How Resolution Due Is Calculated Using Business Hours in BoldDesk
When a Service Level Agreement (SLA) in BoldDesk is configured to use Business Hours, only time that falls within the defined working schedule contributes toward the Time to Resolution target.
Time outside business hours, including evenings, weekends, non-working days, associated holidays, and configured hold periods, is excluded from SLA calculations.
What Is Resolution Due?
Resolution Due is the deadline by which a ticket must be resolved based on the SLA policy’s Time to Resolution target.
The calculation is based on:
- The configured Time to Resolution target
- The selected operational hours mode
- The Business Hours schedule and time zone
- Associated holidays
- SLA pause conditions, such as Hold statuses
How Resolution Due Is Calculated
When an SLA uses Business Hours, BoldDesk:
- Determines when SLA timing should begin.
- If the ticket is created during business hours, timing starts immediately.
- If the ticket is created outside business hours, timing starts at the next business opening time.
- Counts only time that falls within the configured business hours.
- Skips non-working periods, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
- Pauses the SLA clock when the ticket enters a configured Hold status.
- Continues counting until the Time to Resolution target is reached.
SLA Evaluation Start Time
Resolution Due is calculated using only eligible business time. Non-working periods and Hold-status durations do not consume SLA time.
The point at which SLA evaluation begins depends on the Calculate SLA Evaluation (Resolution Due) setting in the SLA policy.
When Conditions Are Met From = Ticket Creation Time
The SLA timer is calculated from the ticket’s creation time, not from the moment the ticket first satisfies the SLA conditions.
For example, if business hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a ticket is created at 10:00 AM, and the SLA conditions are met at 1:00 PM, the Resolution Due time is still calculated starting from 10:00 AM. The time before the conditions are met is included in the SLA calculation because SLA evaluation begins at ticket creation.
When Conditions Are Met From = Time When Conditions Are Met
The SLA timer begins when the ticket first satisfies the configured SLA conditions.
Any time elapsed before the conditions are met is excluded from the SLA calculation. For example, if business hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a ticket is created at 10:00 AM, and the SLA conditions are met at 1:00 PM, the Resolution Due time is calculated starting from 1:00 PM, not 10:00 AM.
Business Hours vs. Calendar Hours
| Operational Hours Mode | How Time Is Counted |
|---|---|
| Business Hours | Counts only configured working hours. Evenings, weekends, holidays, and Hold periods are excluded. |
| Calendar Hours (24×7) | Time is counted continuously, including nights, weekends, and holidays. |
What Time Counts Toward the SLA?
| Scenario | Counted Toward SLA? |
|---|---|
| During business hours | Yes |
| Before opening hours | No |
| After closing hours | No |
| Weekend or non-working day | No |
| Holiday in associated Holiday List | No |
| Ticket in a Hold status | No |
| Calendar Hours (24×7) SLA | Yes |
- To start the Resolution Due timer only after a ticket is assigned, configure the SLA with Calculate SLA Evaluation (Resolution Due) when conditions are met from = Time when conditions are met and add the condition Assigned Agent → Is not empty.
- When used with Business Hours, the Resolution SLA begins when the ticket is first assigned and counts only during the configured working hours.
- Response Due timers are not affected by this configuration and continue to start based on customer messages.
Examples
Example 1: Ticket Created During Business Hours
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
Resolution Target: 9 Hours
Ticket Created: Tuesday, 10:00 AM
Calculation:
- Tuesday 10:00 AM-5:30 PM = 7.5 business hours counted
- Remaining SLA time = 1.5 hours
- SLA resumes Wednesday at 8:30 AM
- Remaining 1.5 hours counted
Resolution Due: Wednesday, 10:00 AM
Example 2: Weekend or Holiday Crossing
Business Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
Resolution Target: 1 Business Day
Ticket Created: Friday, 4:30 PM
Calculation:
- Friday 4:30 PM-5:30 PM = 1 hour counted
- Remaining SLA time = 8 business hours
- Weekend is skipped
- SLA resumes Monday at 8:30 AM
- Remaining 8 hours counted
Resolution Due: Monday, 4:30 PM
The same principle applies to holidays. If a holiday falls during the calculation period and is included in an associated Holiday List, SLA timing pauses until the next working period.
Example 3: Hold Status
Current Resolution Due: Friday, 5:00 PM
Ticket enters Waiting for Customer:
- Thursday, 1:00 PM
Ticket returns to Open:
- Friday, 1:00 PM
Time spent on hold:
- 24 hours
Result:
- SLA timing is paused while the ticket is on hold.
- The remaining SLA duration is preserved.
- Resolution Due is extended based on the paused duration and applicable business hours.
How Days Are Interpreted
When Time to Resolution is configured using Days and the SLA uses Business Hours:
1 SLA Day = 1 Full Business Day
A business day is determined by the configured Business Hours schedule.
- BoldDesk Business Hours do not support breaks or lunch periods within a working day. For SLA calculations, all time between the configured start and end time is treated as active business time.
- For example, if Business Hours are configured as 8:30 AM–5:30 PM, BoldDesk considers the entire 9-hour period as working time for SLA calculations.
Example
Business Hours: 8:30 AM–5:30 PM
- 1 SLA Day = 9 business hours
- 2 SLA Days = 18 business hours
- 5 SLA Days = 45 business hours
- When using Business Hours, a Day does not represent a rolling 24-hour period. It represents one complete business day as defined by the configured schedule.
- Tickets created outside business hours begin SLA timing at the next business opening time.
- Holidays are excluded only when they exist in a Holiday List associated with the Business Hours schedule.
- Hold-status durations do not consume SLA time.
- Resolution Due always follows the active Business Hours schedule, time zone, holiday configuration, and SLA pause rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Does the SLA clock start immediately if a ticket is created outside business hours?
No. SLA timing starts at the next available business opening time defined in the selected schedule. -
Are weekends and holidays included in Resolution Due calculations?
No. Weekends, non-working days, and configured holidays are excluded when using Business Hours. -
How are SLA Days calculated?
Each SLA Day represents one complete business day based on the configured Business Hours schedule, not 24 calendar hours. -
What happens when a ticket enters a Hold status?
The Resolution SLA timer pauses while the ticket remains in a Hold status and resumes when the ticket returns to an SLA-active status.
