service

Paul Fredricks_3

We schedule in 4 hour blocks; 8-12, 10-2, 12-4. If we have a chance to move a call up, we'll call to make sure they are home.

schiller

service scheduling

over the last year we have been tighting up our operation, tracking and posting un-billable hours, call backs, warranty work and so on. we currantly schedule our techs in 2 hour blocks, telling the customer we will arrive between 8 and 10 or 10 to 12 or 12 to 2 and so on. but it seems that we often get ahead of schedule and a tech has to wait for a customer to get home for there appointment.
I wondering how the "experts" do it. so how do you schedule your techs. also do you pay them only the invoiced hours? any help or ideas?
T

Leo

The company I work for

The company I work for schedules first AM, second AM using the time frames you use. We call ahead if we are ahead of schedule. As an employee if you expect me there between 8 and 4, 7 and 3 or whatever I expected to be paid those hours. You are paying me for the right to direct me for those hours. If you only pay me invoiced hours in my mind I become a subcontractor and you then work by my schedule.

Leo

lchmb

similiar

Our company tell's the customer morning or afternoon. That way we don't have to be exact. If we are running late we let them know and if we are early we call to gain access. I'm with Leo on the pay thing, unless your paying me contractor rate I expect to get paid an hourly rate for the time I am available for the company...

Empire_2

Right On Leo

It's like the service call from hell when you have to crawl 40' in and out but the customer Say's they will not pay you to get to the unit.....:-)

Mike T.

Jeff Lawrence_25

Timing

There are times that you virtually know to the minute the amount of time a task will take, such as a pre-season check or a return trip to install a special order part. The other calls, like "My AC is broke, come fix it!" can be a major time killer. As the others have said, I usually give time out in 2 hour blocks. My first call is usually scheduled at either 8:00 or 9:00 AM and I leave the house or office in time to be there. I give a 30 minute opening for arrival.

Another time killer is traffic. I've been 20 cars back from a major, multi-car accident where they had to back us up to the closest entrance ramp to get us off the 'interstate.' (I sat nearly 2 hours before they got the road open enough for me to get off the highway!) Fortunately, I use a map program that's tied in to a GPS on my laptop in my van. If there's a problem (a fatality accident or a life flight evacuation) on a secondary road, I can usually find an alternate route. It's amazing when this happens, because people sometimes follow me.

Getting back on topic, you just need to figure on-site time with travel to the next stop. Clients are a lot happier if you're 30 minutes early instead of 60 minutes late. Cell phones can be helpful here, either to call the client or call/radio the office to let them call.

tim smith

time scheduling

We use the 2hr block time with a caveat, as close as possible but we will let you know if the tech is tied up on prior call. Sometimes if we see 1st call is a long one, we will see if another tech is moving better and get him to take job.