Opening Hours
What It Does
The Opening Hours feature displays your support team's business hours and current open/closed status on your portal and anywhere else on your site. Visitors always know when your team is available.
How to Enable
- Go to DeskPress > Support Portal > Opening Hours.
- Toggle Enable Opening Hours to on.
- Set your schedule and timezone.
- Save your settings.
Configuration Walkthrough
Step 1: Set Your Timezone
Select your support team's timezone from the dropdown. There are 50+ options covering all major time zones around the world. This is important because the open/closed status is calculated based on this timezone.
Step 2: Configure Your Weekly Schedule
Set your hours for each day of the week, Monday through Sunday:
- Enable or disable each day -- Toggle individual days on or off. For example, turn off Saturday and Sunday if you don't offer weekend support.
- Set start and end times -- Choose the opening and closing time for each active day.
- Default schedule -- Monday through Friday, 09:00 to 17:00. Saturday and Sunday are off.
Step 3: Customize Status Messages
- Open Message -- The text visitors see when your team is currently available. Default: "We are currently open".
- Closed Message -- The text visitors see outside business hours. Default: "We are currently closed".
Feel free to make these more personal. Something like "We're here and ready to help!" or "We're away right now, but we'll be back tomorrow at 9 AM" can make a big difference.
Step 4: Choose Where to Display
You have several options for where the hours widget appears:
On your portal:
Toggle Show on Portal and select a position:
| Position | Where It Appears |
|---|---|
| After Hero | Below the hero section at the top of your portal |
| After Topics | Below the topics/categories grid |
| After Actions | Below the quick actions bar |
| Before Conversations | Above the conversation list |
| After Conversations | Below the conversation list |
| In Hero | Inside the hero section itself (compact or collapsible) |
Inside the hero section:
If you choose the "In Hero" position, you get two layout options:
- Compact -- A small status badge showing open or closed, right inside the hero.
- Collapsible -- An expandable panel in the hero that visitors can click to see the full schedule and timezone selector.
Anywhere on your site:
Use the [hsd_opening_hours] shortcode on any page or post. You can also add the Opening Hours block in the Portal Template Builder.
Step 5: Style the Widget (Optional)
Go to DeskPress > Support Portal > Design to customize the look:
| Setting | Default | What It Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Open Color | #22c55e (green) |
Color of the "open" status indicator |
| Closed Color | #ef4444 (red) |
Color of the "closed" status indicator |
| Card Background | #ffffff (white) |
Background color of the hours card |
| Card Border Radius | 12px |
Corner roundness of the hours card |
Display Features
The opening hours widget includes three components:
- Open/Closed Status Badge -- A colored indicator showing whether your team is currently available, along with your custom message.
- Weekly Schedule Table -- A full breakdown of your hours for each day of the week. The current day's row is highlighted so visitors can quickly spot today's hours.
- Timezone Converter -- Visitors can select their local timezone from a dropdown, and the schedule automatically converts to show your hours in their time. This is powered by AJAX and updates in real time.
Shortcode Reference
Use [hsd_opening_hours] to place the hours widget anywhere on your site.
| Attribute | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
show_status |
From settings | Show the open/closed status badge (true or false) |
show_schedule |
From settings | Show the full weekly schedule (true or false) |
Examples:
[hsd_opening_hours]
[hsd_opening_hours show_status="true" show_schedule="false"]
[hsd_opening_hours show_schedule="true" show_status="false"]Settings Reference
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Opening Hours | On | Master toggle for the entire feature |
| Timezone | UTC | Your support team's timezone |
| Open Message | "We are currently open" | Status text displayed when you're open |
| Closed Message | "We are currently closed" | Status text displayed when you're closed |
| Show Status | On | Display the open/closed status badge |
| Show Schedule | On | Display the full weekly schedule table |
| Show on Portal | Off | Display the hours widget on your support portal |
| Portal Position | After Actions | Where the widget appears on the portal |
Design settings (found in the Design tab):
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Open Color | #22c55e |
| Closed Color | #ef4444 |
| Card Background | #ffffff |
| Card Border Radius | 12px |
Tips and Common Questions
Can I show just the status badge without the full schedule?
Yes. Use the shortcode with show_schedule="false" to display only the open/closed badge. This is great for headers or sidebars where space is limited.
What timezone do visitors see by default?
They see your team's timezone (whatever you configured in settings). The timezone converter lets them switch to their own timezone if they want.
Does it update automatically?
Yes. The open/closed status is calculated in real time based on your schedule and timezone. No need to manually flip anything.
Can I set different hours for holidays?
Not directly. For holidays, you can temporarily disable the day in your schedule or adjust the hours. Remember to change them back afterward.
Where's the best place to show hours on the portal?
"After Actions" works well for most sites since it's visible without being the first thing visitors see. If you want hours to be very prominent, try "After Hero" or the "In Hero" compact mode.
Can I use the Frontend Design Editor to customize this?
Yes. The Frontend Design Editor lets you visually customize the open/closed status messages and other display options.
Is the timezone converter accurate with daylight saving time?
Yes. The converter uses standard timezone data that accounts for daylight saving time changes automatically.