Dispatch and Job Preparation: the full procedure

Receive the assigned job, confirm appliance and symptom details, and arrive prepared with the right parts, tools, and customer information.

• Applies to: All technicians, every service call
• Frequency: Every service call
• Scope: Defines how a tech receives, confirms, and prepares for an assigned job before arrival. Covers route, customer confirmation, and stocking the van; does not cover any electrical, gas, or refrigerant work, which defers to manufacturer service information, a certified technician, and the business safety plan.

What you need

• Dispatch app or schedule
• Customer work order
• Appliance model/serial lookup
• Van parts inventory list
• Smartphone/GPS
• Customer history notes

The procedure, step by step

1. Review the work order — Read the assigned job: customer name, address, appliance type, brand, model and serial if available, and the reported symptom in the customer’s words.
2. Pull appliance and history data — Look up the model/serial for common failure patterns and check whether the customer has prior service history with the business.
3. Confirm the appointment — Call or text the customer to confirm the time window, verify the appliance and symptom, and confirm access (gate codes, parking, pets).
4. Stock likely parts — Based on appliance and symptom, load commonly needed parts and any pre-ordered part for this job onto the van.
5. Verify tools and PPE — Confirm the van carries the standard toolkit, a multimeter, and required personal protective equipment per the business safety plan.
6. Plan the route — Set GPS, account for traffic, and notify the customer if the arrival window shifts.
7. Log departure — Mark the job en route in the dispatch system so the office and customer see live status.

Quality check before you finish

• Work order reviewed and appliance/symptom understood before departure
• Customer appointment confirmed with time window and access details
• Model/serial checked for known failure patterns where available
• Likely parts and any pre-ordered part loaded
• Multimeter and required PPE present and functional
• Route planned and en-route status logged

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)
• OSHA (osha.gov)