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AI Copilot Complete Guide

Master XShift AI Copilot: 13 conversational commands, voice-to-text, and intelligent automation. HEAD_MANAGER and MANAGER only.

15 min read

13 AI Commands

5 Feature Tabs

Accessing AI Copilot

How to access and who can use AI Copilot

Access Requirements

• Available to HEAD_MANAGER and MANAGER roles only
• EMPLOYEE role cannot access AI Copilot
• Navigate to: /{orgId}/ai-copilot
• Link in left sidebar navigation: "AI Copilot" with bot icon
• Page title: "🤖 AI Copilot - Your Intelligent Scheduling Assistant"
• Requires organization data: shifts, employees, clock entries
• Works best with 2+ weeks of historical data
• Default tab: "Ask AI" (chat interface)

Ask AI - Conversational Commands (23 Actions)

All 18 AI actions you can perform via natural language

1. Create Shift

Command: "Create a shift for [date] from [start time] to [end time] at [location]"
Function: create_shift
Parameters:
- date: YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., "2025-12-25")
- startTime: HH:MM 24-hour format (e.g., "09:00", "14:30")
- endTime: HH:MM 24-hour format (e.g., "17:00", "22:00")
- locationName: Name of location
- required: Number of employees needed (default: 1)
Example: "Create a shift for 2025-12-25 from 09:00 to 17:00 at Downtown Store"
Response: "✓ Shift created successfully! It has been added to your schedule."
• Status: Draft if requirePublishApproval enabled, published otherwise
• Employees notified via email if published

2. Create Recurring Shifts

Command: "Create recurring shifts every [days of week] from [start time] to [end time] at [location] for the next [number] days"
Function: create_recurring_shift
Parameters:
- name: Pattern name (e.g., "Monday Morning Shift")
- startTime: HH:MM format
- endTime: HH:MM format
- locationName: Location name
- pattern: "daily", "weekly", "monthly", or "custom_frequency"
- durationDays: Number of days to generate (e.g., 30, 90)
- daysOfWeek: For weekly - [0-6] where 0=Sunday, 6=Saturday
- customFrequency: For custom - repeat every X days
- required: Employees needed per shift (default: 1)
Example: "Create recurring shifts every Monday and Wednesday from 09:00 to 17:00 at Main Office for the next 30 days"
Response: "✓ Recurring shift pattern created successfully! X shifts have been added to your schedule."
• Supports: Daily, weekly (specific days), monthly, custom intervals

3. Auto-Assign All Shifts

Command: "Auto-assign employees to all open shifts"
Function: auto_assign_all_shifts
Parameters:
- preserveExisting: Keep existing assignments (default: true)
How it works:
- Uses round-robin algorithm for fair distribution
- Only assigns to existing shifts (does not create new ones)
- Checks employee availability and conflicts
- Respects role requirements if enabled
- Distributes evenly across all employees
Example: "Auto-assign employees to all open shifts"
Response: "✓ Successfully assigned X employees to shifts! All affected employees and managers have been notified via email."
IMPORTANT: Must have existing shifts created first
• Use "create_shift" or "create_recurring_shift" if no shifts exist

4. Generate Schedule (Advanced)

Command: "Generate schedule from [start date] to [end date] with [FAIR or MAX] mode"
Function: generate_schedule
Parameters:
- cycleStart: Start date YYYY-MM-DD
- cycleEnd: End date YYYY-MM-DD
- mode: "FAIR" or "MAX"
FAIR Mode (Fair Rotation):
- Distributes shifts evenly among ALL employees
- Everyone gets similar hours
- Best for: Teams where equal distribution is priority
MAX Mode (Maximize Hours):
- Prioritizes employees who want more hours
- Fills schedules for high-availability employees first
- Best for: Part-time heavy teams, flexible workforce
Example: "Generate schedule from 2025-12-01 to 2025-12-07 with FAIR mode"
Response: "✓ Successfully generated schedule! Assigned X shift slots with a total of Y hours using [Fair Rotation/Maximize Hours] mode."
• Respects: Availability, role requirements, PTO, conflicts
IMPORTANT: Only assigns to existing shifts in date range

5. Assign Employees to Shift

Command: "Assign [employee name] to the [morning/afternoon/evening] shift on [date] at [location]"
Function: assign_employees_to_shift
Parameters:
- employeeNames: Array of names (e.g., ["Wanda Okoro", "Xavi Duarte"])
- targetDate: YYYY-MM-DD or "today"/"tomorrow"
- shiftStartTime: HH:MM or "morning shift"/"evening shift"
- locationName: Optional location to identify shift
• Time descriptions supported:
- "morning shift" = 6am-12pm range
- "afternoon shift" = 12pm-5pm range
- "evening shift" = 5pm-11pm range
Example: "Assign Wanda Okoro and Xavi to the morning shift on 2025-12-03 at Downtown"
Response: "✓ Successfully assigned [names] to the shift on [date] at [time]!"
• Smart matching: Fuzzy matches employee names
IMPORTANT: Shift must already exist

6. Create Announcement

Command: "Create an announcement titled '[title]' about [topic/message]"
Function: create_announcement
Parameters:
- title: Brief title (e.g., "Store Closing Early")
- message: Full announcement content
Example: "Create an announcement titled 'Holiday Hours' about store closing at 5pm on Christmas Eve"
Response: "✓ Announcement posted successfully! Employees will be notified via email (if enabled)."
• Posted to: All employees in organization
• Visible in: Employee dashboard announcements section
• Email notifications: Sent if "Announcements" is switched on in your email settings

7. Send Message

Command: "Send a direct message to [employee name]: [message]"
Function: send_message
Parameters:
- recipientName: Employee name (first, last, or full)
- message: Message content
Example: "Send a direct message to Yvette Marsh: Can you cover the evening shift tomorrow?"
Response: "✓ Message sent successfully to [First Last]!"
• Delivery: In-app messaging system
• Recipient sees: Message in their employee dashboard Messages tab
• Smart matching: Fuzzy matches employee names (first, last, or full)
Use case: Quick communication without leaving AI Copilot

8. Create Employee

Command: "Create an employee named [First] [Last] with email [email] as an [EMPLOYEE/MANAGER]"
Function: create_employee
Parameters:
- email: Employee email (used for login)
- firstName: First name
- lastName: Last name
- userRole: "EMPLOYEE" or "MANAGER"
- password: Temporary password (default: "Welcome2025!" if not provided)
Example: "Create an employee named Zeynep Arslan with email zeynep@example.com as an EMPLOYEE"
Response: "✓ Employee account created successfully for [First Last]! Login: [email] / Password: [password]"
IMPORTANT: Share login credentials with new employee
• Default password: "Welcome2025!" (minimum 8 characters)
• Employee receives: Welcome email with login instructions
• Next steps: Employee should log in and set up MFA (if HEAD_MANAGER)

9. Create Location

Command: "Create a location named '[name]' at [address]"
Function: create_location
Parameters:
- name: Location name (e.g., "Downtown Store", "West Branch")
- address: Physical address (optional)
- timezone: Timezone (optional, defaults to America/New_York)
Example: "Create a location named 'Downtown Store' at 123 Main St, New York, NY"
Response: "✓ Location '[name]' created successfully!"
• Timezone options: America/New_York, America/Chicago, America/Denver, America/Los_Angeles, etc.
Use case: Multi-location businesses
• After creation: Location available in shift creation dropdown
• Can set staffing requirements: /{orgId}/settings/staffing-rules

10. Manage PTO Requests

Command: "Approve all pending PTO requests" or "Show all pending PTO requests by type"
Function: manage_pto_requests
Parameters:
- action: "approve" or "deny"
- scope: "all", "filtered", or "single"
- requestId: For single request
- filters: For filtered scope
• Filtering options:
- employeeNames: Filter by names (e.g., ["Vanya Petrov"])
- excludeEmployees: Exclude names (e.g., ["Wilhelm"])
- startDateFrom: Requests starting after date
- startDateTo: Requests starting before date
- ptoType: "VACATION", "SICK", "PERSONAL", "OTHER"
- minDays: Minimum request length
- maxDays: Maximum request length
- reason: Optional approval/denial comment
Example 1: "Approve all pending PTO requests"
Example 2: "Approve all vacation requests for December"
Example 3: "Deny PTO requests from Yaw Mensah"
Response: "✓ [Action] complete! Processed X requests. ✉️ Employees will be notified via email."
• Bulk actions: Can approve/deny multiple requests at once
• Preview mode: Shows matched requests before confirming

11. List Schedule Templates

Command: "List all my saved schedule templates"
Function: list_schedule_templates
Parameters:
- searchTerm: Optional search filter
Example: "List all my saved schedule templates"
Response: Shows all saved templates with:
- Template name
- Description
- Total shifts captured
- Duration in days
- Created date
Use case: Review available templates before applying
Templates include: All shifts, assignments, times, locations from saved date range

12. Apply Schedule Template

Command: "Apply the '[template name]' template starting [YYYY-MM-DD]"
Function: apply_schedule_template
Parameters:
- templateName: Name of saved template (fuzzy matched)
- startDate: Date to begin applying template (YYYY-MM-DD)
- locationFilter: Optional - only apply for specific locations
- daysFilter: Optional - "weekdays only", "weekends only", etc.
Example: "Apply the 'Holiday Week' template starting 2025-12-20"
Response: "✓ Success! I created X shifts from the '[name]' template. The shifts are now [draft/published]."
How it works:
- Takes template pattern and creates shifts starting from target date
- Preserves shift times, locations, required counts
- Does NOT copy employee assignments (assigns fresh)
- Respects requirePublishApproval setting
Use case: Recurring weekly/monthly schedules, holiday patterns

13. Save Schedule Template

Command: "Save my schedule from [start date] to [end date] as a template named '[name]'"
Function: save_schedule_template
Parameters:
- name: Template name (e.g., "Holiday Week 2024")
- description: Optional description
- startDate: Start of date range (YYYY-MM-DD)
- endDate: End of date range (YYYY-MM-DD)
Example: "Save my schedule from 2025-12-01 to 2025-12-07 as a template named 'First Week December'"
Response: "✓ Template saved successfully! I captured X shifts over Y days as '[name]'. You can now apply this template to future dates."
What gets saved:
- All shifts in date range
- Shift times and locations
- Required employee counts
- Pattern duration
What does NOT get saved: Employee assignments (apply fresh each time)
Use case: Save busy weeks, holiday schedules, recurring patterns

14. Change an Existing Shift

• Say the change in plain words, the way you would say it out loud
Example: "Move Thursday's 2pm shift at Pier 9 to Friday"
Example: "Every Tuesday shift at the East Wing needs 3 people"
Example: "Make Saturday 7am to 3pm"
• It changes only what you named. Everything else about the shift stays as it was
• You can point at shifts the way you talk about them: a day, a week, a start time, a location, whose shifts they are, which role they need, or "all of them"
Response: a card showing each shift as it is now and as it will be
• If more than one shift fits your words, it asks which one before changing anything
• Reaches shifts from the past 7 days forward

15. Take Someone Off a Shift

Example: "Take Ulyana off Saturday's 6am shift"
Example: "Take everyone with the Supervisor role off Sunday at Summit"
• The person comes off. The shift stays, and the spot opens for someone else
Response: a card naming who comes off which shift. Confirm to apply

16. Put One Person On Instead of Another

Example: "Put Valentina on Wednesday's 3pm shift instead of Wanjiku"
Example: "Put Viggo on all of Yesenia's shifts next week"
• One person comes off and the other goes on the same shift, in one move
• Both halves happen together or neither does
Response: a card showing who comes off and who goes on. Confirm to apply

17. Delete Shifts

Example: "Delete the Monday morning shifts at Pier 9 for the rest of the month"
Example: "Delete next Sunday's shifts"
• Cannot be undone, and every assignment on the shift goes with it
Response: a card stating how many shifts and how many people are affected. Confirm to apply

18. Several Instructions in One Message

• Join them with "and," "then," a comma, or a new line
Example: "Make Monday 8am to 4pm, take Ula off Thursday, and put Vonda on Friday instead of Weston"
• The message is split into separate instructions and each one is carried out on its own
Response: one card listing every change. Confirm once
• If one change cannot be done, the others still go through and the card says which one did not
• It will not guess at a step that depends on something an earlier step is still creating. It asks instead

19. Add Time Off

Example: "Uri is off Mar 3 to Mar 5"
Example: "Vivian's on vacation next week"
• Adds approved time off, and the employee gets the same email as when a manager adds it on the Time Off page
• Takes the kind of time off from your words (sick, vacation), or Other when none is said
• It is one way among several: employees can still request time off themselves, and you can still approve or deny each request by hand
Response: a card titled "Add time off". Confirm to add it

20. Fix It in a Word

• After a card, reply short: "sick" turns vacation into sick leave, "and also the 22nd" adds a day, "i meant Host" swaps the job, "same for Walter" gives Walter the same target
• Only that part changes; everything else on the card stays
• Typos are fine: "i menat the 5th of januray" is read as 5 January

21. Say Who Can Work What

Example: "Zion can work every job except Opener, prefers Closer"
• Sets one main job and the extra jobs, from your real job list
• Understands "all roles", "all except X", "only X", "prefers X", "can also work X"

22. Hour and Shift Targets

Example: "Virgil needs 27 hours a week"
Example: "Vera works 13 shifts per month"
• Saves it as an Autopilot rule; every schedule fills shifts with the people under their number first
Response: a card naming the person and the number. Confirm to save

23. Import a Schedule

• Type "import my schedule" and drop photos or PDFs of your schedule on the message box
• Every location, person and shift on it is laid out on one screen
• Press "Create" and your whole schedule, every shift and who works it, is built in seconds, with anyone new added to your team
• "Undo this import" takes the imported shifts back out

Quick Action Buttons (15 Templates)

Pre-filled command templates for faster input

Quick Action Bar

Location: Above chat input field in Ask AI tab
• Layout: Horizontal scrollable row of colored buttons
Function: Clicking fills chat input with template text
• User must: Fill in bracketed placeholders before sending
• 1. Create Shift (Indigo button)
• Template: "Create a shift for [date] from [start time] to [end time] at [location]"
• Placeholders: [date], [start time], [end time], [location]
• 2. Create Recurring Shifts (Purple button)
• Template: "Create recurring shifts every [days of week] from [start time] to [end time] at [location] for the next [number] days"
• Placeholders: [days of week], [start time], [end time], [location], [number]
• 3. Send Message (Pink button)
• Template: "Send a direct message to [employee name]: [message]"
• Placeholders: [employee name], [message]
• 4. Create Employee (Cyan button)
• Template: "Create an employee named [First] [Last] with email [email] as an [EMPLOYEE/MANAGER]"
• Placeholders: [First], [Last], [email], [EMPLOYEE/MANAGER]
• 5. Create Location (Green button)
• Template: "Create a location named '[name]' at [address]"
• Placeholders: [name], [address]
• 6. Create Announcement (Blue button)
• Template: "Create an announcement titled '[title]' about [topic/message]"
• Placeholders: [title], [topic/message]
• 7. Auto-Assign All Shifts (Orange button)
• Template: "Auto-assign employees to all open shifts"
• No placeholders - ready to send
• 8. Generate Schedule (Teal button)
• Template: "Generate schedule from [start date YYYY-MM-DD] to [end date YYYY-MM-DD] with [FAIR or MAX] mode"
• Placeholders: [start date], [end date], [FAIR or MAX]
• 9. Assign to Shift (Amber button)
• Template: "Assign [employee name] to the [morning/afternoon/evening] shift on [date] at [location]"
• Placeholders: [employee name], [morning/afternoon/evening], [date], [location]
• 10. Approve All PTO (Emerald button)
• Template: "Approve all pending PTO requests"
• No placeholders - ready to send
• 11. Show PTO Requests (Purple button)
• Template: "Show all pending PTO requests by type"
• No placeholders - ready to send
• 12. List Templates (Violet button)
• Template: "List all my saved schedule templates"
• No placeholders - ready to send
• 13. Apply Template (Fuchsia button)
• Template: "Apply the '[template name]' template starting [YYYY-MM-DD]"
• Placeholders: [template name], [YYYY-MM-DD]
• 14. Save Template (Rose button)
• Template: "Save my schedule from [start date YYYY-MM-DD] to [end date YYYY-MM-DD] as a template named '[template name]'"
• Placeholders: [start date], [end date], [template name]
• 15. Clear Chat (Gray button - bottom left)
• Function: Clears all chat messages
• Text: "Clear"
• Starts fresh conversation

Voice-to-Text Input

Speak your commands instead of typing

Voice Input Feature

Technology: Web Speech API (browser-native)
• Supported browsers: Chrome, Edge (Chromium-based)
• Not supported: Firefox, Safari (shows unsupported message)
Location: Microphone button next to chat input field
Icon: Microphone icon (Heroicons)
• How to use:
• 1. Click microphone button
• 2. Browser requests microphone permission (popup)
• 3. Grant permission ("Allow")
• 4. Button changes to red (recording active)
• 5. Speak your command naturally
• 6. Live transcription shows in gray text (interim)
• 7. Stop speaking - auto-stops after pause
• 8. Final text appears in input field
• 9. Press Enter or Send button to submit
Recording states:
- Default: Gray microphone icon
- Recording: Red microphone icon
- Listening: Placeholder shows "Listening..."
- Transcribing: Shows interim gray text
Settings:
- Language: English (en-US)
- Continuous: No (stops after user finishes)
- Interim results: Yes (shows live transcription)
- Max alternatives: 1
Error handling:
- "not-allowed" → "Microphone permission denied. Please enable it in browser settings."
- "no-speech" → "No speech detected. Please try again."
- "audio-capture" → "No microphone found. Please connect a microphone."
- "network" → "Network error. Please check your connection."
- "aborted" → "Recording stopped."
Tips:
- Speak clearly at normal pace
- Pause between commands
- Review transcription before sending
- Can edit text after voice input
- Works with all 13 AI commands

Chat Interface & User Experience

How to interact with AI Copilot chat

Chat Features

Interface: ChatGPT-style conversational UI
Message history: Persists during session, clears on page reload
Input methods: Text typing, voice-to-text, quick action buttons
• Chat window:
- White background (light mode), gray (dark mode)
- Rounded corners with shadow
- Scrollable message history
- Auto-scrolls to latest message
- Max height: 500px
Message bubbles:
- User messages: Right-aligned, indigo background
- AI responses: Left-aligned, gray background
- AI icon: Robot emoji 🤖
- User icon: Your initials
Empty state (no messages):
- Chat bubble icon in center
- Text: "Ask me anything about your workforce!"
- Example prompts shown:
* "How many shifts do I have this week?"
* "Which employees have the most hours?"
* "Create a shift for tomorrow 9am-5pm"
* "Show me all pending PTO requests"
- Clicking example fills chat input
Input field features:
- Placeholder: "Ask about your employees, schedules, costs..."
- Changes to "Listening..." during voice input
- Press Enter to send
- Disabled while AI is processing
- Shows loading indicator: "AI is thinking..."
Buttons:
- Clear button (left): Clears all messages
- Microphone button (right): Voice input
- Send button (right): Submit message
Action confirmations:
- Some actions show preview before executing
- Example: PTO bulk approval shows matched requests
- "Confirm" and "Cancel" buttons appear
Response types:
- Success: ✓ checkmark with confirmation
- Error: ❌ with error message
- Info: 💡 with details
- Action needed: Shows preview + confirm buttons

Best Practices & Tips

How to get the most out of AI Copilot

Usage Tips

Command phrasing:
- Be specific with dates (use YYYY-MM-DD format)
- Include location names for multi-location orgs
- Use employee full names when possible
- Specify shift times clearly (24-hour format preferred)
Quick wins:
- Use quick action buttons instead of typing from scratch
- Use voice input for complex commands
- Review AI insights weekly for trends
- Check cost opportunities monthly
Scheduling workflows:
• 1. Create shifts first (single or recurring)
• 2. Then use auto-assign or generate schedule
• 3. Review assignments in schedule page
• 4. Publish when ready
Template workflow:
• 1. Create and perfect a week's schedule
• 2. Save as template with descriptive name
• 3. Apply template to future weeks
• 4. Saves hours of manual work
PTO management:
- Review pending requests weekly
- Use filters for fair approvals
- Check conflicts before approving
- Add comments for denials
Common mistakes to avoid:
- Don't use auto-assign before creating shifts
- Don't generate schedule on date ranges with no shifts
- Don't forget to publish shifts (if requirePublishApproval enabled)
- Don't ignore low reliability patterns
Troubleshooting:
- If AI doesn't understand: Rephrase more specifically
- If no insights appear: Need more historical data
- If voice doesn't work: Check browser (Chrome/Edge only)
- If actions fail: Check error message, verify data exists

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