Sonar's scheduling tools are straightforward on their own, but it can be harder to see how the pieces fit together when you are trying to plan and manage schedules. This article walks through the full workflow: setting up technicians, forming job requirements, creating jobs from an account, a ticket, or a clone, and then scheduling the technician either during job creation or from the dispatcher calendar. By the end, you will be ready to schedule and send field technicians to the right locations, whether that is a network site or a subscriber's address.
Before you can schedule a technician on a job, you’ll need to create a Field Technician role (or a similar role that fits your workflow) and assign that role to the appropriate users.
If you're a Super Admin, you already have full access and no changes are needed. To learn more, see the Roles and Permissions article.
See jobs in the dispatch queue and on the calendar.
Job
Create a job
Book a job from an account, network site, or ticket.
Job
Update a job
Reschedule a job or edit its details, including the address assigned to it.
Job
Delete a job
Remove a job that is no longer needed.
Job
Allows a user to check themselves in to a job
Check in to a job assigned to that user.
Job
Allows a user to check anyone in to a job
Check any user in to a job, useful for dispatchers.
Job
Allows a user to complete their own job
Complete a job assigned to that user.
Job
Allows a user to complete any job
Complete any job, useful for dispatchers.
Job
Update a job skipping validation
Save a job that shows a validation error by overriding it (Misc category).
Job Type
View all job types
Select a job type when creating a job.
Job Type
Create a job type
Define what each job is, including expected time and settings that support automation.
Schedule Availability
View all schedule availabilities
See existing schedule availabilities for technicians.
Schedule Availability
Create a schedule availability
Set each technician's working hours and the job types they cover.
Schedule Availability
Update a schedule availability
Edit working hours, days, or covered job types.
Task Template
Create a task template
Attach a set list of tasks automatically to every job of a specific job type.
Address
View serviceable addresses
See current, future, and previous addresses when selecting a job address.
Ticket
View all non-private tickets
Find the ticket that needs a job created from it.
Inventory
Can assign inventory to accounts, yourself, or a vehicle you drive
Assign inventory to vehicles and technicians so they have what they need for a job.
Vehicle
Update the drivers of a vehicle
Assign vehicles to technicians for inventory and drive time tracking.
Technician Requirements
Set Technicians Schedules
Set up each technician's working hours so Sonar knows when they are available. A well-planned schedule helps ensure you have coverage during all business hours.
For the basics, including how to create Schedule Availabilities (the main building block for job scheduling), see Setting Up Schedules: General Overview.
Basics of an Availability
To create a Schedule Availability, go to Settings → Scheduling → Schedule Availabilities. From there, fill out the required fields.
In this section, you choose which users the availability applies to and which job types it covers. Both allow multiple selections.
After you save the availability, set the days of the week and the hours it should apply to.
You can add more flexibility to your schedules using Schedule Blockers, Time Off, and Schedule Addresses. These are all explained in the linked article above.
Configuring Inventory for Assignments
To make sure technicians have what they need to complete a job, you may want to assign inventory items to them. Before you can do that, set up your inventory system first.
The last requirement is the Sonar Field Technician app. It gives technicians an Android or iOS mobile app with data-friendly and offline access to Sonar, so they can view details and complete jobs without a laptop or relying on dispatch for every question.
Once your technicians are set up, the next step is setting up your jobs in Sonar. Jobs also need configuration so technicians have clear instructions on what to do when they are scheduled.
Job Types define what the job is, including the expected time needed and other key settings. Job Types are required to create jobs in Sonar, and well-built Job Types also support Sonar's automation.
Tasks let you list the work that needs to be completed on a job, an account, and other areas in Sonar. Setting up tasks helps create consistency and clear expectations.
Task Templates make tasks automatic. A Task Template is a set list of tasks that Sonar attaches to every job of a specific Job Type.
With the setup complete, you can now create jobs for Accounts and Network Sites.
In the next sections, we create two sample jobs to show different ways to create jobs in Sonar: from an Account or Network Site, from a Ticket, and by cloning an existing job.
To learn how to use the Date/Time picker, see the linked article.
Booking a Job From an Account
The first way to create a new job is to book it from an Account. This method is also very similar when creating jobs from Network Sites.
In this example, we'll create an installation job for a residential account using the Residential Installation Job Type.
Click the Account Name to open the account overview page.
Open the Jobs tab and click Create Job.
In the Job Type dropdown, select Residential Installation (or your preferred Job Type).Under Serviceable Address, use the dropdown to select the address where the work will take place. The dropdown lists the account's current, future, and previous addresses, each labeled so you know its relationship to the account.
Click Create (bottom-right), then click Done on the next screen.
The job keeps the address you select here as the location where the work takes place, even if the account's serviceable address changes later. This keeps the job's historical record accurate.
The job is now created and placed in the dispatch queue, ready to be scheduled. We cover how to schedule it later in this article.
Booking a Job Through a Ticket
You can also create a job from an existing ticket. The ticket can be created by a support technician or generated automatically, and it can be linked to the job.
Go to the Ticket List and find the ticket that needs a job.
Click the ticket name to open it.
Next to Edit, open the dropdown and select Create Job.
In the Job Creation window, choose the Job Type.
Because the job is created from a ticket, it is automatically assigned to the same assignee as the ticket, whether that is an Account or a Network Site.
Click Create, then click Done.
The job is now created and added to the job queue, ready to be assigned to a technician.
Cloning a Job
Cloning a job lets you create a new job using an existing one as a starting point. The new job is still its own separate job, but it copies the original job's notes. You can clone any job type in any status, including jobs that are Completed or Failed.
You can clone a job in three places:
From the Job Overview page: Click the dropdown arrow next to Check In, then select Clone.
From Jobs Table View: Find the job, click the dropdown arrow next to Check In, then select Clone.
From Dispatcher View: Find the job on the calendar or in the awaiting scheduling list, click the job icon, then select Clone.
Cloning opens the Clone Job window, which looks like the Create Job window. It already includes the Job Type, Ticket (if there is one), and a Note (including its priority). The note mentions it was copied from another job and includes the original job ID. You can edit the note like normal. If the original job was Completed or Failed, the note also includes any completion or failure details.
Any tasks, files, or images from the original job are not copied. You will need to add them again if needed.
After cloning, you can schedule the job the same way you would any new job.
Job creation versus job cloning
When you need to adjust a job, decide whether to clone the job, create a new one, or reschedule the existing job. The right choice depends on your team's process, but these guidelines usually help:
1. Is the subscriber changing the job details or scope? Create a new job or add/update tasks on the existing job.
2. Did the technician check in but could not complete the work? Fail the job, then clone it and add notes explaining what happened.
3. Does the subscriber only need a new appointment time? Reschedule the same job, no other changes needed.
In general, if a technician checked in and the job was failed, the best next step is to clone the job.
Setting the Job Address
Every job is tied to a specific address where the work takes place. When you create or edit a job, the Serviceable Address dropdown lets you choose that address from the account's current, future, and previous addresses.
Each option is labeled so you know how it relates to the account:
Current: the address assigned to the account right now.
Future: an address scheduled to be assigned on a target date. The label shows that date.
Previous: an address the account was assigned to in the past.
The address stays attached to the job even if the account's serviceable address changes later, so route planning, navigation in the Field App, and job history all point to the correct location.
Scheduling the Technician
Once a job is created, whether it is for an Account or a Network Site, you need to schedule it for a technician. In this section, we cover two ways to do that.
Before you assign jobs to technicians, you can check their availability in Scheduling Week View. It shows each technician’s jobs for the week, so you can quickly spot open time slots where new jobs can fit.
During Job Creation
When you create a job, you can schedule and assign it right away from the job card. Using the Infrastructure Service Call job as an example, here is how it works.
On the second page of the Job Creation window, click Schedule/Assign.
This opens the Schedule Job window, where you choose the technician(s) and a time slot.
First, select the technician(s) in Choose Users, or use Select all users if needed.
Next, choose whether you want to see time slots when all selected technicians are available or when any of them are available. Select a date (one day or a date range). After you click out of the calendar, Sonar will show a list of available time slots along with the technician names.
If you select a date range, use the date list on the left to view available time slots for each day.
If you need more detail, use Time Interval to show slots in 5, 10, 15, or 30-minute increments.
Booking multi-technician jobs
To schedule a job with two technicians, select both technicians, then choose the option to show only time slots where both are available..
Next, choose an available time slot, click Schedule Job, and the job is scheduled for both technicians.
From the Scheduling Calendar
In many organizations, a dispatcher handles technician scheduling. The Dispatcher View in the Scheduling tab lets your dispatch team schedule and adjust jobs using a visual calendar.
To open Dispatcher View, go to Scheduling in the main menu, then select the Dispatcher View sub-tab.
With the Dispatcher view open, you see a list of all queued jobs along the top banner. To schedule a job from the Dispatcher view, drag the job onto the schedule below.
As you create jobs, Sonar adds an icon to the map at the job's service address. If you hover over the icon, you see a quick summary of the job. You can also click Show Filters (under Reset Map) to filter which jobs appear on the map.
If a job is not scheduled yet, you can drag it from the map onto the job grid to schedule it.
Hold SHIFT while dragging the unscheduled job (gray icon) to place it on the schedule.
After you drop it, the job appears on the technician's row. Any unsaved changes show in a blue banner at the bottom of the screen. Once you save, the job is officially scheduled.
Drive Time Calculation
The Scheduling view automatically estimates how long it will take a technician to drive between locations. These times come from Google Maps, so accurate addresses matter.
Drive time on the left of the first job shows travel time from the technician's Start Point (their Schedule Address) to that first job. More on Start Points and Schedule Addresses is in Setting Up Schedules: General Overview.
Drive time on the right of a job shows travel time from that job to the next job on the schedule, based on each job's service address.
This is calculated by Google Maps using the Serviceable Address or Location that both jobs are assigned to.
Even if there is a gap in the schedule (like a blocker between jobs), Sonar still calculates the travel time between the job locations. It can also calculate travel time from the last job to the technician's End Point address.
If Sonar's drive time looks very different from Google Maps, first confirm the addresses are correct for both locations.
Scheduling Errors on the Calendar
If you place a job on the calendar where it does not fit, such as outside a technician's availability, on the wrong job type, or overlapping another job, Sonar marks it as Invalid.
Hover over the Invalid job to see what caused the problem.
If you try to save while an Invalid job is still on the calendar, Sonar shows a window listing the jobs and their validation status.
Users with the right permission can save anyway by overriding the error. To allow this, add the Update a job skipping validation permission (in the Misc category) to the user's role.
If you're a Super Admin, you already have full access and no changes are needed. To learn more, see the Roles and Permissions article.
To override, check the box next to the Invalid job and click Submit. The schedule saves, and the job is scheduled even though the validation error remains.
Updated
by Mitchell Ivany
Because the job is created from a ticket, it is automatically assigned to the same assignee as the ticket, whether that is an Account or a Network Site.
If you select a date range, use the date list on the left to view available time slots for each day.
This is calculated by Google Maps using the Serviceable Address or Location that both jobs are assigned to.
If Sonar's drive time looks very different from Google Maps, first confirm the addresses are correct for both locations.
