Dispatch Board

Overview

Field Service Management gives dispatchers, technicians, and managers everything they need to run field operations without switching tools. The module is organized into four screens that cover the complete job lifecycle: a real-time Dispatch Board for assigning jobs, a Job Management screen for tracking each job from creation to invoice, a Van Inventory screen for managing technician stock, and a Performance Dashboard for reviewing team and technician metrics.

Drag-and-drop job assignment across a live technician grid. Each technician column shows current status, active job count, and the full day's schedule at a glance.

Job Management

Full job lifecycle from intake to invoice. Create jobs, attach parts, log time, capture signatures, and push to billing — all from one screen.

Van Inventory

Each technician's van is its own stock location. Replenish parts, record usage per job, and flag low-stock vans before technicians run short in the field.

Performance Dashboard

Team-level and technician-level KPIs: jobs completed, first-time fix rate, average travel and job duration, customer satisfaction scores, and revenue per technician.

Quick Start

Switch to Field Service mode using the mode switcher in the app header.
Click Dispatch Board in the left sidebar.
All jobs with status Pending appear in the Unassigned Jobs tab on the left panel.
Drag a job card across to a technician column to assign it. The card moves to the technician's queue and the status changes to Assigned.
Use the date picker in the top bar to view past or future schedules. The default is always today.
Use the status filter and priority filter dropdowns to narrow the Unassigned panel when you have many jobs.

Morning Dispatch Routine

Open the Dispatch Board at the start of each shift. Sort unassigned jobs by priority (High first) and assign them before technicians leave the depot. Cross-reference the Van Inventory screen first to ensure each technician has the parts needed for their assigned jobs.

Screen Layout

The screen is divided into two panels side by side. The proportions adjust as you add or remove technician columns.

Area	Contents
Top bar	Date picker, technician filter, priority filter, status filter, and Refresh button
Left panel — Unassigned tab	Job cards for all pending (unassigned) jobs, sorted by scheduled time
Left panel — Assigned tab	All assigned jobs for the selected date, grouped by technician for a compact overview
Right panel — Technician grid	One column per active technician with their day's job queue; a simulated map shows job location pins color-coded by status
Technician legend	Availability badges for all technicians: Available (green), On Job (blue), Offline (gray)

Job Cards

Each job card in the Unassigned panel and in a technician's column shows the same core fields:

Field	Description
Job title	Short description of the work to be performed (e.g., "Install HVAC unit")
Customer name	Name of the customer or site — linked to the CRM record
Address	Service location — truncated on the card, full address visible on hover
Scheduled time	Planned start time for the job
Priority badge	Color-coded pill: High = red, Medium = amber, Low = green
Status dot	Small indicator on assigned cards: blue = Assigned, amber = In Progress, green = Completed
Assign button	Appears on unassigned cards as an alternative to drag-and-drop; opens the assignment modal

Assignment Modal

Clicking Assign on a job card (instead of drag-and-drop) opens a modal. Select the technician from the dropdown, confirm the scheduled start and end time, and optionally add dispatcher notes. The Save button is disabled until a technician is selected. This modal is useful on touchscreen devices where drag-and-drop is less precise.

Technician Status Badges

Each technician column header shows a status badge that reflects their current availability in real time.

Status	Badge Color	Meaning	Can Accept New Jobs?
Available	● Green	Technician has no active job; ready for assignment	Yes
On Job	● Blue	Technician is actively working at a customer site	Yes — job will queue after current
Offline	● Gray	Technician is unavailable (end of shift, leave, or offline)	No — system warns before assigning

Assigning to Offline Technicians

If you drop a job onto an Offline technician's column, a confirmation dialog asks you to confirm the assignment. The system does not block the assignment — sometimes you need to pre-assign jobs for tomorrow — but it warns so you do not accidentally assign urgent work to someone unavailable today.

Priority Filtering

The Priority dropdown in the top bar filters the Unassigned jobs panel. Only jobs matching the selected priority are displayed. This is useful at the start of a busy shift when you want to ensure all High-priority jobs are assigned before moving to lower-priority items.

Priority	Badge Color	Recommended Action
High	Red	Assign immediately — same-day dispatch expected
Medium	Amber	Assign today or tomorrow depending on technician availability
Low	Green	Schedule within 5 business days

Map Panel

The right side of the Dispatch Board includes a location overview showing color-coded pins for all jobs on the selected date. This gives dispatchers a geographic view of workload distribution to help assign jobs to the nearest available technician.

Pin Color	Meaning
● Blue	Unassigned job — no technician assigned yet
● Purple	Assigned job — technician assigned, not yet started
● Amber	Job in progress — technician is on site
● Green	Completed job

Geographic Assignment

When multiple technicians are available, click a blue (unassigned) pin on the map to highlight that job card in the left panel, then assign it to the nearest available technician. This reduces total travel time across the team and improves the on-time arrival metric visible in the Performance Dashboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to a job when I assign it on the Dispatch Board?

The job's status changes from Pending to Assigned. It disappears from the Unassigned tab and appears in the Assigned tab. In the technician's column it shows as a queued card. The technician sees the new job appear in their Job Management list with the status Assigned. No email or SMS is sent automatically — in-app notification only.

Can I reassign a job to a different technician after it is already assigned?

Yes. Switch to the Assigned tab on the left panel, find the job card, and drag it onto a different technician's column. Alternatively, open the assignment modal from the Assign button and select a new technician. The previous technician's queue updates immediately and the new technician is notified.

Can I view yesterday's or tomorrow's dispatch board?

Yes. Use the date picker in the top bar. Past dates show a read-only view of what was scheduled and what actually happened (actual start/end times). Future dates show scheduled jobs that can still be reassigned. The default view is always today.

How do I create a new job directly from the Dispatch Board?

The Dispatch Board is an assignment tool, not a job creation tool. To create a new job, switch to the Job Management screen and click Add Job. Once created, the new job appears in the Dispatch Board's Unassigned panel immediately and can be assigned right away.