Absence Routine — General Rules & Priorities
Internal · Updated July 2026
What this article covers
How CX prioritises and organises work when team members are absent. This routine ensures we can continue to deliver high-quality service regardless of staffing situation. We do this together — helping each other across the whole team is essential.
The routine is our guideline — but flexibility and open communication with the Team Lead always help us make the best decisions for the team and our customers. Workload varies, and on quieter days (such as around Christmas or during summer) not all guidelines may need to be followed exactly.
Top priorities during absence
When one or more people are absent, always focus on the tasks that protect sales, customer relationships, deadlines, and production flow.
- B2B quotes — always the top priority. Focus on both new quote requests and second replies on active quotes.
- Quote Management Routine — follow it fully at all times. This becomes even more important during absence to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth and maintain structure.
- Reconnections and active quotes — follow up on active quotes and customers waiting for answers and keep sales momentum going.
- Special Channel, Routine and List — maintain clear communication about special and high-value orders with production and internally.
- Contract customers — prioritise both their inquiries and orders to ensure they feel valued and receive reliable service.
Meetings during absence
| Meeting type | 1 absent | 2 or more absent |
|---|---|---|
| Small team meetings | Meeting still happens — keep it short | Cancel or move to next week — priority goes to operations and quotes |
| Mood team | Discuss with Team Lead — may be skipped | Always skip |
| One-to-ones | Team Lead reschedules | Team Lead reschedules |
Training during absence
Health and wellbeing are important and always supported. However, during high workload or high absence, operational tasks come first.
- 1 absent → keep only the training hour. No extended workout or deeper training blocks.
- 2 or more absent → no training during working hours. Operational priorities come first. The gym can be used before or after the work shift.
Kitchen week during absence
- 1 absent → discuss with Team Lead to review small-team status and decide if actions are needed. If actions are needed, Team Lead informs Head of CX, who informs the kitchen coordinators.
- 2 or more absent → contact Head of CX directly, who will inform the kitchen coordinators.
Phone handling during absence
| Market | Phone hours |
|---|---|
| Scandi | 10–13 and 14–16 |
| German | 10–13 |
| UK | 10–13 and 14–16 |
- Normal staffing → phone stays open as scheduled.
- High absence and high inflow → check with Team Lead to decide if the phone should be temporarily closed.
- If closed temporarily → update the phone message if required, and prepare to handle the queue once reopened.
The goal is always to protect our main priorities — B2B quotes, reconnections, active quotes, contract customers, and special cases — without compromising quality.
General note for all teams during absence
Use internal notes in both SignAdmin and Zendesk as much as possible. This makes it easier for colleagues to take over and pick up where you left off when the team is fully staffed again.
If support is needed, Team Lead will arrange this in the following order:
- First option — another colleague, or Hugo or Anna, will be asked to support.
- Second option — Team Lead will support and/or speak with CX Leads to arrange support.