Auto Dispatcher
Introduction
The cerb.auto_dispatcher workflow enables workers to simply request their next assignment by clicking a button on a workspace.
This workflow ensures issues are handled in a consistent, prioritized order without an overlap of effort. It resolves most issues with a large team of workers cherry-picking from the same shared worklist.
By default, the auto-dispatcher assigns open tickets from a worker’s group memberships in the following order:
- Tickets assigned to the worker before unassigned
- Tickets with the highest importance to lowest
- Tickets that have been open the longest to the most recent
These filters are stacked, so the very first ticket recommended to a worker would be one assigned to them, with high importance, that has been waiting for a reply the longest.
The last ticket would be unassigned, low importance, and most recently opened.
Installation
This workflow is built into Cerb 11.0+. It will automatically update.
You can enable it from Search » Workflows » (+) » Auto Dispatcher.
Usage
Add the workspace widget
On a workspace page, click the Add Widget button.
In the Library tab, select Auto Dispatcher and click the Create button.
The workspace will now have a Start Work button.
When the Start Work button is clicked it starts the auto-dispatcher interaction in explore mode.
Each worker is shown their next most important issue based on their group memberships and assignments.
Once an issue has been resolved or delegated, a worker can click the Next button in the top right for their next assignment. They will be reminded to unassign the issue if someone else can handle the follow-up.
Waiting shortcuts
If work is waiting for a future date/time, the Waiting shortcuts can be used in the Status widget from the right sidebar.
If you don’t see this option in an existing Cerb environment, you can re-create the Status widget from the Add Widget button.
Assignment rejections
If a worker clicks the Next button before handling the current issue, they must either resume work or provide a reason why they cannot work on it.
They can click on the I can’t work on it button to choose a reason.
Choosing a reason creates an Assignment Rejection record. The same issue will not be recommended again to the same worker. These records can be used in reporting to improve mail routing or worker training.
Customizing the assignment rejection reasons
The list of assignment rejection reasons can be customized from the workflow.
From Search » Workflows, edit the cerb.auto_dispatcher workflow and click Edit Template at the top of the popup.
Then click Continue at the bottom of the popup.
Add one rejection reason per line.
Then click Continue twice to save the changes to the workflow.
Customizing the work order
You can change the query used for assignments in the cerb.autoDispatcher.workerExplore automation.
Reference
You can build your own auto-dispatcher workflow using this template as a reference.
Change occurrences of cerb.auto_dispatcher to your own workflow identifier. Use a prefix based on a domain you own (e.g. com.example.workflow).
workflow:
name: cerb.auto_dispatcher
version@date: 2024-10-14T00:00:00Z
description: Automatically assign tickets to workers based on priority
website: https://cerb.ai/workflows/cerb.auto_dispatcher/
requirements:
cerb_version: >=11.0 <11.1
cerb_plugins: cerberusweb.core,
config:
text/rejectReasons:
label: Assignment rejection reasons
multiple@bool: yes
default@text:
I don't know how to resolve it
Someone else is already working on it
records:
custom_record/assignment_rejection:
fields:
name: Assignment Rejection
name_plural: Assignment Rejections
uri: assignment_rejection
params:
owners:
contexts@csv: cerberusweb.contexts.app
options@csv: comments
custom_field/asrej_worker:
fields:
name: Worker
uri: worker
context: assignment_rejection
type: L
pos: 1
params:
context: cerberusweb.contexts.worker
custom_field/asrej_ticket:
fields:
name: Ticket
uri: ticket
context: assignment_rejection
type: L
pos: 2
params:
context: cerberusweb.contexts.ticket
custom_field/asrej_reason:
fields:
name: Reason
uri: reason
context: assignment_rejection
type: D
pos: 3
params:
options@list: {{config.rejectReasons}}
custom_field/asrej_expires:
fields:
name: Expires At
uri: expires_at
context: assignment_rejection
type: E
pos: 4
automation/workerExplore:
fields:
name: cerb.autoDispatcher.workerExplore
description: Step through next assignments in a worker explore mode
extension_id: cerb.trigger.interaction.worker.explore
policy_kata@raw:
commands:
record.search:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('ticket')}}
allow@bool: yes
record.update:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('ticket')}}
allow@bool: yes
script@raw:
start:
set:
isLooping@bool: yes
while:
if@key,bool: isLooping
do:
record.search/find:
output: next_ticket
inputs:
record_type: ticket
record_query@text:
status:o
inGroupsOf:me
owner.id:[0,{{worker_id|round}}]
links.assignment_rejection.ticket:!(worker.id:${worker_id} expiresAt:"now to +1 year")
sort:-owner.id,-importance,lastOpenedAt
limit:1
record_query_params:
worker_id@key: worker_id
on_success:
decision/exists:
outcome/yes:
if@bool: {{next_ticket.id}}
then:
# If this ticket was unassigned, assign it to the current worker
outcome/unassigned:
if@bool: {{0 == next_ticket.owner_id}}
then:
record.update:
inputs:
record_type: ticket
record_id: {{next_ticket.id}}
fields:
owner_id@int: {{worker_id}}
# Display this ticket to the worker
await/explore:
explore:
title: {{next_ticket._label}}
url: {{next_ticket.record_url}}
toolbar:
interaction/next:
label: Next
icon: chevron-right
icon_at: end
keyboard: ]
uri: cerb:automation:cerb.autoDispatcher.workerExplore.toolbarItem.next
inputs:
ticket: {{next_ticket.id}}
outcome/empty:
then:
await:
explore:
title: You're all caught up!
toolbar:
interaction/refresh:
label: Refresh
icon: refresh
automation/toolbarExplore:
fields:
name: cerb.autoDispatcher.toolbarItem.explore
description: Create a dynamic explore set for real-time work assignments
extension_id: cerb.trigger.interaction.worker
policy_kata@raw:
commands:
api.command:
deny/name@bool: {{inputs.name not in ['cerb.commands.worklist.explorer.create']}}
allow@bool: yes
script@raw:
start:
api.command:
inputs:
name: cerb.commands.worklist.explorer.create
params:
interaction: cerb:automation:cerb.autoDispatcher.workerExplore
output: results
on_success:
return:
open_url: {{cerb_url('c=explore&guid=' ~ results.hash)}}
automation/toolbarNext:
fields:
name: cerb.autoDispatcher.workerExplore.toolbarItem.next
description: Generate a worker's next assignment in the auto-dispatcher
extension_id: cerb.trigger.interaction.worker
policy_kata@raw:
commands:
record.create:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('assignment_rejection')}}
allow@bool: yes
record.search:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('assignment_rejection_reason')}}
allow@bool: yes
record.update:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('assignment_rejection', 'ticket')}}
allow@bool: yes
record.upsert:
deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('assignment_rejection')}}
allow@bool: yes
script@raw:
inputs:
record/ticket:
required@bool: yes
record_type: ticket
start:
set/config:
config@json: {{cerb_workflow_config('cerb.auto_dispatcher')|json_encode}}
decision:
# If the ticket is still open, it needs to be formally rejected to skip
outcome/isOpen:
if@bool: {{'open' == inputs.ticket.status and inputs.ticket.owner_id in [0,worker_id]}}
then:
await/isOpen:
form:
title: Unresolved
elements:
say:
content@text:
This ticket is still unresolved.
===========
submit/prompt_menu:
buttons:
continue/accept:
label: I'll continue working on it
icon: circle-ok
icon_at: start
value: accept
continue/reject:
label: I can't work on it
icon: ban
icon_at: start
value: reject
style: secondary
outcome/continue:
if@bool: {{'accept' == prompt_menu}}
then:
return:
await/reason:
form:
title: I can't work on this ticket
elements:
sheet/prompt_reason:
label: Reason:
required@bool: yes
data@json: {{config.rejectReasons|split_crlf|default([])|map((v)=>{'name':v})|json_encode}}
limit: 10
schema:
layout:
headings@bool: no
filtering@bool: no
paging@bool: no
style: grid
columns:
selection/check:
params:
mode: single
value_key: name
text/name:
params:
bold@bool: yes
submit:
continue@bool: no
reset@bool: no
# Unassign the ticket
record.update/unassign:
output: updated_ticket
inputs:
record_type: ticket
record_id: {{inputs.ticket.id}}
fields:
owner_id: 0
# Create/update the assignment log record
record.upsert/assignment_rejection:
output: record_rejection
inputs:
record_type: assignment_rejection
record_query@text:
worker.id:${worker_id} ticket.id:${ticket_id} limit:1 sort:-id
record_query_params:
worker_id@key: worker_id
ticket_id: {{inputs.ticket.id}}
fields:
name: {{worker__label}} on {{inputs.ticket._label}}
ticket: {{inputs.ticket.id}}
worker: {{worker_id}}
reason: {{prompt_reason}}
expires_at@date: 1 day
owner__context: app
owner_id: 0
return:
explore_page: next
# Check if we need to unassign the current ticket
outcome/isAssigned:
if@bool: {{inputs.ticket.owner_id == worker_id}}
then:
await:
form:
title: Done
elements:
say:
content@text:
The ticket is still assigned to you.
=====================
submit/prompt_menu:
buttons:
continue/yes:
label: Keep me assigned
icon: circle-ok
icon_at: start
value: keep
continue/no:
label: Unassign me
icon: remove
icon_at: start
value: unassign
style: secondary
outcome/yes:
if@bool: {{'unassign' == prompt_menu}}
then:
record.update:
inputs:
record_type: ticket
record_id: {{inputs.ticket.id}}
fields:
owner_id: 0
return:
explore_page: next
outcome/else:
then:
return:
explore_page: next
package/package_get_work:
fields:
name: Auto Dispatcher
description: A dynamic explore mode for assigning new work in priority order
point: workspace_widget
uri: cerb_workspace_widget_autodispatcher
package_json@raw:
{
"package": {
"name": "Auto Dispatcher",
"revision": 1,
"requires": {
"cerb_version": "11.0.0",
"plugins": [
]
},
"library": {
"name": "Auto Dispatcher",
"uri": "cerb_workspace_widget_autodispatcher",
"description": "A dynamic explore mode for assigning new work in priority order",
"point": "workspace_widget"
},
"configure": {
"placeholders": [
],
"prompts": [
{
"type": "chooser",
"label": "Workspace Dashboard",
"key": "workspace_tab_id",
"hidden": true,
"params": {
"context": "cerberusweb.contexts.workspace.tab",
"single": true,
"query": ""
}
}
]
}
},
"records": [
{
"uid": "widget_autodispatcher",
"_context": "workspace_widget",
"label": "Actions",
"tab_id": "{{{workspace_tab_id}}}",
"extension_id": "core.workspace.widget.sheet",
"pos": 1,
"width_units": 4,
"zone": "content",
"params": {
"data_query": "type:sample.records\r\nrecords:(help:())\r\nformat:dictionaries",
"cache_secs": "",
"placeholder_simulator_kata": "",
"sheet_kata": "layout:\r\n style: fieldsets\r\n headings@bool: no\r\n paging@bool: no\r\n filtering@bool: no\r\n\r\ncolumns:\r\n toolbar/actions:\r\n params:\r\n #text_size@raw: 150%\r\n kata:\r\n interaction/startWork:\r\n label: Start Work\r\n uri: cerb:automation:cerb.autoDispatcher.toolbarItem.explore\r\n icon: play-button",
"toolbar_kata": ""
}
}
]
}