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Maximize balance in number of hours agents work
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Reward for even distribution of work hours \( that is, tasks, travel\) between technicians.
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Shift "A" is assigned to tech A, and Shift "B" is assigned to tech B. Tasks "X", "Y", and "Z" have durations of 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours, respectively. Travel between the shift start location, task locations, and the shift end location takes 1 hour for each segment.**Result:** When the objective applies, the assignment prioritizes an even distribution of total work hours \(tasks plus travel\) across technicians. Assigning tasks "X" and "Y" to Shift "A" \(3 hours on tasks + 3 hours on travel\) and task "Z" to Shift "B" \(3 hours on tasks + 2 hours on travel\) achieves a more balanced split than other assignments.
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Maximize balance in number of tasks agents work
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Reward for even distribution of tasks between technicians.
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Shift "A" is assigned to tech A, and Shift "B" is assigned to tech B. Tasks "X" and "Y" each require one hour to complete.**Result:** When the objective applies, the assignment prioritizes giving one task to each shift so both technicians have an equal workload.
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Maximize consecutive collocated task assignments
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Reward for each pair of collocated tasks that are assigned consecutively to the same technician.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks "X" and "Y" are located at the same site, and task "Z" is at a different location.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes scheduling tasks "X" and "Y" back-to-back on Shift "A" to reduce unnecessary travel and earn the consecutive collocation reward.
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Maximize efficient assignments
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Incentive to assign tasks to technicians based on efficiency, with rewards for quicker completion and penalties for slower completion compared to planned durations.**Note:** The Field Service Agent Efficiency \(com.snc.fsm\_agent\_efficiency\) plugin must be installed to use this feature.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician who completes task "X" in 45 minutes and task "Y" in 90 minutes. Shift "B" is assigned to a technician who completes both tasks in 60 minutes. The planned duration of both tasks is 60 minutes.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "A" and task "Y" to Shift "B" because these assignments reduce overall completion time compared to planned durations.
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Maximize higher priority task assignments
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Reward for every high-priority task that is assigned. The reward is higher for tasks with higher priorities.
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Shift "A" is 5 hours long. Tasks "X," "Y," and "Z" each require 2 hours, and travel time between tasks is 15 minutes. Task "X" has high priority, task "Y" has medium priority, and task "Z" has low priority.
**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning tasks "X" and "Y" to shift "A" because they have higher priorities. Task "Z" is not assigned because there is not enough time remaining in the shift.
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Maximize higher value task assignments
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Reward for the value of tasks that are assigned.
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Shift "A" is 5 hours long. Task "X" requires 4 hours and has an optimization value of 10. Tasks "Y" and "Z" each require 2 hours and have optimization values of 5 and 4.**Result:** Applying the objective to maximize total optimization value prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "A" because it yields the highest total value, even though fewer tasks are completed.
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Maximize preferred agent assignments
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Reward for each task assigned to a preferred or secondary technician, in order of priority.
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Shift “A” is assigned to an agent who is a high-preference match for task “X” and a low-preference match for task “Y”. Shift “B” is assigned to an agent who is a high-preference match for task “Y”.**Result:**This objective rewards assigning tasks to their preferred agents, with higher rewards for stronger preference values. It incentivizes assigning task “X” to shift “A” and task “Y” to shift “B” to maximize the total reward from preferred agent assignments. Shift "A" is assigned to Alex, who is a preferred technician for task "Y." Shift "B" is assigned to a technician who is a preferred match for task "Z."
**Note:**
Preferred and secondary preferences are soft. Tasks can still be assigned to other technicians if no preferred or secondary match is available.
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Maximize task assignments
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Reward for every task that is assigned.
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Shift "A" is 5 hours long. Task "X" requires 2 hours, task "Y" requires 2 hours, and task "Z" requires 4 hours.**Result:** Applying the objective to maximize the number of scheduled tasks prioritizes assigning tasks "X" and "Y" to Shift "A" because they fit within the available time. Task "Z" is not assigned because there is not enough time remaining in the shift.
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Maximize tasks in earlier shifts
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Reward for each task that is assigned to an earlier shift. The reward is higher for shifts that start earlier in the optimization horizon.
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Shift "A" runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Shift "B" runs from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tasks "X" and "Y" each require two hours.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning both tasks to Shift A because it starts earlier in the optimization horizon and yields a higher reward.
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Maximize work hours
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Reward for every hour of work that is assigned.
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Shift "A" is 6 hours long. Task "X" requires 5 hours, and tasks "Y" and "Z" each require 2 hours.**Result:** When the objective applies, the assignment prioritizes maximizing time spent on tasks \(excluding travel\). Assigning task "X" to Shift "A" results in 5 hours of task work, which is greater than alternatives such as assigning tasks "Y" and "Z" \(4 hours total\).
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Minimize work hours \(technician level\)
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Penalty for each hour of work assigned. The penalty is higher for technicians with higher Work Penalty Per Hour values.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician with a work penalty of 1 per hour, and shift "B" is assigned to a technician with a work penalty of 3 per hour. Tasks "X" and "Y" each require 2 hours.**Result:** Assigning the objective prioritizes assigning tasks "X" and "Y" to shift "A" because the technician has a lower work penalty per hour.
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Minimize higher priority task start times
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Penalty for each hour that a task starts later than its earliest window start. The penalty is higher for tasks with higher priorities.
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Task "X" has high priority and task "Y" has medium priority. Both have an earliest start time of 9:00 a.m.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" before task "Y" because "X" has a higher priority. Scheduling tasks later than their earliest start time incurs penalties, with higher penalties for higher-priority tasks. For example, if both tasks start at 10:00 a.m., task "X" incurs a larger penalty than task "Y."
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Minimize number of shifts with tasks
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Penalty for every shift that is assigned one or more tasks.
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Shift "A" and Shift "B" are each 8 hours long. Tasks "X" and "Y" each require 2 hours.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning both tasks "X" and "Y" to the same shift \(either "A" or "B"\) instead of splitting them across shifts. This approach reduces the total number of active shifts.
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Minimize overtime
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Penalty for every hour of overtime.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Shift "B" is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Task "X" has a duration of 2 hours and must start between 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m..**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "B" because it avoids any overtime penalty. Assigning task "X" to Shift "A" would result in a half-hour of overtime, as the task would run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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Minimize overtime \(agent level\)
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Penalty for each hour of overtime work. The penalty is higher for technicians with higher overtime penalty per-hour values.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician with an overtime penalty of 1 per hour, and shift "B" is assigned to a technician with an overtime penalty of 3 per hour. Task "X" requires 2 hours and can only be completed as overtime.
**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to shift "A" because the technician's overtime penalty is lower.
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Maximize SLA compliance buffers
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Reward for each hour that a task finishes earlier than its window end. The reward is smaller for tasks with longer SLA windows.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Tasks "X" and "Y" each have a 1-hour duration and SLA due times of 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes finishing tasks before their SLA due times, with smaller rewards for tasks that have longer SLA windows. Scheduling task "X" to finish at 10:00 a.m. earns a larger reward than scheduling task "Y" at the same time because task "X" has a shorter SLA window.
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Minimize SLA violation \(fixed\)
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Penalty for each task that finishes later than its SLA due date.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks "X", "Y", and "Z" each have a 2-hour duration and SLA due times of 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. Assume zero travel time between locations.**Result:** When the objective applies, the assignment prioritizes scheduling tasks before their SLA due times. Tasks "Y" and "Z" can be scheduled to finish at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., meeting their SLAs and incurring no penalties. Task "X" cannot meet its SLA because its due time \(8:00 a.m.\) is before Shift "A" begins \(9:00 p.m.\), so it incurs a penalty regardless of when it is scheduled.
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Minimize SLA violation \(hourly\)
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Penalty for each hour that a task finishes later than its SLA due date.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks "X", "Y", and "Z" each have a 2-hour duration and SLA due times of 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.. Assume zero travel time between locations.**Result:** When the objective applies, the assignment minimizes the total number of hours tasks exceed their SLA due times. Scheduling tasks "X," "Y," and "Z" to finish at 11:00 a.m. \(3-hour violation\), 1:00 p.m. \(0-hour violation\), and 3:00 p.m. \(1-hour violation\) results in a total SLA violation of 4 hours, which is the minimum possible when assigning all tasks. Any other task order would lead to more total hours of SLA violation.
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Minimize task start times
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Penalty for each hour that a task starts later than its earliest window start.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks "X" and "Y" each have a 1-hour duration and earliest start times of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m..**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes scheduling task "X" as close to 9:00 a.m. as possible and task "Y" as close to 11:00 a.m. as possible to reduce total penalties.
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Minimize task time penalties \(fixed\)
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Penalty for each task that finishes later than its penalty time.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tasks "X," "Y," and "Z" each have a 1-hour duration and penalty times of 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m., respectively. Travel between the shift start location, task locations, and shift end location takes 1 hour.**Result:** Applying the objective penalizes tasks that finish after their penalty times. Tasks "Y" and "Z" can be scheduled to finish at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., meeting their penalty times and avoiding penalties. Task "X" incurs a penalty regardless of when it is scheduled because its penalty time occurs before Shift "A" begins.
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Minimize task time penalties \(hourly\)
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Penalty for each hour that a task finishes later than its penalty time.
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Shift "A" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Tasks "X," "Y," and "Z" each have a 1-hour duration and penalty times of 8:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m., respectively. Travel between the shift start location, task locations, and shift end location takes 1 hour.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes scheduling tasks "X," "Y," and "Z" to finish at 11:00 a.m. \(3-hour violation\), 1:00 p.m. \(0-hour violation\), and 3:00 p.m. \(1-hour violation\), respectively. This sequence results in a total penalty of 4 hours, which is the minimum possible when assigning all tasks. Any other task order would lead to more total hours of time penalties.
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Minimize travel time
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Penalty for every hour of travel.
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Shift "A" is 5 hours long and starts and ends at the same location. Task "X" is 10 minutes away, and task "Y" is 30 minutes away. Both tasks are 3 hours long, so there is only enough time to schedule one of them.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "A" because the round trip takes 20 minutes compared to 60 minutes for task "Y."
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Minimize travel time \(agent level\)
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Penalty for each hour of travel. The penalty is higher for technicians with higher Travel Penalty Per Hour values.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician with a travel penalty of 1 per hour, and shift "B" is assigned to a technician with a travel penalty of 3 per hour. Task "X" is 1 hour away from the shift start location, and task "Y" is 30 minutes away. Both shifts are 5 hours long, and each task is 3 hours long, so there is only enough time for each shift to complete one task.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning shift "A" to task "X" and shift "B" to task "Y" because this pairing minimizes the total weighted travel penalty across all assignments.
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Minimize over-skilled agent assignments
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Penalty for skill level deviation between technicians with a higher skill level than their assigned tasks.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician with skill level 5. Task "X" requires skill level 5, and task "Y" requires skill level 2.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "A" because the skill levels match. Assigning task "Y" incurs a penalty because the technician's skill level exceeds the requirement. If Shift "A" only has space for one task, task "X" is more likely to be scheduled than task "Y."
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Minimize under-skilled agent assignments
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Penalty for skill level deviation between technicians with a lower skill level than their assigned tasks.
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Shift "A" is assigned to a technician with skill level 2. Task "X" requires an optional skill level 2, and task "Y" requires an optional skill level 5.**Result:** Applying the objective prioritizes assigning task "X" to Shift "A" because the skill levels match. Assigning task "Y" incurs a penalty because the technician's skill level is lower than required. In general, task "X" is more likely to be scheduled on Shift "A" than task "Y."
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