As a former dispatcher with years of experience managing schedules and technician assignments, Alexa Franco understands the challenges of optimizing workflow, tracking technician availability, and ensuring the best jobs are assigned to the right people. Fortunately, ServiceTitan’s Dispatch Board Tools and Dispatch Pro have been game-changers for many dispatch operations. These tools streamline operations, optimize technician performance, and boost overall efficiency. In this blog, Alexa walks through the Top 5 Tips that have proven to make a significant impact in managing a team and improving workflow.
Tip 1: Streamline Scheduling with Mass Reschedule & Auto-Arrival Features
Managing appointments can be one of the most stressful parts of a dispatcher’s day, especially when unexpected issues arise, such as weather delays or last-minute changes. ServiceTitan’s Dispatch Board Tools offer solutions to make this process more efficient.
Mass Reschedule: With just a few clicks, dispatchers can reschedule multiple jobs at once, such as sudden weather change or other unforeseen events. Mass Reschedule eliminates the need for manually updating each job, saving significant time and reducing stress.
Auto-Arrival: Auto-Arrival automatically clocks-in technicians when they are within a set range (usually 100-200 meters) from the job site. This ensures accurate time tracking without the dispatcher needing to manually verify arrivals and prevents missed punches or confusion about whether technicians are on time.
Tip 2: Take Advantage of the Flyout Window for Efficient Job Management
Managing all the moving parts on a Dispatch Board can become overwhelming, especially when there are multiple jobs to assign and technician details to track. The Flyout Window is a powerful tool designed to keep dispatchers organized and allow them to manage tasks from one convenient spot.
Job Summaries & Communication: The Flyout Window allows dispatchers to edit job summaries, call customers, and update job statuses all within the same interface. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple screens or tabs, which saves valuable time.
Pro Tip: Though some dispatchers may hesitate to adopt the Flyout Window initially, it quickly proves to be an invaluable tool for improving workflow efficiency. Once accustomed to its capabilities, dispatchers will find that it helps them stay organized and manage tasks more effectively.
Tip 3: Maximize Efficiency with Smart Routing and Drive Time Settings
Routing is a challenge for many dispatchers, especially when it involves manually calculating drive times and figuring out the most efficient routes. With Dispatch Pro, much of this process is automated and optimized, allowing dispatchers to make quicker decisions and focus on higher-priority tasks.
Smart Routing: Smart Routing uses dynamic routing to ensure technicians are always on the most efficient path. If a technician encounters a delay or falls behind schedule, Dispatch Pro automatically adjusts their route to minimize further disruptions. The system also respects scheduled arrival windows, making it easy to keep jobs on time.
Maximize Drive Time Efficiency: Dispatch Pro allows dispatchers to set a maximum drive time between appointments. For example, if a technician should not drive more than 30 minutes between jobs, this can be easily set in the system. This feature significantly reduces unnecessary drive time, improving technician satisfaction and boosting overall productivity.
Full-Automated Dispatching: With Dispatch Pro’s automation, dispatchers can rely on the system to assign jobs to technicians based on their settings, preferences, and historical data from ServiceTitan. This reduces the need for manual job assignments, allowing for quicker and more efficient job distribution. While dispatchers still have control over job assignments, the automation ensures that the right technician is sent to the right job, at the right time, with the right route.
Tip 4: Optimize Technician Performance with Dispatch Pro’s Advanced Features
A key advantage of Dispatch Pro is its ability to assign the right technician to the right job based on historical performance data. However, this does not eliminate the control that dispatchers have over job assignments. Dispatchers know their technicians best, and Dispatch Pro makes these decisions more efficiently.
Job Value Predictor: Job Value Predictor uses historical data to estimate the potential revenue for each job, helping dispatchers prioritize high-value jobs and assign them to the best-suited technician. By considering not just technician performance but also upsell opportunities and job type, Dispatch Pro enables dispatchers to drive revenue while optimizing team performance.
Prioritizing Jobs: Dispatch Pro also offers custom job prioritization via custom job types and tags. For example, jobs involving VIP customers or older equipment that may need to be replaced can be given higher priority. This ensures that high-value or time-sensitive jobs are completed promptly, without the risk of being overlooked or delayed.
Tip 5: Fine-Tune Job Assignments with Custom Settings & Technician Preferences
Every business is unique, and it’s essential to customize job assignments based on technician preferences and specific job types. Dispatch Pro allows businesses to tailor job assignments in ways that ensure efficiency and satisfaction.
Technician Preferences: The system also accounts for technician preferences, such as preferred travel zones or specific job types. This ensures that technicians are assigned jobs they’re comfortable with, reducing stress and improving job satisfaction. By customizing these settings, dispatchers can help create a more productive and motivated team.
Automated Job Assignment Based on Technician Settings: Dispatch Pro’s full-automation features ensure that jobs are assigned based on technician availability, skills, and proximity, taking the guesswork out of job assignments. This allows dispatchers to focus on higher-priority tasks while the system ensures the right technician is dispatched to the right job at the right time.
Conclusion
For any dispatcher looking to reduce stress and improve their operations, these tools offer a path to a more efficient and effective workflow. With Dispatch Pro and ServiceTitan’s Dispatch Board Tools, managing schedules and technician performance has never been easier.
ServiceTitan Software
ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software solution built specifically to help service companies streamline their operations, boost revenue, and substantially elevate the trajectory of their business. Our comprehensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and chimney sweep shops across the country—and has increased their revenue by an average of 25% in just their first year with us.
