Route optimization and dispatch

Toolfy's dispatch system calculates travel time, warns about conflicts, and helps you optimize technician routes. Bulk operations let you assign or reschedule dozens of jobs in seconds while avoiding overbooking.

Dispatch features overview

• Calculate drive time between jobs using real-time traffic data.
• Identify scheduling conflicts (overlapping jobs, insufficient travel time).
• Track technician utilization (how much of their day is booked vs. available).
• Bulk assign multiple jobs to technicians in one action.
• Bulk reschedule jobs when plans change (weather, emergencies, technician sick days).
• View travel matrix showing distances between all jobs.

Access dispatch tools from Schedule page—click Bulk Actions toolbar after selecting jobs, or view Travel Times from schedule options.

Travel time optimization

Bulk assign jobs to technicians

Assign multiple jobs to a technician in one action—saves time when scheduling weekly routes or handling emergency reassignments.

1. Navigate to Schedule page and select date range.
2. Filter jobs by status (e.g., Unassigned, Scheduled).
3. Select multiple job checkboxes.
4. Click `Bulk Assign` → Choose technician from dropdown.
5. Toolfy checks for conflicts and warns if jobs overlap or require unrealistic travel time.
6. Confirm assignment—all selected jobs update instantly.

Bulk reschedule jobs

Move multiple jobs to a new date when weather, emergencies, or technician absences force schedule changes.

1. Select multiple jobs from schedule (checkboxes on job cards).
2. Click `Bulk Reschedule` → Pick new date.
3. Toolfy preserves time offsets (morning job stays morning, afternoon stays afternoon).
4. Optionally reassign to different technician during reschedule.
5. Confirm—jobs move to new date with conflict warnings if any issues detected.

Track technician utilization

See how much of each technician's day is booked. Prevents overbooking and identifies who has capacity for emergency jobs.

• See total booked hours vs. available hours per technician per day.
• Green: <70% booked (plenty of capacity).
• Amber: 70-90% booked (near capacity).
• Red: >90% booked or overbooked (need to adjust schedule).
• Utilization visible in Schedule → Technician view (toggle from calendar view).

Utilization updates live as you assign jobs—refresh not needed. Use this to balance workload across team instead of overloading one technician.

Conflict types and resolutions

Use travel matrix to optimize routes

• View travel matrix in Schedule → Travel Times (accessible from schedule toolbar).
• Shows drive time in minutes between all jobs for selected day.
• Click cell to see route on Google Maps.
• Use to identify jobs that should be grouped together (short drive times).
• Helps optimize daily routes—start furthest job first and work back toward office/home.

Best practices for dispatch

• Group jobs by geography—assign all north-side jobs to one technician, south-side to another.
• Leave 15-30 minute buffer between jobs for traffic delays or job overruns.
• Check utilization before accepting new bookings—avoid overbooking technicians.
• Use bulk assign for recurring routes (e.g., Monday route always covers specific neighborhoods).
• Review travel matrix weekly to identify inefficient routing patterns.

Troubleshooting

Related guides