Things change on move day. A crew member calls in sick. A customer reschedules. A last-minute booking comes in. This guide shows you how to handle same-day dispatch changes without letting the day fall apart.

What this covers

Same-day crew reassignments, job rescheduling, last-minute bookings, and how to keep everything updated in MoveRight.

Who uses this

Dispatchers — you live this guide. Owners — if you’re dispatching and selling, you need to switch hats quickly.

Before you start

You know the morning routine: The 15-Minute Morning Routine
You know the dispatch board: The Drag-and-Drop Dispatch Board

Scenario 1: Crew member calls in sick

Step 1: Assess the impact

Open the dispatch board and find today’s jobs that include the sick crew member. Ask:

Is this person the crew lead? (Harder to replace — need someone with lead experience)
Which jobs are affected? (Maybe just the morning job, maybe all day)
Is there enough crew to still do the job safely?

Step 2: Find a replacement

Open your crew availability view and filter for available crew members today. Look for:

Someone with the right capabilities (Crew Lead, Driver, Packer if needed)
Someone who’s not already assigned to a conflicting time
Someone who’s nearby if the job starts soon

Step 3: Reassign and notify

On the dispatch board, click the affected job
Remove the sick crew member from the assignment
Add the replacement crew member
Click Send Crew Notification — the replacement gets a text with job details
Update the sick crew member’s availability status to “Unavailable” for today

Step 4: Notify the customer (if needed)

If the crew size changed (e.g., from 3 to 2), the customer should know — the job may take longer. Send a quick update:

“Hi [Name], just a heads-up — your crew today will be 2 people instead of 3 due to a team member illness. We’ll get your move done, it may take a little longer. Thanks for understanding.”

Scenario 2: Customer wants to reschedule today

Step 1: Check availability

Open the dispatch calendar and look for open slots on the new date. Check crew and truck availability.

Step 2: Move the job

Open the opportunity in MoveRight
Change the move date
Update the dispatch board — remove the old assignment, create a new one
Send updated crew notifications for the new date
Cancel the old crew notifications

Step 3: Free up today’s slot

With the job moved, you now have an open slot today. Check your callback queue for any customers who want a sooner date: “Hey [Name], we just had an opening for today — are you available to move this afternoon?”

Scenario 3: Last-minute booking

A lead signed an estimate and paid a deposit at 7:30 AM. They want to move today.

Step 1: Check if you can take it

Look at the dispatch board:

Do you have an available crew? (Check crew availability, not just the board — someone might be unassigned)
Do you have an available truck?
Does the timeline work? (If it’s a 4-hour job and crew is free at 1 PM, it’s possible)

Step 2: Book it fast

Open the opportunity → click Book Move
Assign crew, truck, and time
Send crew notification
Send customer confirmation

Step 3: Adjust other jobs if needed

If the last-minute job overlaps with an existing afternoon job, you may need to:

Push the afternoon job’s start time by 30-60 minutes
Call that customer: “We’re running about 30 minutes behind schedule. Your crew will arrive at [updated time].”

Scenario 4: Truck breakdown

Step 1: Get a replacement truck

If you have a spare truck, assign it. If you don’t:

Can you swap trucks with another job that hasn’t started yet?
Can the crew finish the current job with a smaller vehicle and a second trip?

Step 2: Update the dispatch board

Remove the broken truck from all today’s assignments
Assign the replacement truck
Update arrival times if the swap causes delays
Notify affected customers

Step 3: Record the issue

Add a note to each affected job: “Truck #3 broke down at 9:15 AM. Swapped to Truck #1. Customer notified of 30-min delay.”

The key principles

Communicate immediately — customers and crews hate silence more than bad news
Update MoveRight first — every change goes into the system before you make the call. This creates the record.
Don’t panic — every dispatch problem has been solved before. Follow the steps.

Common questions

What if I can’t find a replacement crew member? Call the crew lead of the affected job: “You’re going to be a person short today. Focus on the big items and call me if you need help.” A 2-person crew can do a 3-person job — it just takes longer.

What if multiple things go wrong at once? Prioritize: crew no-shows first (trucks can’t leave without people), then truck issues, then customer changes. Handle one crisis at a time.

What happens next

Day-to-day monitoring: The Live Map and Job Tracking
Crew setup: Add & Manage Crew
End-of-day: Operations Report

Same-Day Dispatch Changes