Work order scheduling administration

You can allow technicians to accept or reject work order assignments from MC Express. Learn more about this feature in the MC Express Quick Reference: Work Orders article, under the header "How to Accept/Reject a Work Order Assignment."

Dispatchers and schedulers need to be aware of rejected assignments as quickly as possible so that they can quickly and efficiently reassign work orders to other technicians. To facilitate this, schedulers can make use of the following tools.

Set up rules for assignment rejections

If the technician rejects an assignment, dispatchers/schedulers can be immediately notified via the Work order assignment (rejection) event in the Rules Manager. Based on this event (when an assignment is rejected), you can create a rule to notify schedulers and/or to automatically assign the work order to a backup. You can configure this rule event (or create multiple rules tied to this event) as needed to make sure schedulers are able to quickly reassign the work order. Be sure to check out more on How to Use the Rules Manager to use this rule most effectively:

Use the Rejected Assignments smart report

The Open Work Orders - Rejected Assignments smart report lists all rejected assignments, showing you which work orders you need to reassign. You can set up the smart report to allow you to open the associated work order record directly from the report. From there, you can assign the work order to another technician.

Assignment time tracking allows you to assign work orders at a specific time of day. Assignments not specified for a particular time-frame are designated as "anytime" assignments. Calendars show assignments in chronological order, displaying "anytime" assignments prior to those with a specific time designated. Designated assignment times show on labor calendars, assignment lists, and work order assignment calendars.

Turn on assignment time tracking:

1. Select Preferences from the Tools menu.

2. In the Work Order>Settings preferences, select Track Assignment Time?

   The Set Preference dialog opens.

3. Set the Current Value to Yes and click Apply.

   Now, when you assign a work order, you have the option to select No for the Anytime? setting and specify the assignment time. For more on this process, see How to assign work orders.

Indicating specific start and end times for an assignment significantly enhances MC calendar sharing, which allows technicians to share their labor calendars and view them from external calendar programs and mobile devices. To learn more about Calendar Sharing, check out the Staff Management Expert Featuresarticle, under the header, "Using MC Calendars."

To save a few steps in your work flow, the Issue on Work Order Assignment preference automatically sets the status of work orders to Issued once it is assigned.

Issue work orders upon assignment:

1. Select Preferences from the Tools menu.

2. In the Work Order>Settings preferences, select Issue on work order assignment.

   The Set Preference dialog opens.

3. Set the Current Value to Yes and click Apply.

   Now, whenever you assign a work order, it will receive an Issued status.