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What's your process for handing off a job when a technician calls in sick?

Teresa Lund

6:45 am call. Jake's out with the flu. I've got four jobs on his board today including a commercial install that needs permits pulled. Usually I can split the smaller stuff between the other guys but the big one's got me stuck.

How do y'all handle this? Do you have backup techs on standby or just shuffle and pray? My supervisor wants me to document the handoff better but honestly we're moving too fast most mornings to do much more than a phone call and some quick notes in the job.

Specifically curious about:

  • How much job detail you try to transfer vs letting the new tech figure it out
  • Whether you notify customers or let the replacement handle it
  • Any FieldPulse features that help with this (tags? notes? something else?)

Thanks

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  • Teresa, this is a process gap I see everywhere. You're reacting instead of planning, and it's burning out your dispatchers.

    Here's what we implemented:

    Primary/Secondary assignments on every job. Not just in your head — actually in FieldPulse. We use the "Assigned Tech" field for primary and custom tags for secondary (BACKUP-MASON, BACKUP-COMMERCIAL, etc). Takes 10 seconds when scheduling and saves 20 minutes of panic.

    Handoff checklist in job notes template. When status goes to "Reassigned," the tech gets prompted: customer contacted? materials staged? permits verified? site access confirmed?

    Customer communication is dispatch's job, not the tech's. Always. We call with the new ETA and name. Tech focuses on the work.

    Also — measure this. If Jake's out frequently, that's a coverage problem masquerading as a dispatch problem.

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  • Teresa, this is a process gap I see everywhere. You're reacting instead of planning, and it's burning out your dispatchers.

    Here's what we implemented:

    Primary/Secondary assignments on every job. Not just in your head — actually in FieldPulse. We use the "Assigned Tech" field for primary and custom tags for secondary (BACKUP-MASON, BACKUP-COMMERCIAL, etc). Takes 10 seconds when scheduling and saves 20 minutes of panic.

    Handoff checklist in job notes template. When status goes to "Reassigned," the tech gets prompted: customer contacted? materials staged? permits verified? site access confirmed?

    Customer communication is dispatch's job, not the tech's. Always. We call with the new ETA and name. Tech focuses on the work.

    Also — measure this. If Jake's out frequently, that's a coverage problem masquerading as a dispatch problem.

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