How to Auto-Assign Techs Based on Availability

Introducing Auto-Assign Techs by Availability, a new feature designed to streamline appointment management and optimize your shop schedule. This new feature enhances scheduling capabilities and accuracy, guaranteeing that the right technicians are assigned to the right appointments, optimizing your shop's capacity.

Auto-Assign Techs by Availability can be configured to assign your shop appointments in two main ways: technician capacity or bay capacity. Continue reading to learn how Auto-Assign Techs by Availability can best fit your shop. 

Jump To: 

Configuration Based on Technician Capacity (Standard Setup) 

Configuration Based on Bay Capacity

Troubleshooting

Configuration Based on Technician Capacity (Standard Setup)

Note: AutoOps will look at the union of both technician availability and your shop level availability settings (waiting, drop-off, pickup, capacity blockers), the more restrictive setting will apply when showing customers the available booking times based on their services selected. If no technicians are skilled for a particular service, or group of services, selected; the company settings will be used. 

In the AutoOps Dashboard:

1. Turn on the Auto Assign by Techs feature.
   1. Go to Availability and then click the Technicians section.
   2. By default, the Auto Assign by Technicians setting will be off.
      1. If a shop is on AutoOps Pro, they will have the Auto Assign Techs by Rule Set function available. This allows for rule-based assignments (e.g., one person gets all waiter appointments).
      2. If Auto Assign Techs by Availability (the new feature) is turned on, the by rule set option will disappear. The system will then use the technicians' calendars and skills to automatically assign appointments.
   3. Toggle ON. 

2. Create your Technicians: add their name, appointment color, and match to a technician within your SMS if using Protractor or ShopWare. 

3. After adding your technicians, click the Pencil Icon beside a technician to begin customizing their services, availability, and capacity blockers. 

Configuring Services:

     a. Add all of the services this technician can perform.

     b. You must add services in order for the technician to be considered for auto assigning.

     c. Be sure to press save.

Next, go to Availability:

1. 1. Add the technicians working hours and days (Ex.M-F: 8am-5pm)
   2. Gaps can be added to factor in breaks and unique schedules. 
   3. Be sure to press save. 

Capacity blockers can also be added for things like:

1. 1. Vacation time.
   2. Sick days. 
   3. Etc.
   4. Be sure to press save.

4. Repeat the above for all of your technicians. 

1. 1. Be sure to press save. 

Two additional settings for Auto Assign Techs Based on Availability:

1. 1. Max Auto Assign Duration: This sets a maximum duration for an appointment to be auto-assigned. If an appointment exceeds this duration, it will not be auto-assigned and will default to the normal shop configuration.
      1. Setting this too high risks not finding a single technician with enough availability.
   2. When No Tech Matches: This setting addresses situations where no single technician is skilled to perform all services in an appointment. By default, such appointments will remain unassigned and use normal shop availability rules. However, a default technician can be chosen to handle all services in such cases.

 

Configuration Based on Bay Capacity

Note: AutoOps will look at the union of both technician availability and your shop level availability settings (waiting, drop-off, pickup, capacity blockers), the more restrictive setting will apply when showing customers the available booking times based on their services selected. If no technicians are skilled for a particular service, or group of services, selected; the company settings will be used. 

To enable Auto-Assign Techs by Availability based on the capacity of your shop bays, follow the steps below. In this scenario we will pretend a Technician = a Bay. 

In the AutoOps Dashboard:

1. Go to Availability and then click the Technicians section.
   1. By default, the Auto Assign by Technicians setting will be off.
      1. If a shop is on AutoOps Pro, they will have the Auto Assign Techs by Rule Set function available. This allows for rule-based assignments (e.g., one person gets all waiter appointments).
      2. If Auto Assign Techs by Availability (the new feature) is turned on, the by rule set option will disappear. The system will then use the technicians' calendars and skills to automatically assign appointments.
   2. Toggle ON Auto Assign Techs feature.

1. Create your Technicians (Bays): add the name (Oil Change Bay, Alignments, etc.), appointment color, and match to a bay within your SMS if using Protractor or ShopWare. 

2. After adding your Bays, click the Pencil Icon beside a Bay to begin customizing the Bays Services, Availability, and Capacity Blockers. 

IMAGE

Configuring Services:

1. 1. Add all of the services this bay can perform. 
   2. You must add services in order for the bay to be considered for auto assigning.
   3. We recommend having at least one, or more, bays that can perform all services. This will help prevent your schedule from becoming too restricted. 
   4. Be sure to save. 

Next, go to Availability:

1. 1. Add the bays operation days and hours (Ex.M-F: 8am-5pm)
   2. Gaps can be added to factor in breaks and unique scheduling. 
   3. Be sure to save.

Capacity blockers can also be added for things like:

1. 1. Techs out.
   2. Broken Equipment.
   3. Etc.
   4. Be sure to save. 

3. Repeat the above for all of your bays.

4. If you have two bays that can perform the same services, and have the same availability, instead of creating two duplicate bays, you can increase capacity to factor in the number of duplicate bays you have. .

     a. In the Bay, under Capacity Blockers.

     b. Select: Maximum Appointments Per Slot. 

     c. Input number of bays you have that can do the same services and has the same availability.  

     d. This will allow your scheduling tool to know you have X number of bays that can take the same services and capacity. 

Two additional settings for Auto Assign Techs Based on Availability:

1. 1. Max Auto Assign Duration: This sets a maximum duration for an appointment to be auto-assigned. If an appointment exceeds this duration, it will not be auto-assigned and will default to the normal shop configuration.
      1. Setting this too high risks not finding a single technician with enough availability.
   2. When No Tech Matches: This setting addresses situations where no single technician is skilled to perform all services in an appointment. By default, such appointments will remain unassigned and use normal shop availability rules. However, a default technician can be chosen to handle all services in such cases. 

Troubleshooting

Why are technicians not being assigned? 

There are multiple items that can prevent a technician from being assigned. 

• No one technician is skilled for the customer's selected service.
• No one technician is skilled for the customer's multiple selected services.
• Customer's selected service(s) equals a longer duration than a technician can handle.  

Why is the tool using my shop level scheduling settings?

• There are no techs available for the selected service(s).
• No one technician is skilled for the customer's selected service.
• No one technician is skilled for the customer's multiple selected services.
• Customer's selected service(s) equals a longer duration than a technician can handle.  

There is no availability when a customer tries to book. 

• There are no techs available for the selected service(s).
• No one technician is skilled for the customer's selected service.
• No one technician is skilled for the customer's multiple selected services.
• Tech availability is too restricted. 
• Shop availability is too restricted. 
• Check shop and technician capacity blockers. 

 

Please reach out to Customer Support if you have any questions.

• Email 
• or chat with our team via the Steer platform.