For a more simplified – yet highly customizable – experience with zones in Kai, we will be overhauling the way that we handle zones and sections as they are today. 

How will zones work?

Employees will login to zones much like they have in the past. The further down a zone is in the zone tree, the more “locked in” an employee’s position on the floor.

For example, an employee logged into 2 only will only receive calls from that very specific zone. Even if a need arises elsewhere on the floor, they will never be offered a call outside 2.

In contrast, an employee logged into X1 can receive calls from both 1 and (as X1 is the “parent” of 1 and in the tree)An employee logged into Zone X can receive calls from X1 and X2. An employee logged into Floor 1 can receive calls from any/all zones beneath Floor 1 in the tree.

Priority adjusts automatically for employees logged into different areas of the tree. An employee logged into 2, if available, will always receive calls from 2 before an employee logged into X1. 

What are the advantages?

  • Customization: Employee assignments can be as specific (an employee logged into a single low-level zone) or as broad (an employee logged into the floor at large) as you’d like.
  • Prioritization: Employees logged in farther down the tree are always considered for a call before employees logged in toward the top of the tree. There is no guesswork as to who should receive a call.
  • Better Back-up: The new zone system allows for more thorough back-up than ever before, giving you the ability to specify “floating” employees for particularly busy times on the floor. 

How will the zone overhaul look in practice?

 Let’s explore a few real world examples using three Slot Attendants.

 

  • Ann is logged into Y1, which presides over and 5. She is also logged into Floor 1 to function as a “floating” Slot Attendant when the floor is especially busy.
  • John is logged into 8 only and is ineligible for any/all calls from other zones.
  • Joe is logged into the High Limit area and Zone Z, which presides over Z1 and Z2.  

A Change Light On call occurs in 5.

  1. Kai looks for an available employee in 5.
  2. No employee is logged into 5, so Kai searches for an employee higher up the zone tree.
  3. Ann is logged into Y1, which presides over 5, and is not busy on another call.
  4. The Change Light On call is dispatched to Ann.

A Progressive Jackpot Handpay call occurs in the High Limit area. 

  1. Kai first looks for an employee logged into the High Limit zone – Joe – but he is already busy on another call in his area.
  2. Kai searches for an available employee higher up in the zone tree. John is off-limits since he is only logged into 8 and is therefore ineligible for High Limit zone calls.
  3. Ann is logged into Floor 1, which presides over the High Limit area by virtue of Floor 1 -> Zone Z -> Z2 -> High Limit. She is not busy on another call in any of her other eligible zones.
  4. Kai dispatches the Jackpot call to Ann.

A Printer Paper Out call occurs in 8.

  1. Kai looks for an available employee in 8 – John – but he is already busy on another call in his area.
  2. Kai searches for an available employee higher up in the zone tree.
  3. Joe is logged into Zone Z, which presides over by virtue of Zone Z -> Z2 -> 8. He is not busy on another call in the High Limit area.
  4. Kai dispatches the Printer Paper Out call to Joe.

What happens when I have a zone in more than one grouping? 

There are situations in which you may want to have a zone belong to more than one “parent” zone, perhaps for extra coverage or due to other circumstances on your floor. Let’s use the three Slot Attendants from the previous example and explore what this would look like in practice.

 

  • Ann is logged into Zone X, which presides over X1 and X2.
  • John is logged into X1, which presides over 1 and 2.
  • Joe is logged into X2, which presides over and 3.

A Change Light On call occurs in 2.

  1. Kai looks for an available employee in 2.
  2. No employee is logged directly into 2, so Kai searches for an employee higher up the zone tree in either X1 or X2.
  3. John is logged into X1 and Joe is logged into X2. Both employees are available and Kai considers both John and Joe with equal priority.
  4. Kai sees that John’s last call was completed 2 minutes ago and Joe’s last call was completed 5 minutes ago.
  5. Kai dispatches the Change Light On call to Joe.

A Printer Paper Out call occurs in 3.

  1. Kai looks for an available employee in 3.
  2. No employee is logged directly into 3. Kai searches for an available employee higher up the zone tree in X2 or Y1.
  3. Joe is logged into X2 and no employee is logged into Y1.
  4. Joe is busy on another call. Kai searches for an available employee higher up the zone tree in Zone X or Zone Y.
  5. Ann is logged into Zone X and is not busy on another call.
  6. Kai dispatches the Printer Paper Out call to Ann.