Calendar View
The Calendar view provides dispatchers with a visual representation of their technicians' schedules so they can better understand their team's availability on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Dispatchers can also schedule, assign, and dispatch tasks from this view using the drag-and-drop interface.
To access the Calendar View, go to the Task Scheduling > Dispatch Console > Calendar View module.
Understanding the Calendar View Layout
The layout is can be thought of as two separate panels: the technician list/calendar on the left and the task list on the right. The layout comes with a number of capabilities worth noting here:
View Tasks in the Task List
The task list on the right shows the list of tasks. Tasks from this list which have not yet been dispatched can be manually scheduled by dragging them to the calendar next to the appropriate technician at the desired time. The task list also comes with the following capabilities:
Task Meta Data: If you scroll to the right of the Task ID, you will see additional columns with metadata relevant to the task such as: Task Status, Priority, Work Order ID, Technician (if assigned), Appointment Window, Deadline, Customer Name / Customer Site Address, and Region.
Column Sorting: At anytime, you can click on a column header to sort the task list by that particular column. For example, if you would like to sort the task list by “Priority”, clicking on the Priority column header will sort the list alphabetically by Priority.
Column Search: Certain columns (All Tasks, Customer Name / Custer Site and Priority) have been configured to display a mini search field below the header. This allows you to make a more targeted search within the task list.
Column Resizing: To resize a column in the task list, simply hover over the header of the column and move your curser to the edge of the header’s bounding box. When your cursor transforms into a re-sizing cursor (a vertical line with arrows pointing left and right), drag the column to the desired width.
View Technicians in the Technician Calendar
The technician list on the left shows a list Technicians that fall within your Work Group. The technician list comes with the following capabilities:
Meta Data NEW (23.4): If you scroll to the right of the “Technicians” column, you will see additional columns with metadata relevant to the technician such as: Technician Shift, Work Groups, Skills.
Column Sorting: At anytime, you can click on a column header to sort the technician list by that particular column. For example, if you would like to sort the technician list by “Work Group”, clicking on the Work Group column header will sort the list alphabetically by Work Group. By default, the list is sorted alphabetically by Technician Name.
Column Search: Columns in the technician list have been configured to display a mini search field below each header. This allows you to make a more targeted search within the technician list.
Column Resizing: To resize a column in the technician list, simply hover over the header of the column and move your curser to the edge of the header’s bounding box. When your cursor transforms into a re-sizing cursor (a vertical line with arrows pointing left and right), drag the column to the desired width.
View the Online/Offline Status of Techs
In the technician list, you will notice an icon below the tech’s name. This represents the tech’s online status. If a technician has not been active on the mobile app for the last 60 minutes, an "offline" icon will appear under the technician's name – represented as a wifi strength signal with a cross through it. If a technician has been active within the last 60 minutes, the “online” icon will appear under the tech’s name – the same wifi strength icon but without the cross through it.
Calendar Time Frame and Navigation
Timeframe: The dropdown menu at the top right of the technician list shows the time frame associated with the calendar, effectively zooming it in and out for easier navigation. Dispatchers can choose from Day, Week, or Month.
Navigating to Today: At any time, you have the option of returning to “Today” by clicking the “Today” button. In addition, the current date/time is represented on the calendar by a red dotted line with a flag at the top containing the current time.
Selecting a Specific Day: To view the calendar for a specific day, click on the “Calendar Icon” and select the date from the date picker.
Calendar Zoom
NEW (23.4)
When viewing the calendar by Week or Month, the condensed timeframes visible in the calendar can sometime make it difficult to find and manipulate tasks. If you face this issue, you can use the zoom buttons (the buttons with the “-” and “+” magnifying glass icons in them) to adjust the density of calendar.
For example, if you zoom in on the “Week” view, the time frame in the Calendar will become more spread out horizontally. While zoomed in, tasks appear larger on the screen, making them easier to read and select / move.
Filter the List of Tasks and Technicians
NEW (23.4)
Use filters at the top of the screen to display specific tasks and technicians. The Calendar View comes with the following filters:
Task Type: Allows you to filter by Work Groups that use Task Type as the filter method. If selected, only tasks of that Task Type that have been added to the Work Group will be displayed in the Task List and Calendar sections of the page.
Regions: Allows you to filter by Work Groups that use Region as the filter method. If selected, only the technicians that have been added to the Work Group and tasks located in the regions that have been added to the Work Group (matching the Region of the Customer Site associated with the task) will be displayed in the Task List and Calendar sections of the page.
Technician: Allows you to filter by Technician. If selected, only the technicians you select will be displayed in the Calendar section of the page.
Shift: Allows you to filter by task status. If selected, only tasks of that status and the technicians assigned to those tasks will be displayed in the Map View.
Filter Method for Task Types and Regions
The Task Type and Region filters are actually based on Work Groups – the dropdown menus are populated by Work Groups that have been configured using Task Type and Region as the filter methods respectively. Let’s take an example:
I create a Work Group with name = “Corrective Tasks” and Filter Method = “Task Type”
I add “Task Type A” and “Task Type B” to that Work Group filter
I add a technician named Johnny Tech and a dispatcher (Web User) named Sara D. to the Work Group.
Sara D. is not part of any other Work Groups.
When Sara D. is viewing the Calendar View, she will see “Corrective Tasks” in the Task Type filter – she will NOT see “Task Type A” or “Task Type B”
However, if “Corrective Tasks” is selected in the Task Type filter, all tasks with Task Type = “Task Type A” or “Task Type B” will be displayed in the Calendar View.
Because Sara D. is not a member of any other Work Group, the Regions filter will remain blank
Sara D. will ONLY see Johnny Tech in the Calendar as he is the only other member of the Work Group.
For more information on configuring Work Groups, visit the Work Groups page.
Task and Calendar Event Color Key
Within the technician calendar, tasks, breaks, leave, etc. all show up as events next to their assigned technician’s name. The colors associated with different events are described below:
Available Working Hours (empty white box): A technician’s available working hours (Work Schedule / Shift) are shown as an empty white background. This includes any added Overtime.
Non-working Hours (empty grey box): Anytime outside of the tech’s available working hours is shown as an empty grey box. This includes Public Holidays added to their work schedule.
Leave and Breaks (grey dashes): Leave and Breaks is shown as a box with dashed grey background lines and text. If it is a break added to the tech’s weekly schedule, the event container will display the words “Break”. If it is Leave, the event container will display the Reason for the leave as text.
Tasks (color = status): Tasks are displayed as shorter, colored boxes with the Task Type and Task ID written in them. The color of the box matches the color associated with the task status.
Scheduling & Dispatching with the Calendar View
Drag-and-drop Task Scheduling
To schedule an open task, drag it from the task list on the right-hand side of the calendar grid to the desired time slot of the technician.
Reassigning and Rescheduling Tasks
Tasks can also be dragged within the calendar grid to easily adjust the schedule.
Visual Cues / Scheduling Suggestions
NEW (23.4)
To help take the guesswork out of drag-and-drop scheduling, the Calendar comes with a number of visual cues and suggestions that help make the decision of where to drop a task more intuitive:
Highlighted Timeframes in the Calendar: While dragging a task to the calendar, task appointment times that match the scheduling criteria are now highlighted.
Recommended Technicians Highlighted in the Calendar: To help you find an appropriately skilled technician, technicians that match the scheduling criteria (techs with the right Skills or from the right Work Group) are highlighted while dragging a task to the calendar.
Recommendation Boxes: You will also see purple “Recommended” boxes at time slots that fit the scheduling criteria in the calendar of matching technicians, making it easier to make the right assignment decision.
Validations
When the tasks are dragged and dropped on the calendar grid, automated validations are conducted to satisfy constraints such as leaves, off-shift timings, public holidays, appointment windows, and deadlines.
Task Card Actions (from Popup)
After a task has been assigned to e technician, it becomes visible from the calendar next to the tech’s name at the scheduled start time. From here you can take a number of actions directly from the popup that appears after clicking the task:
View Task Details: Click this button to open the Task Scheduling sidepanel and view the task’s full details
Dispatch to Technician: If the task status is “Scheduled” (the task has been assigned but not dispatched), the option “Dispatch to Technician” will appear.
Task Review: If the task status is “Pending Review” (the task has been completed), the option “Task Review” will appear. Clicking this button will bring up the Task Review sidepanel.
Bulk Dispatching Tasks
Dispatchers may find themselves with several tasks that have been scheduled but not yet dispatched to their assigned technicians – sometimes on purpose in the case where dispatching happens on a set schedule. To make the dispatching process easier, users can bulk dispatch multiple tasks at the same time.
To dispatch tasks in bulk, click on the “Dispatch Tasks” dropdown menu located at the top of the data grid. Next, select a timeframe (Today / Tomorrow / Next 3 Days / Next 7 Days). Doing so will dispatch all Scheduled tasks with Scheduled Start Times matching the criteria in the selected time frame.
Today - Dispatches all Scheduled tasks with a scheduled start time for the current calendar day based on the time zone of the Dispatcher. Example: It’s currently Feb 22nd, 17:10. All tasks are dispatched which are scheduled between 17:10 and 23:59 on the 22nd.
Tomorrow - Dispatches all Scheduled tasks with a scheduled start time for the next calendar day (between 00:00 and 23:59). Any tasks scheduled for the current day (Today) are not dispatched!
Next 3 days - Dispatches all tasks with a scheduled start time within the next 3 calendar days (including the current day). Today, Tomorrow, Day After Tomorrow.
Next 7 days - Dispatches all tasks with a scheduled start time within the next 7 calendar days (including the current day). Starting from the current date to 23:59 on the 7th day.
Track Bulk Dispatching Progress
NEW (23.9)
To track the progress of bulk dispatched tasks, click on the animated “Bulk Dispatch” progress button next to the “Dispatch Tasks” dropdown menu. When bulk dispatching, the load time is dependent on the number of tasks being dispatched and may take a few seconds to complete.
View Bulk Dispatching Results
NEW (23.9)
Once a bulk dispatching run has completed, a red indicator will appear in the top right of the bulk dispatch button. Bulk dispatch runs usually have a high success rate, but occasionally, conflicts can occur during the run (For example, if a task status is changed by another user during the run, it may fail to dispatch, and for good reason). Thus for larger runs, it is always recommended that you check the results of bulk dispatched tasks afterwards. To view the results, follow the steps below:
After you see the red indicator, click on the animated “Bulk Dispatch” progress button next to the “Dispatch Tasks” dropdown menu.
Click on the Bulk Dispatch run you wish to view the results for.
Navigate between the “Dispatched” and “Failed to Dispatch” tabs in the side panel to analyze the results.
Work Order Scheduling and Visibility in the Calendar View
NEW (23.9)
In the default setup, the Calendar View shows little information about the relationship between Work Orders and their related Tasks, which can be an issue for customers that handle many tasks (~20-50) per Work Order. In such cases, manual scheduling is tedious and the lack of immediate visibility as to which Work Order a Task belongs to is an issue. In such cases, the dispatcher typically would want to schedule all Tasks within the Work Order sequentially to the same technician, but unfortunately, the default version of the Calendar View does not support this type of manual drag-and-drop scheduling.
To help solve this issue, we’ve introduced a way to see the Work Orders within the Calendar View and on the drag-and-drop task list, allowing users to view how Tasks are related to a Work Order and providing the ability to drag-and-drop a Work Order containing multiple Tasks as a single object.
Configuring the Calendar View for Work Order Scheduling
If this configuration is applicable to your solution, contact customer support to ask them to enable this functionality in the Calendar View.
By default, the Work Order Scheduling configuration is turned off and the Calendar View displays the default task-only scheduling view as described in in the sections above. If enabled, there is an additional configuration to consider:
Configure if Work Order Scheduling should ignore shifts: If this configuration is set to true, all Tasks in a Work Order will be scheduled continuously, ignoring the limits of a technician’s shift that day. That means that it will be possible to schedule tasks to a technciain iven if the sequential tasks extend beyond their default working Shift.
View Tasks Grouped by Work Order
Once enabled, Tasks will be shown under their parent Work Order in a collapsable group in the Calendar View grid.
Drag-and-drop Scheduling with Work Orders
To schedule a Work Order and all of it’s child Tasks to a technician, simply drag the Work Order from the grid directly onto the calendar next to the applicable technician. All tasks will be scheduled one after another and have a banner connecting them with the Work Order number.
Some important things to note:
Dragging tasks under a Work Order within the calendar: Once a Work Order is on the calendar, users can drag specific tasks underneath it to move to a later time slot or to a different technician. The Work Order banner will still be visible above the moved task.
Overlapping Work Orders on the Calendar: For a single technician, it is possible to drag and drop Work Orders at overlapping times without restriction.
Manually Scheduling Tasks within a Work Order: If a dispatcher manually updates a task’s scheduled start time via the Schedule & Assign side panel, the task's new time will be reflected in the Calendar View.
Validation that Block Scheduled Tasks from Manual Scheduling: To avoid disruption to a technician’s ongoing work, dispatchers are not permitted to drag and drop Work Orders that contain in-progress tasks with any of the following statuses:
Auto Scheduling
Dispatched
In Transit
In Progress
Incident
Delayed
Discontinued
Pending Review
Site Change Request