Booking & Dispatch: the full procedure
Capture every service request consistently, schedule it to the right tech and time window, and confirm it with the customer.
- Applies to: Office/dispatcher and owner
- Frequency: Every incoming service request
- Scope: Defines how inbound requests are captured, scheduled, and dispatched. Business workflow only; on-site safety and any gas/refrigerant work defer to the field and deferral SOPs.
What you need
- Scheduling/dispatch software
- Intake script/form
- Service-area map
- Technician availability calendar
- Customer database
- Confirmation templates
The procedure, step by step
- Capture the request — Record customer name, contact, address, appliance type/brand, symptom in their words, and preferred timing using a standard intake form.
- Confirm service area and fit — Verify the address is in the service area and the job type matches your scope; flag gas/sealed-system jobs for the deferral policy.
- Quote the diagnostic fee — State the diagnostic/trip fee and policy up front so the customer knows what to expect.
- Schedule to the right tech — Assign the job to a tech with the right skills and route, within a defined arrival window.
- Pre-stage parts info — Note model/serial and likely parts so the tech can prepare per the Dispatch SOP.
- Confirm with the customer — Send a confirmation with date, window, fee policy, and access instructions.
- Log the job — Enter the job in the system with all details so the field and billing SOPs can pick it up cleanly.
Quality check before you finish
- Complete intake captured on a standard form
- Service area and job-scope fit confirmed
- Diagnostic/trip fee quoted up front
- Job assigned to the right tech and route
- Model/serial and likely parts noted
- Customer confirmation sent with window and fee policy
- Job fully logged for field and billing handoff
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Appliance Repair business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- United Servicers Association (USA) (unitedservicers.com)
- Professional Service Association (PSA) (psaworld.com)
- U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov)
About Free Booking & Dispatch SOP
Free printable SOP for appliance repair booking and dispatch: capture the request, quote the diagnostic fee, schedule the right tech, and confirm.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
What should be captured when booking a repair?
Record the customer's contact and address, appliance type and brand, the symptom in their own words, preferred timing, and confirm the address is in your service area. Quoting the diagnostic fee up front prevents surprises and sets a consistent standard.
How are gas or refrigerant jobs handled at booking?
Flag them during intake so the deferral policy applies. The business may still book the visit, but any gas-line or sealed-refrigerant work is routed to a licensed/EPA 608-certified technician rather than performed by a general tech.
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