A Service Appointment is the scheduled event that links a Work Order to a specific field agent at a specific date and time. It represents the actual visit planned at the customer’s site. A Work Order may have multiple Service Appointments if the job requires more than one visit, or if multiple technicians need to attend on different days.
Service Appointments are created by dispatchers using the Dispatch Console or Gantt view in Zoho FSM. The system shows agent availability, travel time from their previous job, and skill match for the work required, helping dispatchers make informed scheduling decisions. Auto-scheduling can assign appointments automatically based on configurable optimisation criteria.
When a Service Appointment is scheduled or rescheduled, Zoho FSM can automatically notify the customer by email or SMS with the appointment date, time window, and the assigned technician’s name. Reminder notifications before the scheduled time reduce no-shows and improve customer satisfaction. Customers can also receive a link to track the technician’s estimated arrival in real time.
A Work Order is the overall job record covering what needs to be done, for which customer, with what parts, and at what price. A Service Appointment is the scheduled visit event under that Work Order, specifying who goes, when, and for how long. One Work Order can have multiple Service Appointments if multiple visits are needed to complete the job.
Yes. Rescheduling only affects the Service Appointment record, not the parent Work Order. The dispatcher changes the date, time, or assigned agent in the Appointment record. The Work Order retains all its other details. Customer notifications for the new schedule can be triggered automatically when the appointment is saved.
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