Field notes
Dispatch and the board
The board looks fine at 7 AM. By 10, one long job has moved six others. Here's how dispatchers plan routes, hold capacity, match the right tech to the job, and recover when the plan breaks.
Every post on this
Dispatch and the boardWhen a pest control route slips, what needs to be recorded?
Follow one delayed pest-control route from the first overrun to the final customer update, with a clear record of each handoff and its office cost.
Sep 16, 2026 · 5 min read
Dispatch and the boardHow one no-access stop becomes a route-margin problem
Follow one unavailable pest control stop from route departure to rebooking, then learn which records turn a missed visit into useful evidence for the GM.
Sep 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Dispatch and the boardWhen one tree removal throws off the dispatch board
Follow one delayed tree removal through the dispatch board, then find the update points that prevent missed arrivals and repeat status calls.
Sep 16, 2026 · 6 min read
- Dispatch and the board
When one long removal moves the whole dispatch board
Follow a tree service dispatcher through a shifting workday and see when each customer needs an early heads-up, a new window, or an on-the-way text.
Sep 16, 2026 · 6 min read
Dispatch and the boardWhen one garage door job runs long on a busy fall day
Follow one delayed garage door job across the service board—and see when customers need an update, a person, or an owner’s attention.
Sep 16, 2026 · 9 min read
Dispatch and the boardThe first 30 minutes after a commercial sewer camera call hits the board
Follow a plumbing team through the first 30 minutes after a priority commercial camera call disrupts a busy residential service board.
Sep 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Dispatch and the boardSeptember is the month to fix your HVAC scheduling before the rush
Use September’s shoulder-season breathing room to fix HVAC scheduling problems, reduce missed appointments, and prepare your CSR team for the winter rush.
Sep 14, 2026 · 4 min read
- Dispatch and the board
Boosting Technician Productivity with Smarter Scheduling
Your schedule might look full, but is the day actually built to flow? Smart scheduling automation closes the gaps that silently drain technician productivity.
Jan 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Dispatch and the boardHow Dispatch Automation Saves CSRs 5 Hours a Week
Discover how dispatch automation reduces after-call work, speeds up dispatch decisions, and gives each CSR back roughly five hours every week — without changing your phones, CRM, or dispatch board.
Aug 28, 2025 · 5 min read
Money and the numbersThe full cost of an unavailable quarterly pest stop
Build a traceable worksheet for lost contribution, paid labor, extra drive time, rebooking, and repeat dispatch costs when a customer is unavailable.
Sep 16, 2026 · 6 min read
Keeping customers in the loopStorm morning customer updates: what to automate and when to call
A practical walkthrough for deciding which storm-day schedule updates can send automatically and which customer situations need a CSR conversation.
Sep 16, 2026 · 6 min read
Keeping customers in the loopA small HVAC office’s checklist for ServiceTitan schedule updates
Use this checklist to compare ServiceTitan-connected tools for live schedule changes, customer texts, reply handling, and office follow-up.
Sep 16, 2026 · 7 min read
Your peopleBefore you hire a dispatcher, decide what the role should own
Use this decision memo to separate dispatcher judgment from routine updates, set clear process standards, and build a role that can scale with the shop.
Sep 16, 2026 · 8 min read
Tools for this
Free calculators and handouts, plus the products we built for this part of the business.
For the DispatcherRoute BuilderRoute re-sequencing that writes itself back.10 min back · 30¢ per route
For the DispatcherRoute SlotBest-fit placement for every new recurring stop.10 min back · 17.5¢ per assignment
For the DispatcherDemand PulseDemand forecast that fills the schedule itself.15 min back · 50¢ per job
For the DispatcherSkill CheckCert validation that catches mismatches before dispatch.2 min back · 4.5¢ per assignment
Rather talk it through?
Book a 30-minute call and we’ll walk through your phones, your board, or your numbers with you, live.
More topics
“Why does the phone ring all day and still miss the calls that matter?”
The phones
5 postsOpen“Where's my tech?”
Keeping customers in the loop
11 postsOpen“What does the tech need before they pull into the driveway?”
Out in the field
3 postsOpen“Why did they go with the other guy?”
Winning and keeping customers
3 postsOpen“Where did the margin go?”
Money and the numbers
10 postsOpen“How do you find good techs, and keep them?”
Your people
4 postsOpen“What is all this AI stuff, and should I care?”
AI, explained
13 postsOpen“Where is the industry headed, and where does my shop fit?”
The trades business
11 postsOpen