Routes and mobile work

Start with the accepted route

Technicians open the day’s assigned stops with customer location, service category and the accepted schedule. Travel estimates help them prepare for the next visit while dispatch keeps control of commitments. A changed route is a proposal until the dispatcher accepts the revised plan. The customer therefore receives updates based on an agreed visit rather than every background calculation.

The mobile route also supports crew work. Access follows the actual assignment and effective crew membership. A technician can see the information needed for that work without gaining access to every other technician’s calls, truck or payment records. When an assignment changes, server authorization changes with it, even if an older job remains cached on a disconnected device.

Record the work as it happens

Check-in starts the on-site record and the technician’s labor session. Notes, before-and-after photos, materials and customer acknowledgments stay connected to the same visit. Crew members record their own labor, so a shared call does not turn into a single ambiguous clock. Open sessions remain visible until their end time is confirmed; reporting does not treat an unfinished clock as completed billable time.

Customer-facing notes and internal working notes have different visibility. A repair observation can appear on the receipt when appropriate while dispatch instructions remain internal. Required photographs follow the service category’s configured evidence needs rather than an arbitrary universal checklist.

Work through a loss of signal

A disconnected technician can retain supported work entries locally and see which items still need synchronization. The interface distinguishes captured work from accepted server results. A stored signature image or payment request does not by itself complete a visit. On reconnect, the original command identity and source revision let the system recognize a replay and return the original result instead of duplicating labor, parts or a charge.

How the work moves

Work the assigned visit. The assigned Technician or Crew Lead records Status: Dispatched → EnRoute → OnSite; server acceptance stamps arrival and opens a labor session. ETA communications require current channel permission. Labor, parts, notes and required photos are scoped to the call and authorized crew; only server commands append ServiceCallActivities. Times are instants, not date-only values.

Synchronize mobile commands. Offline notes, photos, labor and signature captures retain DeviceEventKey, CapturedAt and ExpectedCallRevision. On reconnect, validate the real principal, current assignment and source revision, then apply each accepted command once. An obsolete assignment or stock conflict remains Failed for reviewed reconciliation; timestamps do not silently win conflicts. Offline payment requests remain unconfirmed intents; no device acknowledgement establishes a processor capture.

Review the exception

A reassigned call or an unavailable part can make an offline event conflict with current operations. Keep the event and its reason available for review instead of silently choosing the latest device timestamp. Operations Manager can reconcile that event against the accepted call history. Card details never belong in notes or the synchronization payload, and payment confirmation remains dependent on the configured payment service.