INTERACTIVE FIELD GUIDE
Choose a decision to schedule around
Compare the timing, records and checks for three recurring business decisions.
Which visits need a call before the vans leave?
At 7:45 on weekdays, prepare an exception list for the dispatcher.
- 01Read today’s open visits
- 02Check assignments and parts
- 03Group issues by visit
- 04Deliver the morning brief
What you configure
Set the dispatch time zone, the open-job filter and the destination. Include job references so the dispatcher can check the latest record.
Check before launch
Try an unassigned visit, a missing parts status and an empty result. Disconnect the data source in a test and verify the brief does not report an all-clear.
Illustrative workflow idea. Configure the required connections and test it in your workspace; this diagram does not run an automation.
Which quotes need an owner this week?
Prepare a list before the weekly sales meeting, while there is still time to assign the next call.
- 01Read open quotes
- 02Find overdue follow-ups
- 03Group by account owner
- 04Share the review list
What you configure
Choose the meeting day, follow-up date field and rules for closed or superseded quotes.
Check before launch
Include a recently accepted quote and one with no owner. Verify the first is excluded and the second is visible.
Illustrative workflow idea. Configure the required connections and test it in your workspace; this diagram does not run an automation.
What should purchasing check before the order cutoff?
Give the buyer time to investigate a low balance before the supplier stops accepting orders.
- 01Read stock balances
- 02Check incoming deliveries
- 03Flag likely shortages
- 04Send the buyer a review list
What you configure
Choose the supplier cutoff, stock threshold and data source for expected deliveries.
Check before launch
Compare a flagged item with its purchase order. An old balance or a delivery recorded late can change the decision.
Illustrative workflow idea. Configure the required connections and test it in your workspace; this diagram does not run an automation.
At 8:00 on Monday, a dispatcher has to decide which service calls need attention before the vans leave. Ten appointments have technicians assigned and parts on hand. One needs a replacement pump that has yet to arrive. A list of eleven appointments leaves the dispatcher to find that one job under pressure. A brief that names the job, the missing part and the person who can check it gives the morning meeting a purpose.
That’s a good use for a Cron trigger. In Chatigram, Cron starts a workflow on a schedule. The steps you configure after it determine which records to read, what qualifies for attention and who receives the result.
Start with the decision and work backward
Ask the dispatcher when the list becomes useful. If parts receipts are usually recorded by 7:30 and van assignments start at 8:00, a 7:45 run gives the team time to act. An overnight run would miss early deliveries. An 8:15 run would arrive after the first decisions.
Define the business time zone and working days when you set the schedule. Decide separately which records belong in the brief. A workflow that runs on Monday might need all open jobs scheduled for Monday, including a job booked on Friday. Reading only records created since the previous run would miss it.
Build a brief someone can check
Suppose your service database holds the appointment time, job owner, technician assignment and parts status. Configure a workflow to read today’s open jobs and select the exceptions your team agrees on. For example, flag a missing technician or a required part still marked as outstanding. Treat a blank parts field as something to verify.
A useful entry might read: Job 1842 · 9:30 visit · pump receipt unconfirmed · Ana to check with receiving before dispatch. Include a link or reference to the source record. The dispatcher can check whether the pump has arrived since the brief was prepared.
AI can turn several exception records into a readable handover. Calculate counts from the records and pass those values to the writing step. The distinction matters when two warnings refer to the same job: two issues can still mean one affected appointment.
Decide what silence means
A successful query with zero exceptions can produce a short “all clear” if the dispatcher relies on the daily brief. A failed connection cannot support that conclusion. Give the person responsible for the briefing a way to tell which happened.
Then try sending the same brief twice in a test. One approach is to store a delivery reference for the team and reporting date. Check it before sending another copy. If the sending service times out, inspect its delivery history where available before retrying. Agree whether a late correction should update the original brief or be clearly marked as a revision.
Choose other schedules by how quickly someone can act
A sales manager who reviews outstanding quotes on Thursdays may want one list of quotes awaiting a reply, grouped by owner. A purchasing coordinator may need a stock check every weekday before the supplier’s order cutoff. For each schedule, identify the next decision: assign a follow-up, review a reorder, or leave a record alone.
Try the first few runs alongside the team’s usual review. Compare what each method caught, what arrived too late, and which entries nobody used. For a change that needs attention the instant a record is edited, see the guide to database-triggered workflows. The Chatigram workflow cookbook shows how schedules fit alongside other workflow triggers.
