Robin's automated follow-ups, also called nudges or reminders, go out when an end user stops replying to Robin. Assign a business hours calendar to Robin, and a follow-up due outside business hours, on a weekend, or on a holiday waits until business hours resume.
Before you begin
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Permissions | Full admin permissions, or a role with the AI center permission on its System tab. See Roles and permissions. |
| Business hours calendar | At least one Business hours calendar with your working days, hours, and holidays. See Manage Business hours calendars. |
| Follow-up wait times | Robin's follow-up wait times, set under AI Center > Settings > Configuration > Follow-up & resolution. |
Calendars are managed under Admin > Business administration > Business hours.
Calendars are managed under Admin > Support and ticketing > Business hours.
Set a business hours calendar for Robin's follow-ups
Robin can follow any business hours calendar in your account. If the calendar you need isn't there yet, create it first.
Create a business hours calendar
- Go to Admin > Business administration > Business hours.
- Select Add business hours.
- Enter a name for the calendar.
- On the Work schedule tab, keep Custom selected and set your working days and hours.
- On the Holidays tab, add the days your team doesn't work.
- Select Create.
- Go to Admin > Support and ticketing > Business hours.
- Select Add business hours.
- Enter a name for the calendar.
- On the Work schedule tab, keep Custom selected and set your working days and hours.
- On the Holidays tab, add the days your team doesn't work.
- Select Create.
For time zones and editing a calendar later, see Manage Business hours calendars.
Assign the calendar to Robin
- Go to AI Center > Settings > Configuration.
- Scroll to Follow-up & resolution.
- Open the list next to Business hours calendar.
- Select the calendar Robin should follow. Atera saves the change, and the Configuration saved. confirmation appears.
From now on, Robin checks this calendar before it sends a follow-up.
How Robin times a follow-up
The business hours calendar changes when a follow-up is sent, not how long Robin waits. Robin counts Wait time to follow up in real time, around the clock. When that wait time ends:
- Inside business hours: Robin sends the follow-up right away.
- Outside business hours: Robin holds the follow-up and sends it at the start of the next business day on the calendar. Non-working days and holidays are skipped.
This applies to follow-ups sent by chat and by email.
Example: Wait time to follow up for chat is 30 minutes, and the calendar runs Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00. Robin's last message goes out on Friday at 16:50 and the end user doesn't reply. The wait time ends at 17:20, outside business hours, so Robin sends the follow-up on Monday at 09:00.
See that a follow-up is being held
When Robin holds a follow-up, it adds an internal note to the ticket. The note shows when the follow-up is scheduled to go out and which calendar is holding it. End users don't see internal notes.
Resolving or escalating after an unanswered follow-up
After a follow-up goes unanswered, Robin waits for Wait time for next action if no reply, then resolves or escalates the conversation. With a business hours calendar selected, Robin doesn't take that action outside business hours.
How Robin reads the calendar
Robin reads the calendar the same way your SLA timers do:
- Time zone: Business hours are read in the calendar's time zone, which comes from your account settings.
- Working days and hours: Only the days and hours in the calendar's Work schedule count as business hours.
- Holidays: Days on the calendar's Holidays tab count as non-working days. A follow-up due on a holiday waits for the next working day.
- Always available (24/7): A calendar set to Always available (24/7) never holds a follow-up. It behaves like None (always send).
Tip: Use the same calendar your SLA policy uses, so Robin's reminders and your SLA timers agree on when your team is working.
Stop holding follow-ups
To send follow-ups at any time again, select None (always send) next to Business hours calendar. The Configuration saved. confirmation appears. A follow-up that's already being held still goes out at its scheduled time.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Business hours calendar shows "The selected calendar no longer exists. Nudges are sent on the timer until you select another calendar" | The calendar assigned to Robin was deleted. | Select another calendar, or select None (always send). Until you do, Robin sends follow-ups on the wait timer alone. |
| Follow-ups still go out at night or on weekends | No calendar is selected, or the selected calendar is set to Always available (24/7). | Select a calendar with a Custom work schedule. |
| Follow-ups go out at the wrong hour | The calendar's time zone doesn't match your team's working hours. | Check the time zone in your account settings. See Manage Business hours calendars. |
| A follow-up arrived much later than the wait time | The wait time ended outside business hours, so Robin held the follow-up until business hours resumed. | No action needed. Check the internal note on the ticket for the scheduled time. |
