Same-Day Dispatch Changes

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

1. On the dispatch board, click the affected job
2. Remove the sick crew member from the assignment
3. Add the replacement crew member
4. Click Send Crew Notification — the replacement gets a text with job details
5. 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

1. Open the opportunity in MoveRight
2. Change the move date
3. Update the dispatch board — remove the old assignment, create a new one
4. Send updated crew notifications for the new date
5. 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

1. Open the opportunity → click Book Move
2. Assign crew, truck, and time
3. Send crew notification
4. 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

1. Remove the broken truck from all today’s assignments
2. Assign the replacement truck
3. Update arrival times if the swap causes delays
4. 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

1. Communicate immediately — customers and crews hate silence more than bad news
2. Update MoveRight first — every change goes into the system before you make the call. This creates the record.
3. 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