The averages problem
A shop with a 47% close rate does not have five techs who each close 47% of their visits. It has one tech who closes 66% of replacement estimates and 44% of repairs, another who closes 31% of replacements and 58% of repairs, and a dispatch board that can't tell them apart. The average is real; it just doesn't describe anyone.
The idea in one sentence: your average close rate is hiding the fact that each tech is good at some visits and weak at others, and the job type tells you which. Dispatching by close rate is simply using that information before the visit instead of discovering it afterward.
Why dispatch defaults to geography
Dispatchers optimize for what they can see. They can see the map, the drive times, the arrival windows and who's running late. They can't see that Dale — nearest, available, excellent — is the worst replacement closer in the company. So the replacement estimate goes to Dale, again, and it's nobody's fault.
Three things keep it that way: the close-rate report, if it exists, is monthly and by tech only; job types are named in codes that don't say what the visit is; and "sold" isn't consistently recorded, so the ranking can't be trusted even when it's built. Fix those three and the dispatcher will use the table, because dispatchers like winning too.
The two things that predict who closes
Job type. Replacement estimates, repairs, maintenance — as named in your scheduling software. This is the first cut, and it carries most of the signal. Your money is usually in three to five job types.
The conversation. Two replacement estimates can be different visits: one homeowner has been burned by the last company and will ask about licenses before equipment; the other has read every review and wants to buy the right unit; a third has a spouse at work who signs the checks. Techs who win those three conversations are often three different people. When you can name the conversation before the visit — Trust, Research, Family, Value, Comfort or Emergency — it becomes the tie-breaker between your top two or three on the job type.
Method one: rank by close rate inside each job type
- Open your close-rate table for the last 90 days. Long enough to trust, short enough to reflect the team you have now. One row per job type with sold / ran and revenue.
- Sort by revenue. Your biggest-money job types are where a dispatch decision is worth the most — usually replacement estimates, then major repairs.
- Open the top job type and rank the techs: rate, sold / ran, revenue. Something like #1 Marcus 66% (19/29) · #2 Priya 52% (14/27) · #3 Josh 48% (12/25) · Dale 31% (11/35).
- Write down the top three and the bottom one. One line per job type that matters.
- Repeat for the next two or three job types. Don't do all thirty.
- Use it when the job needs a tech. New replacement estimate on the board? Who's #1, and are they free that afternoon? If yes, assign them. If not, #2.
Method two: break ties by the conversation
- Find your most common conversation type. In many markets, Trust or Emergency is 40–55% of visits.
- For that type, find who closes it best and worst. In one real account: Trust was 53% of visits; two techs closed it at 46–52% and two at 13–15% — a 35-point gap on the same conversation in the same market.
- Find the biggest-ticket conversation. Often Research (the customer has decided to buy and wants to buy right) or Comfort (a whole-house fix). Those visits go to closers, not to whoever is nearest.
- Use it as the tie-breaker. The job type ranks the techs; the conversation chooses between the top two or three. A replacement estimate that's a Trust conversation goes to the best replacement closer who is also strong on Trust.
- Pair for ride-alongs. Put the weakest tech on a conversation type in the truck with the strongest, on that type, for two or three visits.
The Dispatch Fit sheet
Until your dispatch board shows close rates next to each tech's name, keep a one-page sheet where the dispatcher can see it. Fill it every Friday from the 90-day reports. Here's a filled-in sample; the blank one is below.
| Job type | #1 (rate · sold/ran) | #2 | #3 | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement estimate | Marcus · 66% · 19/29 | Priya · 52% · 14/27 | Josh · 48% · 12/25 | Dale (31%) |
| Repair / service | Dale · 58% · 61/105 | Marcus · 44% · 38/86 | Priya · 40% · 33/82 | — |
| Maintenance / tune-up | Priya · 31% · 24/78 | Dale · 26% · 20/77 | Josh · 22% · 15/68 | — |
| Conversation | Share of visits | Best closers | Needs a ride-along | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | 53% | Brandon 52% · Josh 46% | Jourdan 15% · Ronnie 13% | Route to Brandon/Josh whenever free |
| Emergency | 22% | Brandon 67% · Josh 64% | — | Everyone is decent here |
| Research | 9% | Robert 71% · Josh 58% | Ronnie 40% | Biggest tickets — closers only |
| Comfort | 8% | Josh 51% · Brandon 48% | Jourdan 36% | Two-zone conversations |
| Value / Family | 8% | Brandon 62% (Value) | Too few visits to judge | Watch |
Sample from a real account, names changed.
Rules of thumb
- Trust the number only with enough visits. Under about eight ran visits for a tech on a job type, the ranking is noise.
- Rank by close rate, break ties by revenue. Two techs both at 55%? The one with the bigger average ticket.
- Availability beats rank by one spot, not three. If #1 isn't free, #2 is fine. Sending #4 because #1 was busy is how the leak happens.
- Re-rank every 90 days. People improve. That's the point of the coaching.
- Same-day emergencies: rank by job type and move on. The conversation type matters less when the first thing the homeowner will say is about today.
Dispatching by trade
| Trade | Protect these visits for closers | Send speed and calm |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Replacement estimates. Storm-flagged jobs in hail country go to someone who will look at the outdoor unit. | Emergency + repair — a strong diagnostic tech wins; comfort advisors don't need to run every no-cool call. |
| Plumbing | Water heater replacements and repipes. Repipes are two-decision-maker visits — send someone comfortable getting the second person on the phone. | Emergency calls to whoever is fastest and calm. Over-selling on an emergency kills trust for the next visit. |
| Roofing | Full replacements, for reps who handle two decision-makers well. | Storm visits to reps who document well and explain calmly. |
| Garage door | Door replacements — techs who can talk curb appeal, not just hardware. | Spring and cable emergencies need speed; track that job type's close rate on its own. |
| Electrical | Panels, rewires and generators. EV charger visits to the tech who knows the products and incentives cold. | Service calls convert to panel work when the tech looks at the panel every time. |
How ServiceScout does this before every appointment
ServiceScout gives the dispatcher the table and the tie-breaker. The Performance hub ranks techs inside every job type from outcomes read straight from your scheduling software, the Sales Plays report shows close rate per conversation type per tech, and every brief on the Dispatch board carries Today's Play — so the sheet above is one screen, refreshed automatically, instead of a Friday spreadsheet.
The appointment enters ServiceScout
A job is created, scheduled, rescheduled or assigned in ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber or JobNimbus. Nothing changes for the CSR.
2:00 PMBick, Harold · Est — AC Replacement · #48213BookedThe brief is assembled
About ten seconds later: the homeowner (and whether the booking name matches the owner on record), the home and its permits, the system's likely age, the neighborhood, and recent hail, wind or heat.
HomeownerOwner on record 17 years · booking name matches the deedThe system2004 condenser change-out, nothing since — past twenty, old refrigerantWeatherHeat advisory three of the last seven days · no hail within 10 miToday's Play is chosen
About ninety seconds later the play and the win condition are on the brief, with the Before You Knock card: opening question, three questions, what to sell on, if price comes up, closing question.
Trust PlayWin on Peace of MindOpening question“Before I touch anything — what happened last time?”Biggest mistakeLeading with price. A round number with no reasons ends the visit.The dispatcher reviews the opportunity
On the Dispatch board the visit shows its play. Replacement estimate + Trust → the best replacement closer who is also strong on Trust, if free. In Assign & Send, this step runs itself.
NeedsBick · Est — AC Replacement · TrustAssign Marcus (#1 · 66%)The tech hears the 90-second audio
Scout Audio, in the assigned tech's name, plays on the drive — from the brief, or as a phone call for the tech who never opens a link. Re-made automatically if the job is reassigned.
Scout Audio1:30 · “Marcus, this is your brief for Harold Bick…”The tech opens the brief
Thirty seconds on the card in the driveway. Then the knock. Every send is stamped sent, opened and listened, so the office knows the visit was prepared for.
Sent 1:31 PMOpened 1:34 PMListenedClosing question“If anything's off in thirty days, I come back at no charge. Fair?”The outcome is recorded — automatically
Sold, not sold, estimate open: read from your scheduling software after the visit. Nothing is self-reported. Only visits that ran count.
OutcomeBick · Est — AC ReplacementSold · $8,400Management measures the result
Close rate updates by technician, by job type, by campaign and by play. The Morning Brief flags wins and concerns; the Sales Plays report shows who wins which conversation.
Play Share Close Best Ride-along Trust 53% 41% → 47% Brandon 52% Jourdan 15% Research 9% 62% Robert 71% Ronnie 40%
Product mockups built from the ServiceScout interface and brand system. Sample data from a demo account; names changed.
What it's worth, in real numbers
The replacement example and the Trust example come from the same worked accounts used throughout ServiceScout's operating manual. Your spread will differ; the method won't. Dispatch optimization in ServiceScout.
The Dispatch Fit worksheet
Dispatch Fit worksheet
Click a cell to type. Fill it every Friday from your 90-day close-rate table and keep it where the dispatcher can see it.
| Job type (top 3–5 by revenue) | #1 · rate · sold/ran | #2 | #3 | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job type 1 | ||||
| Job type 2 | ||||
| Job type 3 | ||||
| Job type 4 | ||||
| Job type 5 |
| Conversation type | Share of visits | Best closers | Needs a ride-along | Rule on the board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | ||||
| Emergency | ||||
| Research | ||||
| Comfort | ||||
| Value / Family |
Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere — print it or copy it into a spreadsheet.
Frequently asked questions
Won't dispatching by close rate wreck my drive times?
Only if you apply it to every job. Apply it to the three to five job types that carry the money and let proximity run the rest. A replacement estimate is worth ten extra minutes of driving; a filter change is not.
Isn't it unfair to the tech who's worst at replacements?
Dale keeps the repairs, where he's the best tech in the shop at 58%. He runs fewer of the visits he loses and more of the ones he wins — and the ride-along with Marcus is how he gets better at the rest. Most techs prefer that to a monthly number they can't move.
How do I know what kind of conversation a visit will be before it happens?
From the job type, the call notes and the household picture. A homeowner who asked about licenses and warranties on the phone is a Trust conversation; one who quoted a model number is Research; two names on the booking is usually Family. Naming it before the visit is exactly what a pre-call brief is for.
What if my top closer is always busy?
Availability beats rank by one spot, not three. If #1 isn't free, #2 is fine. The leak is sending #4 because #1 was busy — that's the moment to call #2 and ask if they can move a repair.
How often should the ranking change?
Re-rank every 90 days. Shorter than that and you're chasing noise; longer and you're ignoring the coaching that's supposed to change it.
The short version. Match the right technician to the right call by ranking techs on close rate inside each job type that carries your money, then breaking ties by the kind of conversation the visit will be (a homeowner who's been burned, one who's done research, one with a broken system today). Fill a one-page Dispatch Fit sheet every Friday from the last 90 days, keep it where the dispatcher can see it, and follow three rules: rank by close rate and break ties by revenue; availability beats rank by one spot, not three; re-rank every 90 days.