## Navigating the Schedule & Dispatch page - Updated on Apr 16, 2024 - Published on Sep 29, 2022 - 5 minute(s) read Mobileforce FSM has designed the **Schedule & Dispatch** page to assign, view, and dispatch all dispatcher information on a single screen. From this screen, dispatchers can: - View and review the service tasks designated for their office. For more information, see [Using the Tasks pane](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/navigating-the-schedule-dispatch-page#using-the-tasks-pane). - Assign and schedule the service tasks as appointments for their technicians. For more information, see [Scheduling Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/scheduling-service-tasks) - Dispatch technicians to customer locations to service those appointments. For more information, see [Routing Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/routing-service-tasks). This page displays a calendar and map view in addition to the assigned technicians and service tasks, allowing dispatchers to best determine the most efficient schedule for the assigned work. **Note:** For best results dispatchers require the following: - Admins have accurately associated the technicians to the correct office locations. - Agents have assigned service tasks to the office. - Dispatchers can confirm the location of the service task. - Dispatchers have the information to accurately determine the estimated duration of the service task. - Dispatchers can accurately confirm the skills required for the service task. - Dispatches can confirm the starting location and availability of each technician. ## Accessing the Schedule & Dispatch page The Mobileforce FSM **Schedule & Dispatch** page allows dispatchers to do the following: - View incoming Service Tasks that need to be scheduled. - Schedule Service Tasks, assigning tasks to technicians for a specified date and time, creating Appointments. - Dispatch technicians to customer locations to service their scheduled Appointments. From the Field Service page, click **Schedule & Dispatch**. The **Schedule & Dispatch** page is divided into three panes: - The Tasks pane (highlighted in teal) - The Calendar pane (highlighted in yellow) - The Map pane (highlighted in purple) **Select Office Location** All schedule and dispatch actions in Mobileforce FSM are performed on a "per office" basis. Dispatchers select the desired office location, so Mobileforce FSM can display all of the Service Tasks assigned to or in proximity of the location. Additionally, Mobileforce FSM displays the technicians assigned to the office and their schedule/availability. When an office is selected the table view changes to display only those [technicians](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/navigating-the-schedule-dispatch-page#viewing-by-technician) and [service tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/navigating-the-schedule-dispatch-page#viewing-by-task) assigned to the office. ### Filtering Tasks You can filter the listed service tasks by _Service Task Status_, _Service Task Type_, and _Proximity_ distance from their office location. ## Using the Tasks pane From the tasks pane you can view and review the Service Tasks for the selected office. Additionally you can filter the tasks by Service Task Status, or Name to find the Service Tasks you need. Click the Service Task to select it. Once selected you can do the following: - **Assign the Task** When the task is selected you can assign the task to a technician associated with your office whose skills match the Service Task. For more information see, [Scheduling Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/scheduling-service-tasks). - **Open the Task** When the task is selected the details are displayed at the bottom of the Tasks pane. Click the button to open the Service Task in its own read-only window. - **Lock an Appointment:** When you have created a task by assigning it to a technician for a specified time, Mobileforce FSM allows you to lock the Service Task, so it can't be inadvertently rescheduled. To lock an appointment, select it in the Tasks pane, and click the **Lock** button. To unlock an appointment, select the task in the Tasks pane, and click the **Unlock** button. **Example:** This feature may be useful if you have Service Tasks that need to be done at a specific time, or elite clients whose schedules cannot be moved. Or, dispatchers can simply lock the appointment, when the time has been confirmed with the customer. - **Delete an Appointment** If you need to delete a scheduled appointment, select it in the Tasks pane, and click the **Delete** button. ### Searching for Tasks Mobileforce FSM allows you to search for specific tasks assigned to the currently selected office. - To search for tasks by keyword, enter the desired word(s) in the Search Tasks field (highlighted in yellow in the above graphic) and press ENTER. - To search for tasks by their status, click the Service Status dropdown list (highlighted in teal in the above graphic) and select the desired status. For more information about Statuses, see [Updating Service Task Statuses](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/updating-service-task-statuses). - To search for tasks by their type, click the Service Type dropdown list (highlighted in red in the above graphic) and select the desired type. For more information about Types, see [Updating Service Task Types](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/updating-service-task-types). Only those Service Tasks that match the specified search criteria appear in the below Tasks section. **Note:** Mobileforce FSM allows you to combine search criteria to find the desired Service Tasks. For example, you can use the fields to find all **Tasks** that have a status of _Assigned_ where the **Type** is _Installation_. ## Using the Calendar pane The Calendar pane allows you to schedule tasks to technicians through a visual calendar. **Changing the Calendar View** By default, Mobileforce FSM displays the calendar in **week** view. To change the view, click the desired view: **day**, **week**, or **month**. Additionally, you can display a list of scheduled tasks, by clicking the **list** view. - **Schedule Appointments** Mobileforce FSM allows you to schedule tasks by selecting windows of time for the technician (when **By Tech** is selected) or for the Service Task (when **By Task** is selected). Specify the applicable options for the appointment, and click **Create** to add it to the calendar. For more information, see [Scheduling Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/scheduling-service-tasks) **Hiding the Map Pane** You can hide the map pane from the Schedule & Dispatch page, allowing you to more clearly schedule appointments, by clicking the button. Click the button a second time to re-display the map pane. ## Viewing by Technician Ensure that the **By Tech** button is selected to view the technicians associated to the currently selected office. Additionally, Mobileforce FSM displays the Skills assigned to the technician. From here you can schedule the time when the selected Technician is assigned an existing service task assigned to the selected office. For more information, see [Scheduling Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/scheduling-service-tasks). ## Viewing by Task Ensure that the **By Task** button is selected to view the tasks assigned to the currently selected office. Additionally, Mobileforce FSM displays the Skills required for the Technician to be assigned to the task. From here you can: - View the current Service Tasks on the map. - Schedule the time when the selected Service Task is assigned to a technician associated with the selected office. For more information, see [Scheduling Service Tasks](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/scheduling-service-tasks). ## Renaming Schedule and Dispatch Screen Objects Mobileforce allows you to rename some of the UI elements (labels, buttons, objects) in the Schedule and Dispatch screen. Specifically, the following objects in the Schedule & Dispatch screen can be renamed: **appointments, tasks, technicians, and skills** To rename, change the following properties in the Application Description (ADL) ```none * scheduler-appt-label-singular * scheduler-appt-label-plural * scheduler-task-label-singular * scheduler-task-label-plural * scheduler-tech-label-singular * scheduler-tech-label-plural * scheduler-skill-label-singular * scheduler-skill-label-plural ``` **Note: for Admins only** A full list of ADL Properties for the schedule and dispatch screen is available [here](https://documentation.mobileforcesoftware.com/v1/docs/schedule-and-dispatch-screen-properties)