all your agent's time
How can I sync time off into Surfboard?
Via iCal links
For the majority of HRIS systems or calendar clients, you can sync your team's time off into Surfboard via iCal links. This includes GCal, Outlook, HiBob, BambooHR.
Custom GCal or Outlook calendars
Some companies may not have their own existing HRIS or time off calendar. In these cases, you can create a custom calendar to use. Read our GCal or Outlook guides here.
Direction connections
For some systems were iCal links are unavailable, we offer direct integrations. Surfboard supports ADP Workforce Now and Workday. To connect these systems you'll need a link from our team.
💬 Speak to us on Intercom and select 'Integration set-up help' to create a ticket.
FAQs
How are time off booking matched with agents in Surfboard?
Surfboard assigns time off booking to agents by matching their first and last names. As a result, it's important that the names match exactly. This includes:
Spelling (e.g. Amie, not Amy)
Hyphens (e.g. Tom Smith-Brown, not Tom Smith Brown)
Accents (e.g. Raúl, not Raul)
Punctuation (e.g. Jess L'heude, not Jess L Heude)
Will Surfboard sync pending bookings, or only approved time off?
Surfboard only synced approved time off bookings from HRIS calendars.
It will sync all events from GCal or Outlook featuring keywords.
Will Surfboard find cover or reassign shifts if it clashes with time off?
No, a conflict will show on the time off block in the schedule to alert you that there has been a clash, allowing you to find cover.
Does Surfboard sync sick days?
Yes, Surfboard will sync sick days into the schedule.
For HRIS systems: If the time off policy is available, then sick days will be labelled as 'Sick 🤒' in the schedule.
For GCal or Outlook: If you include the keyword 'sick' in the booking, then sick days will be labelled as 'Sick 🤒' in the schedule.
Does Surfboard sync other types of time off e.g. maternity leave, medical appointments?
Yes, Surfboard will sync all types of time off into the schedule.
Any time off bookings that do not contain vacation/holiday or sick related keywords, or policies will show as 'time off 🕐 '
Why am I seeing a conflict on a time off booking?
If an agent was scheduled on a shift that now overlaps with a time off booking or time off in lieu, it will show up as a conflict. This is so you are aware your coverage will be lower and you can find suitable cover.
A conflict in the schedule will show as a red dot in the corner of the shift. When you select a shift, you'll be able to view the shift that was previously scheduled. You can then dismiss the conflict when you're ready.
What happens if someone cancels their time off?
Surfboard will update automatically. The data refreshes every 20 minutes.
If a shift was previously scheduled, it will be restored after the time off booking is cancelled. If no shifts were scheduled previously, there will be a space in the schedule.
What happens if someone changes their time off bookings (e.g. the time or date)?
Surfboard will update automatically. The data refreshes every 20 minutes.
If a shift was previously scheduled, it will be restored after the time off booking is updated. If no shifts were scheduled previously, there will be a space in the schedule.
Do I have to publish time off?
Time off is published automatically, so you don't need to worry about it.
Can I remove time off?
You can delete synced time off bookings from the schedule by clicking on the time off block and clicking 'delete'. This will not affect your HRIS system or calendar, this is only for the schedule.