Scheduley for trades: jobs, not just appointments
Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, landscaping — trade businesses don’t book “appointments,” they run jobs. Scheduley has a dedicated mode for exactly that. Flip one switch and the whole platform speaks your language and works your way.
Turn it on
Go to Settings → How your business works and choose Jobs & Field Service. If you told Scheduley you’re a trade business during setup, it’s already on. Switching is safe in both directions — it changes how things look and work, never your data.
Dispatching, step by step
Each status is a real moment in the job’s life — and two of them trigger texts on their own:
- Booked — the job as it lands, from a call, text, or your booking page, with the problem and address already captured. On teams, a card with no tech assigned shows a red Unassigned flag — open the job to assign someone, and they’re texted their assignment instantly. (Solo? No flags, no assignments — every job is yours.)
- Dispatched — tap Dispatch (or drag the card over) when the tech heads out. This is the trigger step: the client automatically gets the on-my-way text, and from this moment your agent tells anyone who calls to check that the tech is on the way.
- In progress — work has started. Mostly bookkeeping, but it keeps callbacks honest: a client checking in now hears “work is in progress.”
- Done — wrap it up: text the invoice if there’s one, settle in person, and flip the Paid toggle (or let auto-mark paid handle it). Done jobs are also when review invites make sense.
Cancelled jobs leave the board and can refill themselves — the waitlist texts clients waiting on that day the moment the slot frees. And every move is confirmed on screen, so you always know a text actually went out.
Statuses are optional. Nothing breaks if a job sits on Booked all day — only Dispatched (sends the on-my-way) and Cancelled (frees the day for the waitlist) actually trigger anything. One-person operation? You’re the tech: no assignments needed, and “Dispatch” is just the one tap that texts your client you’re on the way before you drive off. Use as much or as little of the board as your day needs.
- Follow-up calls answered with real answers. When a client calls back asking “when’s my tech coming?” or “are they on the way?”, your agent looks up the actual job and answers from it — the arrival window, the status (dispatched, in progress, done), even whether an estimate is awaiting their approval. And if they say “tell him the gate code is 1234” or “I’m running late”, the agent attaches the note to the job and texts it to the assigned tech.
- On-my-way texts. The moment you mark a job Dispatched, the client gets a text from your business number: “Good news — Jake from Ace Plumbing is on the way for your water heater repair.” The single most-loved feature in field service, built in.
- Arrival windows. Under Settings → Booking Rules, choose a 30-minute, 1-hour, or 2-hour arrival window. Clients hear “we’ll arrive between 9 and 10” on the phone, in confirmations, and in reminders — while your job board keeps the exact slot.
- Job details everywhere. What the caller described travels with the job — open any job to see the problem before you knock on the door.
- Estimates & invoices, by text. Build line items on the job, text the estimate for one-tap online approval, then text the invoice and settle in person — see Estimates & invoices.
- Standing jobs. Weekly mowing, monthly maintenance — set a job to repeat and the next visit books itself. See Recurring appointments.
- Your crew knows instantly. Whoever’s assigned gets a text the moment a job lands on their schedule, moves, or is reassigned.
Everything else comes along
All of Scheduley works the same in Jobs mode: the AI Front Desk, travel range and fees, reminders, review requests, your booking page and website. One platform, tuned to how your business actually runs.
Still need help?
Our support team is here to assist you.