Early access: Shift bids is in Alpha. If you don't see it, an admin can request access from Configure → Early access. To learn more, see Early access: How do I try new Assembled features?
Shift bids let you run your whole shift bidding process in Assembled. You add the shifts and seats available, choose the agents taking part and their priority order, and set a window for agents to rank the shifts they want. After bidding closes, you run matching, review the results, and publish them to agents' schedules.
Who can use shift bids?
- Managers and admins with permission to manage schedule rules can create, edit, run, and publish shift bids. Users with restricted sites only see bids where every agent is in their sites.
- Agents don't need any extra permission. They can rank shifts in any bid they're invited to.
How do I open shift bids?
Go to Schedule → Shift bids.
The Shift bids page lists your bids with their status, bid window, assignment dates, shifts and agents. Use Active and Completed to switch between current and past bids.
How do I create a shift bid?
- On the Shift bids page, select New shift bid.
- Eligible shifts: add the shifts agents can bid on and the number of seats for each. Select Upload shifts to add them from a CSV, or Create shift to add one at a time. For each shift, set a name, time zone, shift pattern (add more weeks for multi-week patterns), unpaid time and seats. Select Next.
- Agents and priority: add the agents taking part and put them in priority order. Select Upload agents to add a CSV of agent emails (row order is ranking order), or Add agents and then drag them into order. The agent at the top has the highest priority when several agents want the same shift. Select Next.
- Review the Bid summary, then fill in:
- Configure details: a Bid name, and whether to Show agents their ranking and Show agents available seats.
- Bid window: when agents can submit and update their shift preferences. It must start in the future. Agents are emailed when the bid opens.
- Assignment dates: when the new shift assignments apply. The end date is optional; leave it blank if the assignments are ongoing.
- Select Create shift bid.
Keep in mind: You need at least as many seats as agents. If there are fewer seats, Assembled asks you to add seats or remove agents before you continue. Shifts can't be limited to certain teams, sites, or skills yet.
What can I change after creating a bid?
| Bid status | What you can change |
|---|---|
| Upcoming | Everything |
| Bidding open | Seats on existing shifts, and adding agents |
| Bidding closed or Matching complete | Bid name and assignment dates |
| Published | Nothing |
What do agents see?
When the bid window opens, each agent gets an email ("Your shift bid rankings are open") and a banner on My schedule: Shift bid available, with the deadline and the date their new schedule starts.
- The agent selects Rank shifts on the banner.
- Assembled suggests a starting order based on the agent's earlier preferences or current shift. Agents can select Customize to sort by Times to prioritize and Times to avoid, or reorder the shifts by dragging.
- The agent selects Submit preferences.
Agents can come back and select Update ranking until the bid window closes.
How do I track submissions?
Open a bid to see who has submitted. While bidding is open, the page shows how many agents have submitted and when submissions close. Each agent shows as Not started, Pending or Submitted. To nudge someone, open the three-dot menu (⋯) on their row and select Send reminder. They get an email: "Reminder: complete your shift bid rankings".
How do I match agents to shifts and publish?
Matching doesn't run automatically when the bid window closes.
- Open the bid and select Run matching. Once matching runs, the bid window can't be extended.
- Review the Results. Use Edit results to change priority or remove agents, then Run matching again if needed.
- Select Publish shifts. Agents see their assigned shifts in their schedules right away, for the bid's assignment dates. They aren't emailed when results are published.
How does matching work?
- Agents are matched in priority order. Agents who started or submitted a ranking are matched before agents who didn't.
- Each agent gets their highest-ranked shift that still has a seat.
- Agents who didn't rank any shifts are assigned from the shifts that are left.
To share feedback on shift bids, select Help in the app.