How to Schedule and Dispatch a Job

4 min read
Feature: Job

Scheduling and Dispatching matches client work requests with crew availability, skill sets, and travel zones. An optimized schedule keeps technicians productive and drives down response times.

Business Outcome
Drag-and-drop dispatching lets office coordinators handle customer rescheduling alerts instantly, optimize technician travel corridors, and trigger push notifications to technicians' mobile apps.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

1

Open the Dispatch Board

From the scheduler menu, click Dispatch Board (or route to /schedules). You will see a multi-crew calendar timeline alongside an unassigned jobs panel.

2

Identify Unassigned Jobs

Review the 'Unscheduled Queue' list. Inspect job descriptions, priorities, estimated durations, and customer city locations.

3

Assign Work using Drag and Drop

Drag the job card from the queue and drop it onto a technician's timeline. Adjust the starting time and block duration directly on the board.

4

Verify Travel and Skill Matches

The system runs background checks on location routing and crew roles. If a mismatch is flagged, a warning icon appears.

Field Requirement Purpose / Details
Start Time Required Scheduled appointment start time.
Crew Leader Required Assigned technician owning job completion.
Helper Crews Optional Additional crew members assigned to assist.
5

Publish the Dispatch

Click Publish Schedule. This sends notification updates, travel routes, and work order notes directly to the technician's phone.

Validation Rules

To keep operations reliable, Service Opus enforces the following rules for this workflow:

  • Double-Booking Lock: The system displays warnings if job blocks overlap on a single technician timeline.
  • Active Role Match: At least one crew member assigned to a job must hold the required certification role.
Important Rule
Rescheduling a published job within 24 hours of the appointment automatically alerts the customer via SMS notification unless manually disabled.

What's Next?

Once you finish this task, continue with these related workflows:

Ready to try this workflow?

Use the walkthrough to evaluate the workflow, then test it in Service Opus with real scheduling, quoting, invoicing, and customer data.