Global Call Center Time Zone Scheduling

Follow-the-sun coverage, handoffs, and SLA windows across regions.

Global support teams use **follow-the-sun** routing: as Asia-Pacific closes, EMEA or Americas opens, stitching local 9–6 shifts into near 24×5 coverage. Rosters need IANA zones and local Public Holidays and Time Zones — not headquarters time alone.

Typical coverage model

APAC: Manila/Bangalore UTC+8/+5:30 for Asian business hours
EMEA: Poland/Romania CET for European mornings
Americas: Costa Rica/Mexico UTC-6/-5 for US evenings
30–60 minute overlap for ticket handoffs

SLA and roster tips

Define whether SLA clocks use customer local time or UTC
Recalculate US–EU overlap on DST transition weeks
Rosters: IANA IDs, not EST/IST abbreviations
See Cross-Time-Zone Shift Work, Global Business Hours Reference

Tools: Convert; India Time Zone (IST) Explained, Central America Time Zones.