Scheduling Service Tasks

Scheduling Service Tasks

Mobileforce FSM allows dispatchers to create appointments where technicians are assigned service tasks that fit their qualifications. This is done from the Schedule & Dispatch page.

From the Schedule & Dispatch page, you can create appointments using two methods:

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.

Assigning Appointments by Technician

You can create appointments based on the Technicians associated with the selected office. In the Calendar pane, ensure that the By Tech button is selected.

Note:

Mobileforce automatically adjusts the available technicians based on their availability. So if a technician is on vacation or otherwise unavailable, this time is automatically blocked off so a dispatcher cannot accidentally schedule them.

Mobileforce FSM shows only those the technicians assigned to the office and their applicable skills.

Note:

Additionally, you can select the task you want to assign from the Tasks pane. Mobileforce FSM displays only those available technicians whose skills match those required for the Service Task.

From the Calendar pane, select the time window for the technician, by highlighting the time. The Create Appointment window displays.

Specify the details of the appointment, and click Create to schedule it. For more information, see Creating Appointments.

The Calendar pane is updated with the time for the technician blocked off.

Assigning Appointments by Task

You can create appointments based on the tasks assigned to the selected office. In the Calendar pane, ensure that the By Task button is selected.

From the Calendar pane, select the time window for the task, by highlighting the time required to complete the task. The Create Appointment window displays. Specify the appointment information and click Create to schedule it.

For more information, see Creating Appointments.

The Calendar pane is updated with the time for the task blocked off.

Creating Appointments

When you create an appointment using the Calendar pane, the Create Appointment window is displayed.

Note:

Based on your selections in the Calendar pane, some of the fields may be prepopulated with values.

Specify the following fields, and click Create when finished to schedule the appointment.

Assigning Technicians and Tasks

Scheduling the Appointment

Dispatchers can schedule technicians for hourly or daily (all day) appointments.

When service tasks are created, Agents enter the estimated time for the task. When dispatchers schedule appointments, Mobileforce automatically pre-populates the appointment with these values; however, the dispatchers do have the ability to override these values.

When the task requires the technician to remain at the location all day, ensure that All Day is set to Yes.

When selected:

You can schedule an appointment based on how long the Service Task should take to complete.

Note:

The Duration for the appointment cannot exceeds a technician's work hours for the day. For example, if a technician's workday is 7 hours, you cannot schedule an appointment for them that is 8 hours or greater.

If the Service Task required hours that exceed their work hours, you must, you must schedule the Appointment across multiple days.

You can schedule an appointment to have a specific start and end time, based on how long the Service Task should take to complete.

Locking Appointments

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.