Schedule and reschedule
Many things can occur throughout a day that can affect scheduling. As these changes or items occur, a dispatcher needs to be able to make schedule changes as quickly as possible. Examples of things that can affect scheduling might include:
An emergency work order that was created and needs someone to be scheduled now.
A customer canceling or needing to reschedule.
A resource calling in sick and needing to find a replacement.
An accident that occurred on a specific highway.
Each of these items can present their own set of challenges to dispatchers. Dispatchers need multiple tools at their disposal to meet those needs. The schedule board makes it easy for dispatchers to schedule in these different scenarios by providing multiple ways to schedule an item. From simple drag-and-drop functionality to schedule an item, to finding a substitute resource that can take over for someone who is no longer available.
There are four methods that are most commonly used to schedule items using the schedule board. Those ways are:
Using the Requirements Panel
Using the Map View
Creating time blocks on the calendar
Using the Create Resource booking panel
Some of the methods included in the requirements panel and the map view provide multiple options that are used to schedule items using that method.
Let's examine the different ways items can be scheduled using the Schedule Board.
Schedule from the requirements panel
The requirements panel displays a list of all the currently active resource requirements that need to be scheduled. Each requirement includes items like the duration required, priority, and time windows promised. Items can be scheduled from the requirements panel in two ways:
Drag and Drop: Drag the item from the requirements panel to the schedule board.
Find Availability: Uses schedule assistant to find resources and schedule an item.
Drag and drop
The drag and drop option is the simplest way to schedule something on the schedule board. The dispatcher selects the item they want to schedule and drags it up onto the board. Once they have found the resource they want to schedule for the item, they drop the item into the desired time slot. The application creates the booking, placing it on the board.
When using drag and drop, it's important to note that by default you aren't prevented from scheduling an item for a resource.
For example, let's say a customer was promised a time window of 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. When you drag the requirement to the schedule board, if you're outside of the window promised, the text color changes to red. Once you are in the window promised, the text changes to green. Even though the text color does change, you aren't prevented from scheduling outside of the window. Organizations that want to prevent an item from being scheduled if specific requirements aren't met, can do so using what are called booking rules.
Find availability
While drag and dropping is a quick way to schedule, it doesn't consider any skills, territories, or other predefined items outlined in the requirement. To help considering any specific items needed, dispatchers can use the Find Availability feature. When a dispatcher selects a requirement in the panel, they can select Find Availability on the record, and it opens the schedule assistant.
Any available resources that meet the criteria specified in the resource requirement display. The criteria that were used to filter the request display in the filter view. If you need to expand the results returned, you can modify the criteria as needed for that specific request.
For the resources that the assistant returns, blocks of time display based on their availability and include travel time estimates based on the resource's current location. The dispatcher can select time within that block to schedule the resource for the item. Once a time is selected, a resource booking screen is presented where the details can be modified. Once you're ready to book the item, select the book, or book & exit button to create the booking.
Schedule using the map view filter
When you use the map view from the Filter and Map view panel, it provides several tools that can be helpful for a dispatcher to use. One of the key advantages to the map is to be able to visually see where items that need to be scheduled are, compared to the location of the resource and other items being scheduled. For example, Christie is scheduled to work on a ticket in a specific part of town at 2:00 PM. We can identify any unscheduled items in that area, and assign them to Christie to do on the way to their 2:00 PM appointment.
When Dispatchers are using the map view, the way to schedule items available are similar to what was available from the requirement panel, however with one key difference. Dispatchers can visualize who the item should be assigned to by using the map.
Items are still available to be scheduled using:
Drag and Drop: Drag the item from the map panel to the schedule board.
Find Availability: Uses schedule assistant to find resources and schedule an item.
Drag and drop experience
Let's see how the map could enhance the drag and drop experience. The image represents what a dispatcher might see when using the map view:
We can see from the image the following facts:
Christie has a work order scheduled for today at 12:30.
- The map shows the most likely route for Christie to take.
There's an unscheduled work order that falls on Christie's route.
The item is estimated to last two hours.
Christie has 2 hours free today before their 12:30 appointment.
In this instance, we can easily drag the requirement pin on the map and place it in an available time slot for Christie. Once it has been scheduled for Christie, the route on the map changes to show the newly scheduled item.
Find availability on a map
Another option is to use Find Availability. The difference with find availability using the map is that you can access it by hovering over the pin on the schedule directly. Once you select the find availability, you're taken to the same schedule assistant screen that we mentioned previously.
Block time for a resource
When you see that a resource has an available time slot open, you can drag on the calendar to select the amount of time you want to fill for the resource. For example, you could drag a 2 hour from 1:00 PM to 3:00 for Wayne. You're provided with a list of work orders that could be scheduled for that time. After you select the item you want, a booking will be created and placed on the calendar.
Use the Create Resource Booking panel
The Create Resource Booking panel is used when you're engaging the schedule assistant using the Find Availability feature. It can also provide a great way to schedule items directly from the schedule board.
You can access the Create Resource Booking panel by either expanding the panel or clicking the book button on the schedule board toolbar. Once you've displayed the panel, you need to select a requirement record, and the panel populates with the following information:
Resource: Specifies the resource this booking is assigned to.
Start Date: Start date of the booking. (Defaults to today)
Start Time: Start time of the booking. (Defaults to 8:00 AM)
End Date: End date of the booking. (Defaults to today)
End Time: End time of the booking. (Defaults to 8:00 AM)
Booking Status: Status to assign to the booking.
Booking Method: Defines how hours are allocated.
You need to provide the specific resource that you want to create the booking for. You also need to modify the starting and ending information. Once it's ready to book, you can select the book button to create the booking and display on the schedule board.
Schedule directly from a work order
Sometimes you might want to schedule an item without even going into the schedule board. You might find that it's easy to schedule the item directly from the work order. The schedule assistant that we used earlier, can also be initiated directly from the work order by clicking the book button.
When the schedule assistant loads, it shows potential resources that could be scheduled. A single resource could be returned multiple times depending on their availability during the period specified in the filter. As was mentioned previously with the schedule assistant, the filter criteria used can be modified to expand or reduce the number of results returned.
Important
There are several reasons why items might not be displayed in the Schedule Assistant. You may need to check values on records to ensure that they can be returned by the assistant. The most common things to check first are:
No Resources meet the characteristics defined: Look at the filter criteria that are being used. Make sure that you have resources that meet those requirements. You can remove criteria to see if results are returned. If you're still not seeing results, it could be an address issue.
Starting and ending locations associated with the resources: If the address associated with a resource can't be located, the resource isn't returned. A resource's starting and ending locations are defined on the resource record, and can be set to either resource address, organizational unit address or location agnostic.
Resource Address: If the resource address is used, ensure that you have valid address information (latitude and longitude) for the address being used based on the resource type.
Resource Type = Account: Address of account record related to the resource.
Resource Type = Contact: Address of the contact record related to the resource.
Resource Type = User: Address associated with the user's Microsoft 365 account.
Organization Unit Address: If the organizational unit is being used, ensure that it has valid latitude and longitude values.