Customizing the Electronic Dispatch Board Views

Customizing the Dispatch Board Views

In addition to changing the layout of the Electronic Dispatch Board (EDB), you can also change the way to boards function and how much information they show.  This can come in handy if you have multiple dispatch boards and don't want the same information piling up on each of them.

To open the options screen, click on the Dispatch Board button on the icon bar.  On the EDB toolbar, click on the Activities menu and select Options.

Boards

A listing of all Dispatch Boards that have been created in ESC will show on the left side of the options screen.  This enables you to set the options for each individual board with one visit to the Options screen.

Zone

These fields can be used to limit the dispatches shown on the Dispatch Board to those within a certain area. Enter the starting zone in the first field and the ending zone in the second field. If the second field is left blank, only dispatches that fall within the starting zone will be displayed. These fields are blank by default so that all dispatches are displayed. 

This field can also be helpful for quickly finding pending dispatches near a technician's current position. Rather than sorting through a lot of open dispatches one by one, use these fields to show only the dispatches near where the tech is now, assign the dispatch then reset these fields to show all dispatches.

Priority

Dispatches displayed on the EDB can be limited to calls with only a certain Priority. This is a great way to divide dispatches onto different boards depending on their assigned Priority.  This field is blank by default so all dispatches are displayed.

It is not, however, a good way to view the dispatches that need immediate attention. Remember that priorities are related to the date and time. Example: A search that is run on Priority "1" dispatches could show calls that were promised at both 08:00 and 15:00 while skipping a Priority "2" call at 08:00.

Date Mode

This field is used to select which dispatches will be displayed on both sides of the EDB when using the Standard and Weekly Views (the Month View is unaffected by these settings).

• Current and Previous – The Left Frame will show all uncompleted dispatches that have a Promised Date that matches or is before the current date. The Right Frame will display the same information unless the Weekly View is selected, then it will also display uncompleted dispatches scheduled for the next week as well. This is the default setting.
• Current Only - The Left Frame will only show the dispatches that have a Promised Date that matches the date selected on the EDB. The Right Frame will display the same information unless the Weekly View is selected, then it will also display uncompleted dispatches scheduled for the next week as well.
• All Dispatches – The Left Frame will show all uncompleted dispatches, regardless of the Promised Date. The Right Frame will display the same information unless the Weekly View is selected, in which case it will show all uncompleted dispatches from the past and present and only those future dispatches that are scheduled within the next week.

Display Mode

This field is used to select what to display on the second line of the dispatches on the EDB.

• Zone and Priority
• City and Priority
• Address
• Priority and Est Time
• Prom Time and Est Time 
• City, Priority, Est Time 
• Prom Time, Est, Zone
• City and State

Type

Dispatches displayed on the EDB can be limited to calls with only a certain Dispatch Type. This is a great way to divide dispatches onto different boards depending on their assigned Type.  This field is blank by default so all dispatches are displayed.

Display Total Call Duration...

Select this option to change the number of calls shown at the top of each day in the dispatch view to be the total amount of time it should take to complete those dispatches. This is based on the estimated hours associated with each dispatch.

Automatically Load Dispatches...

Selecting this option will allow you to use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move between technicians and dispatches on the Dispatch view of the EDB. We recommend checking this box if you use that view frequently.