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How to choose job scheduling software

Most job scheduling software looks the same in a demo: a calendar with coloured blocks. The difference shows up in week three, when jobs repeat, a day gets rained out and the crew is out of signal. These eight questions find it before you’ve moved your customers across.

Eight questions to ask

  1. 01

    Does repeat work schedule itself?

    Weekly, fortnightly, monthly: set once and it fills the weeks ahead. If you have regulars, this alone decides it.

  2. 02

    Does it schedule people, not just jobs?

    You need to see each technician's day side by side, and who has room for one more.

  3. 03

    What does the crew see on their phone?

    Their jobs, the address, the job notes and checklist, and changes the moment the office makes them.

  4. 04

    Does it work with no signal?

    Basements, plant rooms and regional sites. If the app stalls offline, clock-ons and photos go missing.

  5. 05

    Can you move a whole day at once?

    Rain, a sick call, a van in for repairs. Moving twenty jobs one at a time is where schedules fall apart.

  6. 06

    Does the job carry forward?

    The accepted quote should become the job, and the finished job the invoice, with nothing retyped.

  7. 07

    Does it connect to your accounts?

    Check the exact accounting software you use connects today, not "coming soon".

  8. 08

    How is it priced as you grow?

    Per user, per job or flat? Work out the price at your size and at double it.

Scheduling alone, or the whole job?

Questions six and seven are the big ones. Scheduling software that stops at the calendar leaves you retyping on both sides of it: the quote into the job, and the job into the invoice. Software that carries the job from enquiry to payment, and manages the technicians along the way, is called field service management software. For most businesses with a crew, that’s the better comparison.

Test it on a real week

Use the trial on your actual work: enter your regulars, put a real week on the board, have one of the crew use the phone app on a real job (ideally one with bad signal), and send one invoice through to your accounts. A week like that tells you more than any feature list.

Run the eight questions on Dispatch

Extrua Dispatch schedules repeat work, works offline, moves a day at once, carries quote to job to invoice, and connects to Xero today.

See how it worksTry the live demo

Know people who run service businesses? Sell Dispatch with us and earn commission on every customer you bring in, for as long as they stay. Commission only, under your own ABN.

FAQ

What's the difference between job scheduling and technician scheduling software?

Mostly the name. Job scheduling puts jobs on days; technician scheduling puts them on people. For a business with a crew on the road you need both at once: each job on a day, against a person, visible on that person's phone.

Is free job scheduling software good enough?

For one person, often. Free tools usually stop at a calendar, so once there's a second worker, repeat work, or invoices to send, the time spent copying jobs between tools costs more than the subscription.

What should Australian businesses check specifically?

That it connects to the accounting software you use (in Australia that's usually Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks), that prices are shown in Australian dollars and whether GST is charged on top, and that the crew app keeps working in regional areas and basements with no signal.

How is job scheduling software usually priced?

Usually per user per month, sometimes with a base fee or feature tiers. Count who actually needs to log in (office and field), and check whether extra users, text messages or phone features cost extra.

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