Quick Start Guide

Welcome to ShiftAI! This guide will help you create your first AI-powered schedule in under 5 minutes.

What You'll Learn

• How to add employees to your organization
• How to use natural language to generate schedules
• How to publish and share schedules with your team

Step 1: Add Your Employees

Before creating schedules, you need to add your team members.

Option A: Add Employees Manually

1. Navigate to Dashboard → Employees
2. Click the Add Employee button
3. Enter the employee's name, email, and role
4. Set their weekly hour preferences (max hours, availability)
5. Click Save

Option B: Bulk Import (Recommended)

If you have an existing employee list:

1. Go to Dashboard → Employees → Import
2. Download the CSV template
3. Fill in your employee data
4. Upload the completed CSV file
5. Review and confirm the import

Step 2: Set Employee Availability

Accurate availability data helps ShiftAI create conflict-free schedules.

For each employee:

1. Click on their name in the employee list
2. Navigate to the Availability tab
3. Set their available hours for each day of the week
4. Mark any recurring time-off (e.g., "No Sundays")

Step 3: Create Your First Schedule

Now the magic happens. ShiftAI uses natural language processing to understand your scheduling needs.

Using Natural Language Commands

Simply type what you need in plain English:

Examples:

• "Create a schedule for next week"
• "I need 3 servers on Saturday evening"
• "Schedule Alice for morning shifts Monday through Friday"
• "Cover John's Tuesday shift"

Creating a Weekly Schedule

1. Go to Dashboard → Schedules
2. Click New Schedule
3. Select the date range (e.g., next week)
4. Type your requirements in the command box
5. Click Generate

ShiftAI will analyze employee availability, skills, and preferences to create an optimized schedule.

Step 4: Review and Adjust

After generation, review your schedule:

1. Check for conflicts - The system highlights any issues
2. Make manual adjustments - Drag and drop shifts if needed
3. Verify coverage - Ensure all required positions are filled

Common Adjustments

• Click on any shift to edit times or reassign employees
• Use the conflict panel to resolve any scheduling issues
• Add notes to specific shifts for special instructions

Step 5: Publish and Notify

Once you're satisfied with the schedule:

1. Click Publish Schedule
2. Choose notification options:
   • Email notifications to all assigned employees
   • In-app notifications
   • Shareable link for external access
3. Confirm publication

What's Next?

Congratulations! You've created your first schedule. Here's what to explore next:

• Employee Availability - Deep dive into availability management
• AI Scheduler - Learn advanced scheduling commands
• Shift Swapping - Enable employees to swap shifts

Troubleshooting

"No valid schedule found"

This usually means:

• Not enough available employees for the required shifts
• Conflicting constraints (e.g., everyone is unavailable on a certain day)

Solution: Review employee availability and reduce constraints.

Employees not receiving notifications

Check that:

• Email addresses are correct in employee profiles
• Notification settings are enabled in organization settings
• Emails aren't going to spam folders

Need Help?

• Email: support@shiftai.com
• Response time: Within 24 hours on business days

We're here to help you succeed with ShiftAI!