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Scheduling & Dispatch

Schedule in
seconds, not calls.

Drag-and-drop calendar, real-time dispatch board, skill-based worker assignment, GPS routing and automatic SMS reminders. Stop phoning round — start scheduling from one screen.

Works on desktop, tablet and mobile. Syncs to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook.

Drag-and-Drop Calendar

See your entire week across all workers in one view. Drag jobs to reschedule, resize to adjust duration, and colour-code by job type, priority or status. Day, week and month views with filtering by team, trade or branch.

  • Day, week and month calendar views
  • Drag-and-drop to reschedule or reassign
  • Colour-coded by job type, status or priority
  • Filter by worker, team, trade or branch
  • Unscheduled jobs sidebar — drag onto the calendar
  • Zoom into individual worker or team calendars

Dispatch Board

A real-time board showing every worker, their current status (available, on job, travelling, off duty) and their next job. Dispatch reactive and emergency jobs to the nearest available worker in seconds.

  • Live worker status: available, on job, travelling, off duty
  • GPS location of every worker on a live map
  • One-click dispatch to nearest available worker
  • Emergency job fast-track — create and dispatch in under 60 seconds
  • Worker accepts or declines via push notification
  • Automatic travel time calculation from GPS

Skill-Based Assignment

Assign the right person to the right job. Gaffer knows each worker's trade qualifications, certifications, skills and working hours. When scheduling, it shows who's qualified, available and nearest — not just who's free.

  • Worker skills and qualification profiles
  • Automatic skill-matching against job requirements
  • Certificate validity check before assignment (Gas Safe, Part P, etc.)
  • Availability rules: working hours, holidays, part-time patterns
  • Workload balancing across the team
  • Preferred worker per customer or site

GPS Routing & Travel Time

See where your team is in real time. Gaffer calculates travel time between jobs, suggests optimal scheduling order and flags unrealistic gaps. Linked to GPS vehicle tracking for accurate ETAs.

  • Live GPS location for all workers and vehicles
  • Travel time calculation between jobs
  • Optimal job ordering to minimise drive time
  • Flag scheduling conflicts or unrealistic gaps
  • Automatic ETA updates sent to customers
  • Mileage tracking per job for quoting and expenses

Recurring Jobs & Maintenance

Set up recurring schedules for maintenance contracts, servicing agreements and regular visits. Daily, weekly, monthly or custom intervals. Each occurrence creates a job automatically — no manual rebooking.

  • Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or custom intervals
  • Each recurrence auto-creates a job with full details
  • Linked to maintenance plans and contracts
  • Automatic assignment to preferred worker
  • Skip or reschedule individual occurrences
  • Revenue forecasting from recurring schedule

Automatic Reminders

Customers and workers both get reminders before every job. SMS, email and push notifications — configurable by time (24 hours, 2 hours, 30 minutes before). Reduce no-shows and make sure your team arrives prepared.

  • Customer SMS reminders: 24hr and 2hr before
  • Worker push notifications with job details and navigation
  • Configurable timing per job type
  • Include job details, address and special instructions
  • WhatsApp reminders for customers who prefer it
  • Confirmation request — customer confirms or reschedules

Calendar Sync & iCal

Sync Gaffer's schedule to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook via iCal feed. Workers see their Gaffer jobs alongside personal appointments. Read-only feed — Gaffer is always the source of truth.

  • iCal feed URL per worker
  • Syncs to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook
  • Auto-updates when jobs are rescheduled
  • Include job address, customer name and notes
  • Read-only to prevent conflicts
  • One-click generate in worker settings
< 60s
To dispatch a reactive job
3
Calendar views (day, week, month)
0
Phone calls to schedule a job
100%
SMS reminder delivery rate

Frequently asked questions

Can I schedule multiple workers on the same job?
Yes. You can assign any number of workers to a single job. Each worker sees the job in their calendar and mobile app. Time tracking and check-in/out are recorded per worker, so you get accurate labour costs even on multi-person jobs.
How do reactive and emergency jobs work?
Open the dispatch board, hit 'New Job', enter the details and assign to the nearest available worker. The worker gets an instant push notification with the address and navigation. Total time from call to dispatched: under 60 seconds.
Does scheduling work with the mobile app?
Yes. Workers see their full schedule in the Gaffer mobile app with job details, customer info, address and navigation. They can accept or flag jobs, and the calendar updates in real time for both office and field.
Can customers book their own appointments?
Yes. You can share a booking link or embed a booking form on your website. Customers select an available slot, and Gaffer creates the job and assigns it based on your scheduling rules. Confirmation and reminders are sent automatically.
How do I handle holidays and time off?
Workers can request holidays through the app. Managers approve or reject from the dashboard. Approved holidays block out the calendar automatically, so you can't accidentally schedule work during leave. Holiday entitlement and balance are tracked per worker.
Does it integrate with my existing calendar?
Yes. Every worker gets an iCal feed URL that syncs their Gaffer schedule to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. Jobs appear as calendar events with the address, customer name and job details. The feed updates automatically when jobs are rescheduled.

Ready to streamline your business?

Book a 30-minute demo and see how Gaffer replaces your CRM, call tracker and payment portal. No commitment.

Free 30-minute walkthrough tailored to your trade