Field Service Dispatch Board

The dispatch board shows how a business can improve the system it already relies on instead of replacing it. It turns an existing tracker task table into a live daily planning tool, reading unplanned tracker rows, scheduled dispatch rows, resources, job details and WhatsApp schedule state through separate JSON endpoints.

Upgrade Without Replacing

This is the type of custom app add-on that suits established service businesses: keep the tracker, database, staff habits and operational language already in place, then add a focused interface where the current workflow is slow, manual or hard to see.

Challenge

Energy Retrofit Ireland needed a faster way to plan field work across vans and subcontractors without losing the tracker database as the source of truth. A plain calendar would not be enough because dispatchers needed job context, worker resources, WhatsApp schedule state and tracker updates in the same workflow.

Board Experience

The interface is split into three operational panels: a left queue for unplanned, planned and problem jobs; a centre daily timeline grouped by vans and subcontractors; and a right details panel for the selected job, including address, contact, priority, status, invoice/Xero state, photos, remarks and WhatsApp delivery state.

Tracker Sync

The board sits on top of the existing tracker instead of replacing it. Assigning or moving a job writes to the dispatch assignment row and mirrors important changes back into the original tracker task, including the assigned person and first response date.

Scheduling Logic

Admins can drag jobs from the unplanned queue into a worker timeline, move existing jobs between times, dates, vans or subcontractors, and remove completed, closed or cancelled tracker jobs from the board. Conflict detection protects against overlapping work, and optional auto-push logic can move later jobs forward when work is inserted into a busy schedule.

Resource Model

Resources can come from live VelocityFleet van data, existing vehicle records linked to users, configured subcontractor users and Twilio user data for WhatsApp availability. Subcontractors can appear as schedule resources even when they do not have van tracking.

Suggested Slots

The scheduling layer can recommend practical slots using the job coordinates and the nearest live van when the tracker job has location data. This makes the board more useful than a generic drag-and-drop calendar because it can factor route context into planning decisions.

WhatsApp Schedules

The board can send each worker a secure schedule link through Twilio WhatsApp. It records the schedule hash and job count for each worker and date, so if an admin changes the plan after sending it, the UI can show that the worker schedule changed and prompt an update.

Reusable Service

The reusable service is the dispatch layer: queue, timeline, resource mapping, assignment API, worker schedule link and schedule notification. For another service business, the integration work is mainly mapping the existing job source, contact, address, status, priority, duration, assigned worker, response date, mobile number and optional GPS feed into the same model.

Demo And Advice

For a business with an older CRM, tracker, spreadsheet, booking form or admin database, the first step is usually a short review of the current process. From there, a live demo can show which parts could be enhanced with a small custom app, API bridge or dashboard before committing to a larger rebuild.

Outcome

Dispatchers can plan the day from one screen, field workers receive a live schedule by WhatsApp, and management can continue relying on the existing tracker table. The board creates a modern planning interface without forcing a full operational system replacement or a sudden change in work practice.