Articles - Shift Patterns

Choosing the right shift patterns can make all the difference in balancing customer service levels with employee wellbeing. This section features expert guidance, real examples, and scheduling strategies to help you plan shift patterns that work for both your operation and your people. Explore approaches like rotating rosters, flexible hours, and part-time structures, along with tips for managing fairness, fatigue, and work-life balance. With insights from experienced planners and contact centre leaders, these resources will help you build smarter, more sustainable schedules that keep performance and morale high.

24 hours 7 days concept with red clock and handset
Top Tips for Running a Great 24/7 Contact Centre Operation
A dog surrounded by toilet paper - bathroom break concept
What It Really Takes to Manage Bathroom Breaks Fairly
Person working at laptop with global map
How to Succeed in a Global Planning Role
Illustration of a computer with person on laptop and calendar and checklists
Top Tips for Digital Channels – Forecasting and Scheduling
Video Image: Why You Shouldn’t Make Assumptions About Unsociable Hours
Why You Shouldn’t Make Assumptions About Unsociable Hours
Video Image: 5 Features of Effective Self-Service Scheduling
5 Features of Effective Self-Service Scheduling
Video Image: The Benefits of Switching Up Your Agents’ Day
The Benefits of Switching Up Your Agents’ Day
Video Image: The Hidden Cost of Poor Scheduling
The Hidden Cost of Poor Scheduling
The words flexible working being shown as paper ripped away
Is Flexible Working a Dying Perk in the Contact Centre?
Shaping the Future: 2026 Priorities for WFM Professionals
Shaping the Future: 2026 Priorities for WFM Professionals
Scheduling concept with calendar
6 Proven Ways to Refine Your Scheduling
Video Image: The Rise of Agent-Led Scheduling
The Rise of Agent-Led Scheduling
Video Image: Features for Successful Self-Service Scheduling
Features for Successful Self-Service Scheduling
A group of people with lines leading outwards
Are Non-Scheduled Agents the Answer to Seasonal Peaks?
A colourful month of calendar dates with a few red pins stuck in various dates
How to Keep Agents on Side When You Change Their Shift Patterns
Building Flexibility into the Schedule using Banked Hours
A picture of a clock, a pencil and calendar
Shift Planning – What You Need to Know to Best Engage Your Team
4 or 5 day work week blocks
Productivity Hack – A 4-Day Working Week
9 Lessons From the Connect Assist Contact Centre
Six Steps to Implement Annualised Hours in the Contact Centre
12 Ways to Become a Contact Centre Employer of Choice
Build a Parent-Friendly Contact Centre
Three Hour glass showing different levels of sand
How to optimise part time working in the call centre
2022 What Contact Centres Are Doing Right Now Shift Patterns Graph Cover
Which Shifts Are Contact Centres Using?