Scheduling Service Tasks
- 27 Feb 2023
- 4 Minutes to read
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Scheduling Service Tasks
- Updated on 27 Feb 2023
- 4 Minutes to read
- Contributors
- Print
- DarkLight
Article Summary
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:
- From the Calendar Pane, create appointments for the Technicians using the calendar.
- From the Calendar Pane, create appointments for the Service Tasks using the calendar.
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. 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 accdientally schedule them.Note:
Mobileforce FSM shows only those the technicians assigned to the office and their applicable skills.
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.
Note:
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. Based on your selections in the Calendar pane, some of the fields may be prepopulated with values.Note:
Specify the following fields, and click Create when finished to schedule the appointment.
Assigning Technicians and Tasks
- Task:
The Service Task associated with the current appointment. If no task was prepopulated, click the dropdown list and select the task to assign to the technician. For more information, see Creating and Editing Service Tasks - Technician:
The technician assigned to the selected Service Task. If no technican was prepopulated, click the dropdown list and select the technician to assign to the Service Task. For more information, see Managing FSM Roles.
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.
- Schedule an all day appointment
When the task requires the technician to remain at the location all day, ensure that All Day is set to Yes.
When selected:- The entire workday for the technician is blocked off.
- The Start time dropdown is hidden, as is the End time when Time is selected.
- The Minutes and Hours push buttons when Duration is selected.
- Specify a duration for the appointment
You can schedule an appointment based on how long the Service Task should take to complete.- Ensure that End is set to Duration.
- If All Day? is set to Yes, specify the number of days to be scheduled to complete the task.
- If All Day? is set to No, specify the number of days, hours, or minutes to be scheduled to complete the task.
Note:The Duration for the appointment cannot exceeds a technician's work hours for the day. For example, if a technician's work day 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. - Specify a start and end time for the appointment
You can schedule an appointment to have a specific start and end time, based on how long the Service Task should take to complete.- Ensure that End is set to Time.
- If All Day? is set to Yes, click the applicable fields to specify the dates when the job is to Start and End.
- If All Day? is set to No, click the applicable fields to specify the dates and times when the job is to Start and End.
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. 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.Example:
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