How to Use Dispatch Calendar

FieldCamp's Timeline and Resource calendar views transform job dispatching from a complex puzzle into a streamlined visual workflow.

These views display your team's schedules alongside unassigned work, enabling drag-and-drop dispatching that automatically handles scheduling conflicts, travel time calculations, and skill matching.

The system maintains three distinct job staging areas that feed into your active schedule, ensuring every job progresses from creation to completion through clear, manageable steps.

The interface combines a team schedule visualization on the left with an awaiting jobs panel on the right, creating a complete dispatching workspace where jobs flow seamlessly from unassigned status to scheduled appointments.

Timeline View: Horizontal Dispatch Control

Interface Layout

Timeline View presents your dispatch board as a horizontal grid where:

Y-axis (Vertical): Lists team members and an "Unassigned" row
X-axis (Horizontal): Displays time intervals throughout the day
Grid Cells: Represent available time slots for job scheduling
Job Blocks: Show scheduled work as colored rectangles

The view includes all team members plus a special "Unassigned" row at the top for jobs assigned to a technician but not yet given a specific time slot.

Team Display Structure

Each row in Timeline View represents:

Team Member Rows: Individual technicians with profile initials
- Example: "JP" for Jeel Patel, "RV" for Riddhi Vadalia
Unassigned Row: Special row marked with "U" for unscheduled jobs
All-Day Section: Jobs marked as "anytime today" appear here
Visual Indicators: Color-coded availability and current status

Resource View: Vertical Team Management

Interface Layout

Resource View rotates the perspective to vertical columns:

Column Headers: Team member names across the top
Time Scale: Vertical hours running down the page
Daily Timeline: Each column shows one person's full day
Unassigned Column: Leftmost column for jobs without specific times

This vertical orientation makes it easier to review individual schedules and ensure balanced workload distribution.

The Job Staging System

Three Stages of Unassigned Work

Jobs created by CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) or field teams enter the system in one of three staging states:

1. Unassigned Jobs

Definition: No technician selected yet

Created by: CSRs during customer calls
Display Location: Awaiting jobs panel only
Required Action: Assign to appropriate technician
Common Scenario: "We need service but haven't picked who"
Visual Indicator: No technician initials displayed

2. Unscheduled Jobs

Definition: Technician assigned but no specific time

Created by: Dispatchers doing preliminary assignments
Display Location:
- Awaiting jobs panel (right side)
- Unassigned row in calendar (if technician selected)
- All-day section (for "anytime" jobs)
Required Action: Set specific time slot
Common Scenario: "John will do it sometime today"
Visual Indicator: Shows technician initials but no time

3. Idle Jobs

Definition: Neither technician nor time assigned

Created by: Advance booking without immediate scheduling
Display Location: Awaiting jobs panel only
Required Action: Complete scheduling (both tech and time)
Common Scenario: "Next week sometime, we'll figure it out"
Visual Indicator: Completely unassigned marker

The Awaiting Jobs Panel

Panel Organization

Located on the right side of the dispatch calendar, the panel contains two tabs:

Assigned Tab

Shows jobs that are fully scheduled:

Technician selected ✓
Time slot confirmed ✓
Ready for field execution ✓
Count indicator shows total (e.g., "Assigned (3)")

Awaiting Tab

Contains jobs requiring dispatcher action:

Unassigned section: Need technician selection
Unscheduled section: Need time slot
Idle section: Need both assignments
Count indicator shows items needing attention (e.g., "Awaiting (3)")

Job Card Information

Each job card in the panel displays:

Customer Name: Primary client identifier
Location: Service address with city/state
Duration: Estimated time needed (if set)
Service Type: Brief description of work
Job Number: Unique identifier (e.g., "JOB 71")
Priority Indicator: Urgent jobs highlighted

Drag-and-Drop Dispatching Workflow

Basic Drag-and-Drop Process

From Awaiting Panel to Calendar

Identify Target Job
- Review job details in awaiting panel
- Note duration and requirements
Initiate Drag
- Click and hold job card
- Card becomes semi-transparent
- Cursor changes to drag indicator
Navigate to Target
- Drag across to calendar area
- Valid drop zones highlight green
- Conflicts show red warning
Drop and Confirm
- Release mouse on desired slot
- System validates assignment
- Job moves to scheduled status

Advanced Drag Operations

Multi-Stage Assignment

For Idle jobs (no tech, no time):

First Drag: To team member's "All-day" section
- Assigns technician
- Job becomes "Unscheduled"
Second Drag: From All-day to specific time
- Sets appointment time
- Job becomes fully scheduled

Rescheduling Existing Jobs

Click scheduled job in calendar
Drag to new time or different technician
System recalculates routes automatically
Original slot becomes available

The All-Day Section

Understanding "Anytime" Jobs

Jobs marked for "anytime today" appear in a special All-day section:

Location: Top row of each technician's timeline
Purpose: Flexible scheduling for non-time-specific work
Common Use Cases:
- Route work (fit in between scheduled jobs)
- Low-priority maintenance
- "While in the area" tasks
- End-of-day flexible appointments