The Auto-Decline System is a valuable feature designed to streamline the scheduling process within officiating organizations by ensuring timely responses from officials regarding their game assignments. This feature is OFF by default but can be optionally enabled by officiating organization administrators if desired. This support article will guide you through the functionalities and settings of the Auto-Decline System.
Enabling and Configuring the Auto-Decline System
Users with Administrator permissions within an officiating organization can enable or disable the Auto-Decline System by navigating to the System Settings page. Here’s how:
Navigate to the System Settings Page: Access the System Settings from the main navigation menu.
Choose the Features & Settings tab.
Locate Feature #17: This feature is labeled "Require Accept/Decline Response within:" and provides a drop-down menu with 10 options:
OFF
1 day
2 days
3 days
5 days
7 days
14 days
21 days
30 days
60 days
Configuring the Response Time
OFF: Disables the Auto-Decline System.
Other Options: When any time frame is selected (from 1 day to 60 days), the system will require referees and umpires to respond to their pending game assignments within the chosen time frame.
Functionality of the Auto-Decline System
Notifications and Response Requirements
When the Auto-Decline System is enabled, the standard email notifications that officials receive for new game assignments will include an additional line item with a "Respond By" date indicating the last day they have to take action. This "Respond By" date will also be displayed next to each pending game on their game schedule page.
Officials must either:
Accept the assignment
Decline the assignment (if the organization allows officials to decline, configurable via Feature #15 in the System Settings)
Universal Application
The Auto-Decline setting is applied globally to all games within the officiating organization and cannot be configured on a per-game basis.
Handling Auto-Declines
Automatic Declines
If an official fails to respond to their game assignments within the required timeframe, the software will automatically decline the game. This action is known as an "Auto-Decline."
The following steps occur during an Auto-Decline:
The game is returned to the scheduler for reassignment.
The decline reason is recorded as "Auto-Decline for no response."
The game is immediately removed from the official’s schedule.
Scheduler Actions
Schedulers must take the following actions when a game is auto-declined:
Delete the declined assignment: Ensure that declined assignments are removed to prevent confusion.
Reassign the game: The game must be reassigned to ensure it is covered. If the originally assigned official wants to accept the game after an auto-decline, the scheduler will need to delete the original assignment and reassign them.
Overriding Ineligibility
Since the system records an auto-decline as a decline, the official will be marked ineligible to be scheduled to the same game. To override this:
The scheduler must use the normal override procedures by scheduling the official from the "Ineligible Officials" list.
Summary
The Auto-Decline System helps officiating organizations ensure that game assignments are managed efficiently and that officials respond promptly to their assignments. By following the above guidelines, administrators and schedulers can effectively utilize the Auto-Decline System to maintain an organized and responsive scheduling environment.
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