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

# Schedules

> Configure reusable schedules for campaigns, phone-number routing, agent tools, and time-based availability rules

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In the current sidebar, this area is labeled **Schedules**. Schedules are reusable time windows with weekly hours, holiday overrides, and timezone settings.

Use schedules to control when outbound campaigns can place calls, when phone-number routing rules are active, when agent tools are available, and when other time-based rules should apply.

**Access:** Open **Schedules** from the main sidebar.

<Screenshot lightSrc="/images/hours__business-hours-list-light.png" darkSrc="/images/hours__business-hours-list-dark.png" alt="Schedules list showing schedule name, status, active days, and timezone" />

## Creating Schedules

Click **Create Schedule** to open the creation dialog. Enter a name and click **Create**.

New schedules are created with defaults:

* **Timezone:** Europe/Vienna
* **Monday–Friday:** 09:00–17:00 (active)
* **Saturday–Sunday:** Closed

After creation, you're taken to the full editor to customize the schedule.

***

## Editing a Schedule

The editor has three sections: basic settings, weekly schedule, and date overrides.

<Screenshot lightSrc="/images/hours__hours-settings-light.png" darkSrc="/images/hours__hours-settings-dark.png" alt="Schedule editor showing name, timezone, weekly schedule with time slots, and date overrides" />

### Basic Settings

| Setting            | Description                                                     |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**           | Descriptive name (e.g., "Standard DACH Hours", "Weekend Sales") |
| **Timezone**       | IANA timezone — all time windows are evaluated in this timezone |
| **Set as Default** | Mark as the default schedule for new campaigns                  |

### Weekly Schedule

Configure active hours for each day of the week (Monday through Sunday):

* **Toggle** each day on or off — disabled days show as "Closed"
* **Start time / End time** — Set the calling window in HH:MM format (24-hour)
* **Multiple time slots** — Add additional time windows per day (e.g., 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00)

The platform validates time slots to ensure end times are after start times and slots do not overlap.

**Common configurations:**

| Schedule                | Days          | Hours                        |
| ----------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Standard office hours   | Mon–Fri       | 09:00–17:00                  |
| Extended availability   | Mon–Fri + Sat | 09:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–14:00 |
| Maximum reach (Germany) | Mon–Thu, Fri  | 08:00–20:00, Fri 08:00–18:00 |

### Date Overrides

Add exceptions for holidays, company events, or maintenance windows.

<Screenshot lightSrc="/images/hours__date-light.png" darkSrc="/images/hours__date-dark.png" alt="Add override dialog with date picker, reason dropdown, recurring toggle, and unavailable toggle" />

Click **Add Override** to open the override dialog:

| Setting                      | Description                                                                      |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Date type**                | **Single date** or **Date range**                                                |
| **Date(s)**                  | The date or start/end dates for the override                                     |
| **Reason**                   | Optional — select from: Public Holiday, Company Event, Maintenance, Other        |
| **Repeat every year**        | Enable for annual holidays (e.g., Christmas, New Year's)                         |
| **Closed for this override** | When on, no calls are placed on these dates. When off, special open hours apply. |

Overrides appear as color-coded badges: red for closed dates, green for special open hours. Click any badge to edit, or click the X to remove it.

<Tip>
  For recurring holidays, enable **Repeat every year** so you don't have to re-add them each year. The override will apply on the same month and day annually.
</Tip>

***

## Assigning Schedules

Schedules can be assigned in multiple places: outbound campaigns, phone-number routing rules, and agent tools in Expert mode. In some campaign screens, the field may still be labeled **Business Hours**.

### Outbound Campaigns

1. Open a campaign in the [campaign editor](/manage/campaigns/overview)
2. Open the **Settings** tab and find the **Business Hours** field
3. Select a schedule from the dropdown
4. Leave empty for 24/7 operation (no time restrictions)

The campaign will only place calls during the configured hours in the schedule's timezone. Changes take effect immediately for all campaigns using that schedule.

### Phone-Number Routing

Use schedules in [phone-number routing](/launch/phone-numbers#routing-calls) when different agents should handle calls during different time windows.

1. Open **Telephony → Phone Numbers**
2. Open the routing settings for a phone number
3. Add a routing rule
4. Choose a schedule and target agent

Routing rules are checked in order. If no schedule rule matches, the phone number uses its fallback agent.

### Agent Tools

Use schedules in the agent editor when a tool should only be available during specific hours.

1. Open an agent and go to **Tools**
2. Switch to **Expert** mode
3. Add or edit a tool
4. Set **Active hours** to a schedule

If no schedule is selected, the tool is **Always active**. This is useful for transfers, bookings, custom actions, and other tools that should only run during support, sales, or on-call windows.

***

## Duplicating a Schedule

Click **Duplicate** from the actions menu to clone a schedule. The copy includes all weekly time windows and date overrides. You can optionally rename the copy.

This is useful when you need a similar schedule with minor adjustments — for example, the same weekly hours but different holiday overrides for a different country.

***

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Optimize for answer rates">
    After your first 50–100 calls, review the campaign **Dashboard** and **Analytics** tabs to see which hours produce the most human answers. If your view includes a heatmap, use it to spot the strongest windows quickly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Avoid high voicemail hours">
    If voicemail rates exceed 60% during certain hours, people in those windows are likely busy or unavailable. Narrow your calling window to avoid them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Create reusable schedules">
    Name schedules descriptively (e.g., "DACH Standard", "US East Coast", "Weekend Support") so your team can easily reuse the right schedule across campaigns, routing rules, and agent tools.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use date overrides for holidays">
    Configure recurring overrides for public holidays relevant to your target region. This prevents calls on days when answer rates will be poor and customers may be annoyed.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Campaign Launch" icon="bullhorn" href="/launch/campaign-outbound-launch">
    Create your first outbound campaign
  </Card>

  <Card title="Phone Numbers" icon="phone-volume" href="/launch/phone-numbers">
    Use schedules for phone-number routing rules
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tools Overview" icon="bolt" href="/build/tools/overview">
    Restrict tools to active hours from the agent editor
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance Guide" icon="scale-balanced" href="/launch/outbound-compliance">
    Review calling regulations for DACH, EU, US, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>