When you can't take new work — lunch, a meeting, sick day — mark yourself Out so dispatch stops routing tickets to you. One toggle, one click. This lesson covers how to use it and what "Out" actually changes.

The In/Out Feature

Problem: You're at lunch. Or in a meeting. Or sick. Or your shift ended an hour ago. Dispatch keeps routing tickets to you. They pile up unworked. Customers wait. Nobody knows you're unavailable.

Horizon's answer: A one-click toggle that marks you Out. While you're Out, the assignment engine skips you — no new tickets get routed to you until you come back.

Where it lives

In the top-right of the Horizon dashboard, next to your user menu, there's a small status dot:

• Green dot — you're In and eligible for assignment
• Red dot — you're Out

Mark yourself Out

1. Click the green dot (your status indicator).
2. Choose Mark Out from the dropdown.
3. A modal opens asking for a reason. The note is required — type something short like "lunch", "in a client meeting", "out sick".
4. Click submit.

The dot turns red. A red banner appears across the top of every page reminding you (and showing your reason): "You are currently OUT — lunch break".

Come back

1. On the red banner, click I'm Back.
2. The banner disappears. The dot goes green. Dispatch will start considering you again.

While you're Out, the dot itself is a passive indicator — you can't click it. Use the banner's I'm Back button.

What "Out" actually does

• New ticket assignments skip you. The engine excludes anyone marked Out.
• Existing assignments stay yours — going Out doesn't unassign you from anything.
• Watchlist notifications and other ambient signals continue normally. Out is about new work, not all activity.

Scheduled away periods

If your dispatcher needs to schedule a future absence for you (e.g. PTO next week), they can do it from the In/Out Board. The system flips you to Out automatically when the period starts and back to In when it ends — you don't have to remember to toggle yourself.

When to use Out

• Lunch
• A long meeting where you can't take new tickets
• A focus block where new work would derail what you're on
• End of shift, before you log off
• Sick day

Tip: Mark Out whenever you genuinely can't take new work, even for an hour. Tickets sitting in your queue unworked is worse than them landing on someone else's. The note doesn't have to be detailed — "lunch" is enough.