Smart Dispatch automatically suggests the best service provider for a work order based on their skills, proximity to the job site, and current availability. It eliminates guesswork and helps you assign jobs faster while optimizing your team's routes.
Before you start:
- Set up user skills for your service providers so the algorithm can match skills to job types.
- Ensure work orders have a valid service address so proximity calculations work correctly.
- Enable GPS tracking on mobile devices for real-time location-based suggestions.
How to Access
Smart Dispatch suggestions appear automatically when you schedule a work order. When creating or editing a schedule from the work order detail page, the system evaluates available service providers and ranks them by suitability.
How the Algorithm Works
The Smart Dispatch engine considers three primary factors when ranking service providers:
- Skills Match — service providers whose assigned skills match the work order's job type receive the highest priority. If you have configured user skills for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and other specialties, the system automatically filters providers to those who are qualified for the job.
- Location Proximity — using the service provider's last known GPS location (or home address if GPS data is unavailable), the system calculates distance to the job site. Closer providers rank higher, which reduces drive time and fuel costs.
- Availability — the system checks the provider's existing calendar for the requested date and time. Providers who have open time slots rank higher than those who are already booked. Days off and vacation blocks are also factored in so the system never suggests an unavailable provider.
Viewing Suggestions
- Open a work order and go to the Schedules tab.
- Click Create Schedule.
- Select a Date and Time for the appointment.
- The system displays a ranked list of suggested service providers, showing each provider's name, matching skills, approximate distance from the job site, and availability status.
- Select the recommended provider or choose a different one from the list.
- Click Save to confirm the schedule.
Result: The work order is assigned to the selected service provider and appears on the calendar at the chosen time.
Accepting Suggestions
You are not required to accept the top-ranked suggestion. Smart Dispatch serves as a recommendation engine. You can always override the suggestion and pick any available service provider from the dropdown. However, following the suggestions generally leads to more efficient routing and better skill-to-job matching.
Tip: Keep your user skills list up to date. The more accurately skills are assigned to providers, the better Smart Dispatch can match the right person to each job.
Next Steps
- Calendar View — see all scheduled work orders on the interactive calendar.
- Map View & Daily Dispatch — use the map to visualize job locations and provider positions.
- Vehicles & User Skills — manage the skills that drive Smart Dispatch recommendations.