How to get Business Hours in Salesforce

How to get Business Hours in Salesforce

Business Hours in Salesforce refer to the specific hours and days during which your organization is open for business. These defined periods are essential for scheduling tasks, setting service level agreements (SLAs), and ensuring automations only occur during operating hours. Salesforce allows businesses to create multiple sets of Business Hours, each tailored to different teams or departments.

Why Business Hours Matter in Salesforce

Business Hours are crucial in ensuring that workflows and customer interactions align with the working hours of your business. By defining these hours, Salesforce ensures that automations, escalations, and SLA timers respect your company’s operating times, preventing actions from taking place outside of business hours.

For instance, if a case is escalated after working hours, Business Hours ensure that it doesn’t get processed until the next business day. This helps streamline workflows and enhances customer service by providing realistic response times.

Setting Up Business Hours in Salesforce

To get started with Business Hours in Salesforce, follow these steps:

Login to Salesforce Account

Click Gear icon Navigation to Salesforce Setup

Search Quick find box in Business Hours

Using Business Hours in Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

When working with SLAs, Business Hours help ensure your team meets customer response time expectations. By associating SLAs with Business Hours, you can set timelines that reflect the actual hours your team is available, ensuring compliance with customer contracts and internal performance standards.

Business Hours and Case Management

In Salesforce, Case Management is closely tied to Business Hours. Automating case escalations based on Business Hours helps prevent customer issues from falling through the cracks. For example, a case that isn’t resolved within a set time during business hours can automatically escalate to a manager, improving service levels and customer satisfaction.

Business Hours in Workflow Rules and Processes

Salesforce allows you to incorporate Business Hours into workflow rules. For example, if a task needs to be completed within business hours, the system ensures that deadlines respect those hours. This is especially useful for companies with multiple shifts or global operations.

Business Hours and Time-Dependent Actions

Time-dependent actions, like sending emails or task reminders, can be scheduled to align with Business Hours. This ensures that actions don’t take place when your team is unavailable, reducing confusion and improving workflow efficiency.

Using Business Hours in Salesforce Flows

Salesforce Flows can be designed to incorporate Business Hours, making them more efficient and aligned with your team’s availability. For example, you can create a Flow that only triggers during business hours, reducing off-hours processing.

Business Hours in Apex Code

For developers, Business Hours can be accessed in Apex code. This allows you to customize automations, escalations, and task assignments based on your organization’s operating hours. Here’s an example of how to get Business Hours in Apex:

This code retrieves the default Business Hours and calculates the due date for a case, ensuring the timing aligns with your organization’s schedule.

How to Get Business Hours Using SOQL

You can retrieve Business Hours using SOQL by querying the BusinessHours object. For example:

This query will return a list of active Business Hours that you can use in your automation or workflows.

Customizing Business Hours for Different Teams

Global companies often need to set different Business Hours for various teams or regions. Salesforce allows you to tailor Business Hours for specific departments, ensuring that escalations and workflows are region-specific and align with local business operations.

Troubleshooting Common Business Hours Issues

Common issues with Business Hours can include incorrect time zone settings or mismatches in operating hours across teams. Regularly reviewing and updating Business Hours settings is essential to avoid these pitfalls and ensure smooth operations.

Best Practices for Managing Business Hours in Salesforce

Regular Updates: Keep Business Hours up to date to reflect any changes in your operations.

Testing: Test workflows and automations to ensure they respect Business Hours.

Tailoring: Customize Business Hours for each team or region.

Conclusion

Business Hours in Salesforce are a powerful tool to ensure that your organization’s workflows, automations, and service level agreements run smoothly and in alignment with your operational hours. Proper setup and utilization of Business Hours can enhance customer satisfaction and optimize internal processes.

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FAQs

Can I set different Business Hours for multiple teams?
Yes, Salesforce allows you to create multiple Business Hours sets for different teams or departments.

How do Business Hours affect workflow rules?
Business Hours ensure that workflow actions only occur during your set operational hours.

What happens if an action is scheduled outside of Business Hours?
The action is deferred until the next business day or hour, depending on your configuration.

Can I use Business Hours in Apex code?
Absolutely. Business Hours can be accessed and used in Apex to control automations based on operating hours.

How do I handle Business Hours for global teams?
Salesforce allows you to customize Business Hours for different regions, ensuring alignment with local working times.