You can easily create shifts in the NowGo dashboard, and have them automatically recur on a specified schedule. This means you don't have to manually set up shifts, or upload CSV shift files. Recurring shift rules can be set up on each channel, and you can generate one or more shifts that recur into the future, for as long as you need them. You can also choose to assign drivers and vehicles.
About recurring shift rules
Recurring shift rules means that you can set up your shifts once, then shifts are automatically created for you for as long as you need them. This means you don't have to manually input each shift, use a custom API integration, or upload CSV files.
You can see your recurring shifts, and create new recurring shifts, from the Resourcing → Recurring shift rules menu.
The recurring shift rules screen shows all your active recurring shift rules, along with their start and end times, the days they recur on, and which channel they are in. For each rule you can:
Click the Edit icon to make changes to the shift rule.
Click the Duplicate icon to create a copy of the rule, which you can then edit to create a new recurring shift rule.
Click the Delete icon to delete a shift rule. You need to confirm before the rule is deleted.
💡Note: If you have older shift rules that have ended, you can't edit or delete them. This is so that they are available for auditing purposes.
Create a recurring shift rule
You can create a new recurring shift rule from the dispatch screen or from the Resourcing menu. When you have created a recurring shift rule, it is active by default and starts generating shifts automatically based on the start and end dates you set.
Creating a recurring shift rule
In the NowGo dashboard, navigate to Resourcing → Recurring shift rules and click Create recurring shift rule. Alternatively, you can access it from the dispatch screen: click Add and select Add shift, then click Create a recurring shift rule instead.
In the Create a recurring shift rule screen, in the General section, complete these details:
In the Recurring shift rule name field, type a name for your new rule.
Optional: In the External reference field, type a reference number or label to connect this shift to your own internal systems.
In the Channel field, select which channel this shift belongs to.
In the Start and end section, add start and end times. If you want to, you can also add starting and ending locations for the shift.
Optional: In the Shift settings section, adjust these settings:
Enable Allow driver to add jobs to allow drivers to add their own jobs to this shift.
Enable Allow driver to auto-sequence to allow drivers to perform sequencing of their route.
Enable Allow driver to edit stops to allow drivers to add or remove stops from their route.
In the Driver 'out of bed' cost section, type the amount of time (in minutes) that should be saved before adding another driver to the plan for this shift.
In the Shift travel duration multiplier section, type the multiplier factor for this shift.
In the Recurrence rules section, complete these details:
Select which days of the week the shift should be generated for.
Type how many days in advance the shift should be generated. This can be between 1 and 14 days, not including today.
Provide a start date for the recurring shift rule to begin on. Optionally, you can also provide an end date.
Optional: Add any dates on which a shift should not be generated, and click Add exception date to save. Use this to account for days such as public holidays.
Optional: In the Resourcing section, provide the driver and vehicle assigned for this shift.
Optional: To add more shifts, click Add a shift.
Go back up to the top of the page and click Create rule to create your new recurring shift rule.
Troubleshooting
This section contains information about some common issues you might encounter with recurring shift rules. If you can't find an answer to your question here, reach out to Shippit support.
I can't tell if my recurring shift rule is active
Recurring shift rules become active immediately. Rules start generating shifts if the start date is within the generation time window. For example, if today is Monday, and you set Generate shifts 7 days in advance, with a start date of tomorrow, shifts are immediately created between tomorrow and next Tuesday. If the start date for your recurring shift rule is more than seven days away, no shifts are generated until the start date is less than seven days away.
I can't work out if my shift was created with a recurring shift rule
You can check the name of the shift on the dispatch screen. Shifts that have been created through a recurring shift rule include (recurring) in the shift name, along with which shift it is of a total.
For example, a recurring shift rule named "Full Time Drivers" creates a shift titled "1/4 Full Time Drivers (recurring)". This means that it is the first of four total shifts that this rule creates.
I need to make changes to a recurring shift rule
When you edit a recurring shift rule, the changes are reflected in all future shifts. Any shifts that have passed or are currently in progress are not changed. If the shift start time has already passed, the changes are not made to the current shift, but all future shifts are changed.
I made changes to a recurring shift rule and my manual edits on my future shifts disappeared
When you make changes to a recurring shift rule, what happens to future shifts that have already been created is different, depending on what changes you make to the rule.
If you make changes to a recurring shift rule, future shifts that have already been created are deleted and rewritten, and any manual changes you have made are overwritten.
However, if you make changes to the shift rule settings, or to the start or end locations, future shifts that have already been created are updated, and any manual changes you have made are preserved.
I changed a recurring shift rule so that the current shift started in the future
Changes are applied using the original start time for the shift. So if the original start time has passed at the time that you make the changes, the shift is considered in progress, and is not updated. In this case, the current shift doesn't change, and all future shifts are changed to the new start time.