It’s often said “the Conductor is to the Symphony as the Dispatcher is to the Service Department”
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Okay, maybe not often, but hear me out.
Dispatchers are constantly reacting and anticipating. Throughout the day they are calculating, deciding, and resolving (sometimes consoling feelings) to make the customer journey as smooth as possible. They become intimate with how certain resources perform such as; which customers are happy and why are they happy.
The best dispatchers have a methodology that allows them to be consistent, which is great. However, that methodology is not often documented. Every dispatching method involves three areas:
Getting your dispatchers to visualize and vocalize these areas is the first step to operationalizing your Field Services.
The dispatch team discusses the way they plan resources and a set of questions is asked.
Do they choose the highest skilled resource available?
Which resource is the most favored by the customer?
Does certain work only get booked for the morning?
These rules will become the foundation the service department executes on; the sheet music the orchestra plays.
Every dispatcher knows the goal is to get the most jobs completed within the shortest amount of time. While also using the fewest amount of resources. But how do we achieve this? What objectives are the most important?
Is immediate scheduling more important than minimizing travel time?
What if travel time is more important than restricting overtime?
Or is resource preference more important than immediate scheduling?
The weight of these objectives is the ideal scenario the department wants to achieve; the tempo of the symphony.
Once the Service Department is able to synthesize a framework of rules and objectives, then Salesforce Field Service is able to automate the areas. This will then create consistency in service delivery.
Taking the rules and objectives from the Service Department allows various Scheduling Policies to be customized. The Scheduling Engine is then able to create a base schedule that follows the outlined framework. The dispatcher is saved the tedious work of getting the starting point for the third area…
Problem-solving is by far the most valuable aspect of dispatching. With a defined framework and Scheduling Policies, the at-risk appointments become clearer. From Salesforce’s Dispatcher Console the dispatcher focuses more time to remove roadblocks and conflicts. They can leverage their creativity to build the next iteration of their resource’s schedules.
Equipped with an interactive Gantt chart, appointments can be prioritized or rescheduled with a drag-and-drop interface. Actions can be selected to serve up the best available resource (according to those Scheduling Policies). Custom filters can be applied to find specific types of appointments. Palettes can be layered onto the Gantt chart to visualize different categories of appointments. The creativity is in the hands of each dispatcher. This is where the dispatcher gets to be the conductor that brings a beautiful symphony to the ears of their customers.
Salesforce Field Service brings an enhanced experience to your dispatch team. When implemented with a solid foundation of rules, dispatchers are able to send work to the field with ease. Scheduling is streamlined, allowing them to focus on real problem-solving. There is no question that will lead to greater efficiencies across your entire service department.
The question is, do you want to unleash the Conductor in your Dispatchers?
Written by Joe Nagy, Senior Consultant