Microsoft has unveiled shift-based routing in Dynamics 365 Customer Service, a new capability designed to optimize contact center operations. This update empowers organizations to align support availability with workforce shifts, paving the way for more efficient and responsive service delivery.

Why does availability matter? To provide seamless support, it's crucial to route conversations to agents who are actually available—based on real-time shift schedules. This helps you avoid delays, reduce conversation rejections or unnecessary transfers, and minimize customer wait times.

How shift-based routing works: Shift plans include booked activities like lunch breaks or training sessions. Unified routing references these bookings to make smart, real-time decisions on which agents are available to take on new conversations.
Example scenario: An agent with a lunch break from 12:30–1:30 PM and training from 1:00–5:00 PM won’t be routed any new conversations during that time—but they’ll be fully available outside of those windows.
Key benefits: Shift-based routing leads to faster response times, better workload distribution, and a smoother experience for both customers and employees.