Chaining Rosters

Chaining Rosters allows multiple Workgroups and Primary Classes lists to be linked together or to themselves for purposes of a callout. Chains can be created for two different purposes:

1. Chain multiple Primary Class or Workgroup lists together from the same or from different locations.

Example: The Lineman list is chained to the Lead Lineman list. Therefore ARCOS will call everyone on the Lead Lineman list if there are still open positions then ARCOS will begin calling the Lineman list. To build in extra redundance for filling requested positions you could also add to the chain the Lead Lineman list and the Lineman list from another location. This will also reduce the need to have dispatchers rollover a callout to another list because not all of the positions were filled.

Rollover an Open Callout

There are several edit functions with the Callout Edit Screen. They include increasing/decreasing the number of employees requested for a callout and resubmitting the callout starting over from the first position on the roster, increasing the number of employees requested for a callout and resuming from the last person called, rolling over a call to another location, and overriding an employee's schedule exception.

2. Create the same list with a different list status and chain the list to itself for Sign-On/Sign-Off purposes. Other list statuses are used to control how the employees are called. Every roster must have a status and most companies simply use "regular" list status.

 

List Status

Each roster is a list of employees defined by Location and Classification or Workgroup. Some companies have an additional component for the roster definition which is "List Status." Some examples of list statuses are Regular, Preferred, Non-Preferred, Standby, Temporarily Assigned (TA), Ask-On, and Ask-Off. Several of these list status types are used in conjunction with chaining.

Caution: Changing the status of an existing list effectively creates a new list. Example: If a Workgroup already exist with a list status of Regular, but the list status should really be Stand-by. If the list status is changed from the Roster List Edit Chain page, ARCOS will create a new list and employees will need to be manually added to the list.

Note: Employees will still be assigned to the Regular list status list.

List statuses can included: Regular, Preferred, Non-Preferred, Standby, Temporarily Assigned (TA), Temporarily Assigned Qualified (TAQ), Signon and Signoff, and Ask On and Ask Off. The list statuses vary from company to company and some companies do not use list statuses with chaining at all.

There are other chain related items that are maintained from the Roster List Edit Chain page other than list status.

• Call Order Method: Determines how the sequence will be called when a callout is preformed for the list. This method can be on of two methods Horizontal (the most widely used) and Vertical.

Horizontal Calling

The Horizontal calling method calls all of an employee's devices before calling the next employee.

Example: Five employees are in the following order A, B, C, D, and E. A, C, and E each have three devices; employee D has two devices; and employee B has one device. The call order of the employees and their associated devices will be A1, A2, A3, B1, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2, E1, E2, E3 (assuming no accepts and all employees are available).

Vertical Calling

Vertical Calling is used with list where employees have multiple devices. This calling method only calls the employee's first device before calling the next employee. After each employee has been called on their first device ARCOS will then call through the list again only calling employees' second device. If an employee does not have a second device then he will be skipped when second devices are being called.

Example: Five employees are in the following order A, B, C, D, and E. A, C, and E each have three devices; employee D has two devices; and employee B has one device. The call order of the employees and their associated devices will be  A1, B1, C1, D1, E1, A2, C2, D2, E2, A3, C3, E3 (assuming no accepts and all employees are available).

• CTT Filter: Determines the range in miles employees must be from the selected trouble location for Closest-to-Trouble callouts, in order to be called during the specified sequence. This type of calling is also call Bullseye Calling. The format of the textbox is minimum miles-maximum miles. For example, if employees called on the sequence should be between 10 and 20 miles from the trouble, then you would enter 10-20.

  

Note: The max value is up-to the number of miles entered. There for if 20 is set as the maximum miles then an employee who is exactly 20 miles from the trouble location will not be called on the sequence.

Note: Sequences will be called in the order they appear on the Roster List Edit Chain page. ARCOS will not change the sequence order in any way during callouts.

• Hidden: If the Hidden option is enabled (checked) for a sequence, the sequence will not appear on the Sign-On/Sign-Off Timeline, on the Callout List report, or in Roster Push files for the list.

• Required: Determines if a sequence must be exhausted before the list is considered exhausted an will appear in the List Exhausted report.

• Delay: Allows a delay to be set minutes before the current sequence is called.

Chain Delay

A set time in minutes between sequences within a list. If a list contains two sequences, a delay can be setup in between those sequences to give employees on the first list time to call the inbound system and respond before the second sequence is called.

Note: The Chain Delay will not occur if the previous sequence did not attempt to contact any employees on the list.

Note: The Chain Delay will not occur if the previous sequence did not attempt to contact any employees on the list.

• Pop-up: If a Chain Delay is setup in between sequences on a list, ARCOS can be configured to display a pop-up to the dispatcher once the delay period has completed.

Chain Delay Pop-up

If a Chain Delay is setup in between sequences on a list, ARCOS can be configured to display a pop-up to the dispatcher once the delay period has completed. This will allow the dispatcher if enough positions have been filled or if more employees are needed.

Note: The ARCOS will not call the next sequence until the dispatcher clicks Yes on the pop-up, to continue to the next sequence. This pop-up will only occur if employees were available to call on the previous sequence.

• Qual No: Instead of ARCOS calling employees, who responded with a Qualify No result, back before calling the next roster or location, users can control precisely when ARCOS will call Qualify No results back.

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To add a Sequence to a Chain

1. Click the Roster List Ordering button on the List Mnt tab. The Roster List Ordering page displays.

   

2. Click the chain link next to the list a chain will be added to.

3. Click Add Sequence to add an additional sequence to the list.

4. Select the Location, Primary Class/Workgroup, and List Status that will be chained.

5. Set any other chaining options: Call Order Method, Hidden, Required, Delay, and Delay Pop-up.

6. Click the Submit button.

To Modify a Sequence in a Chain

1. Click the Roster List Ordering button on the List Mnt tab. The Roster List Ordering page displays.

   

2. Click the chain link next to the list the chain sequence will be modified.

3. Click the edit link next to the sequence that needs to be modified.

4. Make the appropriate changes.

5. Click the Submit button.

To Delete a Sequence in a Chain

1. Click the Roster List Ordering button on the List Mnt tab. The Roster List Ordering page displays.

   

2. Click the chain link next to the list the chain sequence will be modified.

3. Click the edit link next to the sequence that needs to be deleted.

4. Check the Delete checkbox to delete the list.

5. Click the Submit button.

View Sign-On/Sign-Off Rosters Setup.

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*Note: ARCOS documentation is a living document. For inconsistencies or missing features, contact ARCOS Support. Not all companies have all items in the Online Help.