Jobs per tech per day
The clearest sign that less time is lost to driving, waiting and second trips.
Plumbing companies · Job scheduling and dispatch
Plumbing dispatch that does not depend on one person's memory
A plumbing dispatch board changes every hour. A drain call turns into a sewer camera inspection, a water heater install runs long because the flue needs work, and an emergency slab leak lands in the middle of the afternoon. Dispatchers juggle all of it by phone and text, and the best ones carry the logic in their heads.
How it often works today
- Dispatchers call or text techs to ask where they are and how long they will be, because job status in the app is not kept current.
- Emergency calls bump booked work, and customers get a phone call with a new window, or no call at all.
- Techs drive across the metro from Arvada to Parker and back because jobs were booked by time slot, not by zone.
- Skills and truck stock are not recorded, so a newer tech gets sent to a job they cannot finish, creating a second trip.
Better dispatch is mostly about writing that logic down. Which techs can run a jetter, who holds a gas fitting endorsement, which trucks carry a 50-gallon tank today. Once those rules live in your field software, the system can suggest assignments and the dispatcher can make the final call with less guesswork.
The improved workflow
Record skills, zones and truck stock
We tag each tech with skills, certifications and home zone, and each truck with key equipment and common stock, inside your existing field software where possible.
Tighten job types and durations
We clean up job types so a drain clear, a water heater swap and a sewer replacement each carry realistic durations and required skills, based on your own completed job history.
Suggest assignments
When a job is booked or an emergency arrives, the system suggests the best available tech by skill, distance and schedule. The dispatcher accepts, changes or overrides it.
Automate customer updates
Customers get a confirmation, an on-my-way text with the tech's name and photo, and a notice if the window changes, so CSRs field fewer where-is-my-plumber calls.
Review the board weekly
The service manager reviews drive time, second trips and overridden suggestions each week, and adjusts rules where the system and the dispatcher disagree.
How we deliver this: AI automation for small business or fractional CTO leadership, scoped in writing and run over 90 days. See pricing or the sample scope.
What we would measure
Drive time per job
Shows whether zone-based scheduling is actually reducing windshield time.
Second-trip rate
Captures jobs that needed a return visit because of the wrong tech, parts or equipment.
Where-is-my-tech calls
Inbound calls asking about arrival times should drop if automated updates are working.
Where people stay in control
- The dispatcher always makes the final assignment. Suggestions are advice, and overrides are logged so rules can improve.
- Customer texts use your approved templates and respect opt-out requests, with no marketing content mixed into service messages.
- Technician location data is used only for dispatch and safety, with a written policy techs have seen and agreed to.
Example
A Tuesday with two emergencies
For example, a shop with eight service techs has a full board when two emergency calls arrive before 10 a.m.: a slab leak in Centennial and a sewage backup in Englewood. The system suggests the nearest tech with leak detection gear for the first and the tech carrying the jetter for the second, and shows which booked jobs would slip. The dispatcher moves two drain calls to the afternoon and customers get an updated window by text. This is an illustrative scenario.
Tools typically involved
What the first 30 days look like
The first 30 days would focus on understanding how your board really runs. We would shadow your dispatcher, export three months of completed jobs, and measure drive time, second trips and jobs per tech. Then we would agree on which rules to write down first and what a good pilot week looks like.
Common questions
Do we need new dispatch software?
Probably not. ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, FieldEdge and Successware all include scheduling and dispatch features, and most shops have not set up skills, zones or job durations properly. We would start by configuring what you own. A separate optimization tool only makes sense if your volume and routing problems clearly justify it.
Will this work for both service and install crews?
Yes, but they are scheduled differently. Service calls need quick assignment by skill and location. Installs like repipes or sewer replacements need crew size, permits and material delivery lined up days ahead. We would usually start with service dispatch, where the daily cost of poor scheduling is easiest to see and measure.
Our techs do not update job status. Will this still help?
Status updates are the foundation, so that is often the first fix. We would make the steps as few as possible, explain why they matter, and connect them to things techs care about, like fewer interruptions from the office. If status is still not updated after training, dispatch suggestions will not be reliable, and we would tell you so.
The business case
Does it pay for itself?
Illustrative defaults for a plumbing company. Replace them with your numbers.
What this workflow costs today
a month in staff time, before any lost sales
Monthly fee + assumed tools +
Break-even: new clients a month (at first-year value)
Or: staff hours recovered and redeployed
Break-even additional revenue
Value of +1 point of win rate
First 90 days, service fee
Worth a closer lookTest the assumptions
Illustration only, not a forecast or guarantee. Recovered staff time becomes a cash saving only if spending actually declines or the time goes into paid work. Tool costs are an assumption; we replace every number here with yours before recommending a scope.
Job scheduling and dispatch in other industries
Commercial cleaning companiesElectrical contractorsHVAC companiesLandscaping companiesLogistics and freight companiesProperty management companies
Job scheduling and dispatch: full guide
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