You can ask shopper who is applying to indicate a date when they would expect to do the shop and allow the scheduler to assign the shopper with the most desired date.

           

If you are allowing shoppers to Self-Assign shops, you can require them to indicate which date they will be performing the shop and it will adjust their start and due date to the selected date. You can restrict date selection in the following ways:

                        

How Do I...

                        

Limit the number of shops that a shopper can do per day for this survey?

           

  1. Check the Limit Self-Assign by Shopper checkbox.
  2. Enter the number of shops you want to limit shoppers from assigning to themselves in this box:
  3. 'SAME DAY: Prevent shoppers from self-assigning more than ___ shops per day for this survey.'            

           

Example: If you only want shoppers to be able to self-assign 1 shop per day for this survey, enter '1', if you want to set a maximum of 10 self-assignments per shopper per day for this survey, enter '10'. Shopper can still assign themselves shops on other days.

                        

Make sure that the shopper doesn't do shops too close together?

           

  1. Check the Limit Self-Assign by Shopper checkbox.              
  2. Enter the number of days before/after the shopper's existing shop assignment that you want to be "off-limits" from being shopped in this box:
  3. 'BUFFER: Prevent shoppers from self-assigning ___ day(s) before/after their assigned shops for this survey'            

           

Example: If a shopper has an assigned shop on 1/10/12, and you don't want that shopper to do any shops within 3 days of their assigned shop, enter '3' in the box in step 2. This will restrict the shopper from self-assigning a shop 3 days before and 3 days after their 1/10/12 shop assignment.  So, if the shopper tries to self-assign a shop on 1/8/12, for example, the shopper will see a message that reads:

                      

Please pick a date between (m-d-y) and (m-d-y) except:               

  • 1/7/21              
  • 1/8/21              
  • 1/9/21              
  • 1/10/21              
  • 1/11/21              
  • 1/12/21              
  • 1/13/21            

                        

Limit the number of shops that can be done at a location per day?

           

  1. Check the Limit Self-Assign by Location checkbox.
  2. Enter the maximum number of self-assign shops you want to allow at each location per day in this box:               
  3. 'SAME DAY: Prevent shoppers from self-assigning more than ___ shops per day per location for this survey' checkbox.            

           

Example: Entering '1' in this box means that a shopper will be able to self-assign 1 shop per day for each location for this survey. Entering '10' in this box means that a total of 10 shops can be self-assigned to each location each day.

                        

Make sure that shops at a location aren't scheduled too close together?

           

  1. Check the Limit Self-Assign by Location checkbox.
  2. Enter the number of days this location should be "off-limits" from being shopped before/after an existing shop assignment for this location in this box:               
  3. 'BUFFER: Prevent shoppers from self-assigning ___ day(s) before/after any assigned shop for this location.'            

           

Example: If a location has a shopped assigned to it on 1/10/12, and you don't want that location to be shopped again within 2 days of that assignment, enter '2' in the box in step 2. This will restrict shoppers from self-assigning a shop at that location 2 days before and 2 days after 1/10/12.  So, if a shopper tries to self-assign a shop on 1/8/12, for example, the shopper will see a message that reads:

                           

Please pick a date between(m-d-y) and (m-d-y) except:               

  • 1/8/21              
  • 1/9/21              
  • 1/10/21              
  • 1/11/21              
  • 1/12/21           

           

NOTE: These restrictions can be used simultaneously with one another, but be careful not to make buffers too restrictive or you may not be able to fill your shops.