Stop sending whoever's nearest on your biggest tickets.
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. Rank by job type, break ties by play, respect availability — and put the closers on the money.
Dispatch Fit
Dispatch Fit sheetThe idea in one sentence
Dale is your best repair tech and your worst replacement closer. For months he was getting a third of the replacement estimates because his truck was usually closest. Same three techs, very different visits:
| Job type (90 days) | Marcus | Priya | Dale | Avg ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replacement estimates | 66% (19/29) | 52% (14/27) | 31% (11/35) | $7,900 |
| Service / repair calls | 44% (38/86) | 40% (33/82) | 58% (61/105) | $890 |
Method one: by close rate per job type
Open the company close-rate table for the last 90 days
Ninety days is long enough to trust the numbers and short enough to reflect the team you have now. One row per job type: Before, After, Change, Sold / Ran, Revenue.
Sort by revenue
Your biggest-money job types are where a dispatch decision is worth the most. Usually replacement estimates, then major repairs.
Tap the top job type
The row opens into a ranked list of techs for that job type: rank, name, close rate, sold / ran, revenue.
Write down the top three and the bottom one
One line per job type that matters, on the Dispatch Fit sheet.
Repeat for the next two or three job types
Most shops have three to five job types that carry the money. 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. Never default to 'whoever's nearest' on your top job types.
Method two: by Sales Play
Job type tells you what the visit is. The play tells you what the conversation will be. Techs differ on both.
Find your most common play
The company-by-play table shows the share of briefs each play represents. In many markets Trust or Emergency is 40–55% of visits.
Read down that play's column
Who closes it best, who closes it worst. Write the top two and bottom two on the sheet.
Find your biggest-ticket play
Often Research or Comfort. Those visits go to closers.
Use it as the tie-breaker on the board
The job type ranks the techs; the play chooses between the top two or three. A replacement estimate that's a Trust Play goes to the best replacement closer who is also strong on Trust.
Pair for ride-alongs
Put the weakest tech on a play in the truck with the strongest, on that play, for two or three visits. The Morning Brief will flag it when their number moves.
Rules of thumb
Trust the number only with enough visits
Under about 8 ran visits for a tech on a job type, the ranking is noise. The reports fade those cells.
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.
Dispatching by trade
| Trade | Protect these visits for closers | Send speed and calm |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Replacement estimates. Storm-badged jobs in hail country go to someone who'll look at the outdoor unit and knows what an insurance conversation sounds like. | 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 Family Plays — send someone comfortable getting the second decision-maker 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 closers who run the Family Play well. | Storm-badged jobs to techs 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 runs Trust and looks at the panel every time. |
Who it's for
What the owner gets
Roughly seven more sales a quarter on visits you were already running — from one screen and one rule on the board.
What the office gets
A one-page sheet, filled every Friday, that answers 'who takes it?' in five seconds — and a rule for when #1 is busy.
What the tech gets
More of the visits they win, fewer of the ones they don't, and a ride-along with the tech who wins the play they're weakest on.
Questions people ask
What is the Dispatch Fit sheet?
A one-page cheat sheet the dispatcher keeps in view: for each job type that carries the money, the top three techs by close rate (with sold/ran) and the one to avoid; for each play, the best closers and who needs a ride-along. Fill it every Friday from the 90-day reports.
Doesn't this punish 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.
How do I combine job type and play?
Job type first, play second. Rank the techs on the job type; when two are close, the play breaks the tie. A replacement estimate that's a Trust Play goes to the best replacement closer who is also strong on Trust.
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.
Will the Dispatch board show close rates next to each tech?
It's on the roadmap. Until then the Dispatch Fit sheet — paper or a spreadsheet — sits where the dispatcher can see it.
Keep reading
See a Scout Brief built on a real appointment from your schedule.
A 30-minute walkthrough. We pick a recent sales visit, build the brief and the audio, and walk through Today's Play as if your tech were about to knock. You decide if it changes the call.