---
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title: Create and Manage Service Objectives in Workforce Scheduling
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/service/264-0-0/wfs_service_objectives_manage.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
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content_type: documentation
content_hash: 30805a66e74164e445f5ffa1bf019601a1b65b5f33fc5f0bb29aeb350b5ff3c8
description: Add service objectives to a scheduling policy to represent your business priorities. The scheduling engine grades candidate schedules against the objectives you assign and their relative weights.
products:
- Public Sector
- Service Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Create and Manage Service Objectives in Workforce Scheduling
Add service objectives to a scheduling policy to represent your business priorities. The scheduling engine grades candidate schedules against the objectives you assign and their relative weights.
### Required Editions
Available in: Lightning Experience
Available in: Enterprise and Unlimited Editions
User Permissions Needed
To create, edit, or clone service objectives:
Workforce Scheduling Admin
Work rules decide who’s eligible for an appointment. Service objectives decide which eligible candidate is the best fit. When Workforce Scheduling finds more than one eligible candidate, it grades each option against the objectives on the active scheduling policy and picks the highest-graded option. When you add a service objective to a scheduling policy, you set the scheduling method for that objective. The scheduling method determines whether the objective applies to field scheduling, on-site scheduling, or both.
When the scheduling engine evaluates candidate schedules, it grades each candidate against every service objective on the active policy. The weight of each objective determines how much each objective influences the final score. Each objective has a scale that defines its best-case and worst-case values, and the engine grades each candidate across that scale.
The engine then multiplies each grade by the objective’s weight in the policy to produce a per-objective score, and sums the per-objective scores to produce the candidate’s total score. Weights are relative to the other objectives in the same policy — a higher weight tells the scheduling engine to prioritize that objective more. What matters is the ratio, not the number. The candidate with the highest total score wins.
Example: Suppose the Minimize Travel objective on a policy has a weight of 10. The objective’s scale runs from no travel time (best case, 100%) to 2 or more hours of added travel time (worst case, 0%). If a candidate schedule adds 1 hour of travel, the engine grades it at 50% on the Minimize Travel scale, then multiplies that grade by the weight of 10 to produce the candidate’s per-objective score for Minimize Travel. The engine repeats this for every objective on the policy, sums the per-objective scores, and compares totals across candidates.
You can also think of scoring as a penalty count: every grade below its best case adds penalty points weighted by the objective’s importance in the policy. For example, the penalty for scheduling an appointment with 2 hours of added travel time is higher than that for 1 hour of added travel time. The candidate with the fewest total penalty points wins. Maximizing total score and minimizing total penalty points are two views of the same calculation.
A scheduling policy can use one, several, or no service objectives. A policy with no objectives runs faster because the engine returns the first eligible candidate without grading options — the scheduling flow returns slots in time order rather than by grade.
To add a service objective to a scheduling policy, see [Create and Manage Scheduling Policies in Workforce Scheduling](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_policies_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Scheduling policies combine work rules and service objectives to control which resources and time slots Workforce Scheduling assigns to each appointment. Work rules decide who’s eligible, and service objectives decide who’s the best fit. During scheduling and optimization, the engine applies these criteria against factors like resource skills, travel time, and urgency to make sure the right person is assigned to the right job efficiently."). Follow these guidelines when you decide which objectives to add to a scheduling policy and how to weight them.
- Rank before weighting: Rank your objectives from most to least important before setting weights so the ratios accurately reflect your business priorities.
- Build incrementally: Start with a single objective. Add a second and adjust weights to tune the outcome before adding a third.
- Limit total objectives: Aim for two to four objectives per policy. More than four makes schedule results harder to analyze and rarely improves scheduling quality.
Workforce Scheduling includes standard service objectives that you can add to any scheduling policy.
| Objective Type | Description | Applicable Scheduling Method |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ASAP](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_asap.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling ASAP objective to instruct the scheduling engine to prioritize scheduling an appointment at the earliest possible time. Scheduling appointments as soon as possible improves customer satisfaction and SLA adherence and allows for a more utilized schedule with less resource idle time. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Prefer scheduling an appointment as soon as possible. | Field |
| [Group Nearby Service Appointments](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_group_nearby.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Group Nearby Appointments service objective to reduce the number of resources assigned to the same area on a given day. This objective ensures resources maximize their presence in high-volume areas by completing all appointments within a specific area before moving to the next. It’s ideal for organizations with a large number of appointments per resource, where multiple resources typically start from the same home base and cover the same geographical areas. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Prefer reducing the number of service resources working at nearby appointments on a given day. | Field |
| [Load Balancing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_load_balancing.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Load Balance objective to distribute appointments evenly across service resources and prevent overloading some resources while others remain underutilized. This objective is relevant for on-site scheduling only.") | Prefer distributing work evenly among available resources. | On-site |
| [Minimize Gaps](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_minimize_gaps.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The Workforce Scheduling Minimize Gaps service objective packs appointments into contiguous blocks by grading candidates higher when scheduling closes a gap on their day. Use Minimize Gaps to raise utilization and reduce idle time between appointments and improve resource productivity. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Reduces idle time between service appointments. | Field |
| [Minimize Overtime](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_minimize_overtime.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Minimize Overtime objective to reduce the duration of time that appointments are scheduled into extended hours. Scheduling during overtime hours is generally less desirable than during standard working hours because overtime usually comes at a higher cost and causes strain on service resources. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Reduce the duration of time service appointments are scheduled into extended hours. | Field |
| [Minimize Travel](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_minimize_travel.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Minimize Travel objective to reduce the total amount of travel time added to the schedule to maximize productivity and profitability. This service objective grades candidates higher when they can reach the appointment with less driving. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Reduce the total amount of travel time added to the schedule. | Field |
| [Preferred Resource](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_preferred_resource.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Preferred Resource objective to prefer scheduling service appointments to service resources indicated as preferred for the respective accounts, assets, locations, work orders, and work order line items. Customers can prefer certain resources to be assigned to their appointment over others for various reasons, such as a service resource’s familiarity with the location or a previous great customer experience with a specific individual. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Prefer scheduling appointments to resources indicated as preferred for the respective accounts, assets, locations, work orders, and work order line items. | Field |
| [Resource Priority](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_resource_priority.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Resource Priority objective to assign a priority value to rank resources during scheduling. This priority value indicates which resources to prioritize for scheduling over others. Prioritizing resources can be used in scenarios such as preferring to schedule appointments to internal resources over contractor resources. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Assign a priority value to service resources to indicate which service resources to prioritize for scheduling over others. | Field |
| [Same Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_same_site.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Same Site service objective to reduce travel and improve customer experience when a single location has multiple appointments in the schedule window. This objective prefers a minimal number of mobile workers visit the same location by scheduling service appointments with the same location consecutively in the same shift to the same resource, saving time and effort, and eliminating the need for multiple trips. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Emphasize the need for a minimal number of mobile workers to visit the same location by having the optimization services group service appointments located at the same site. | Field |
| [Skill Level](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_skill_level.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use the Workforce Scheduling Skill Level objective to prefer scheduling appointments to service resources depending on how proficient they are at a specific skill. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Prefer scheduling appointments to service resources depending on how proficient they are for the skill level. | Field |
| [Skill Preference](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_service_objectives_skill_preference.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The Workforce Scheduling Skill Preference service objective prefers a resource whose skill is marked as higher-priority on the work order or work order line item within the same skill type. Use Skill Preference when the appointment lists more than one acceptable skill and one is preferred. For example, a language preference: the customer accepts English or Spanish but prefers Spanish. This objective is relevant for field scheduling only.") | Prefer scheduling appointments to service resources with a skill type that is a higher priority. | Field |
Create a service objective when the standard objectives don’t cover a priority you need to enforce. Decide which standard objective type matches your business priority. Every custom objective inherits from one of these types, so choose the type first, then customize its settings.
1. From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Workforce Scheduling and select **Workforce Scheduling**.
2. Under **Scheduling and Optimization**, select **Appointment Scheduling Logic**, and then select **Service Objectives**.
3. To create a service objective, click **New**. To edit an existing objective, click on it to open it, or select **Edit** next to the objective. To clone an existing objective, select **Clone** next to the objective.
4. Enter a name that describes what the objective does in your context, not just the type. For example, name a customized Minimize Travel objective Minimize Travel for Urban Territories rather than Minimize Travel Copy.
5. Enter a description that captures why this objective exists and when to use it.
6. Select the service objective record type based on your business priority.
7. Configure type-specific settings. Available fields vary depending on the record type selected, for example, Skill Level includes a Prioritize Skilled Resource setting, while Resource Priority uses a Resource Priority field.
8. Save the objective.
#### See Also
- [Create and Manage Scheduling Policies in Workforce Scheduling](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_policies_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Scheduling policies combine work rules and service objectives to control which resources and time slots Workforce Scheduling assigns to each appointment. Work rules decide who’s eligible, and service objectives decide who’s the best fit. During scheduling and optimization, the engine applies these criteria against factors like resource skills, travel time, and urgency to make sure the right person is assigned to the right job efficiently.")
- [Create and Manage Work Rules in Workforce Scheduling](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_work_rules_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Work rules filter candidates for a service appointment by rejecting service resources that violate any rule. Every scheduling policy uses work rules to filter candidates before service objectives grade them.")
- [Fine-Tune a Workforce Scheduling Policy](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.wfs_policies_tuning.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "In scheduling policies, you set weights to service objectives. These weights represent the importance of each objective when the engine generates an optimal schedule. You can fine-tune the weights through an iterative tuning process to set weight values in your scheduling policy that closely align with your business KPIs.")