After a work order has been through the Pre-Dispatch Process, it can be dispatched to a contractor or supplier to be executed.
When you save a new work order, Pinnacle will initiate the Dispatch Process. If you cancel the Dispatch Process, Pinnacle will return to the work order window without saving the work order.
If a work order could not be dispatched when it was originally created, you can dispatch the work order by choosing the Re-Dispatch menu option on the Backlog menu when the work order is open.
If you did not choose to defer the work order that is to be dispatched, then Pinnacle will check if there are any other work orders for the same contractor at the same location that have been deferred. If there are any, Pinnacle will display a list of these deferred work orders. You can choose any of these deferred work orders that you would like to dispatch at the same time as the original work order.
Pinnacle will then perform the after hours check.
Pinnacle will check if the After Hours flag is turned on for the work order priority when it is assigned to the selected location. If the After Hours flag is on, Pinnacle will check to see if the local time where the contractor is located is currently during business hours or after business hours. If the local time is after hours, and the contractor has after hours contact details, Pinnacle will display a message to let you know that the work order will be dispatched to the after hours contact for the contractor.
If the contractor does not have after hours contact details, Pinnacle will display a message to let you know that if you proceed with this contractor, the work order will be dispatched to the business hours contact for the contractor. You can choose to continue the dispatch process with the contractor you have selected, or you can stop the dispatch process and return to the work order to select a different contractor. You must then start the dispatch process again for the work order after you have changed the contractor on the work order.
Pinnacle will now display the Dispatch window for you to select the dispatch options for the work order. On the Dispatch window you can check the comments, datasheets, attachments and permits options for the work order. Pinnacle will check if the work order has any comments, datasheets, attachments, or permits, and will turn these options on by default if any are found.
Pinnacle will automatically fill in all the available contact information for the contractor (either business hours or after hours contact information, depending on the outcome of the After Hours Check). You can then choose which actions the dispatch process should choose.
You can tick the check boxes next to the different contact actions (SMS, e-mail, fax, business hours phone, after hours phone, or internal e-mail) to have the work order dispatched via those contact methods. You can choose one or more dispatch methods; the only limitation is that you cannot choose to send by SMS only. If you select SMS as a dispatch method, you must select at least one other dispatch method.
You can choose whether to send a copy of the dispatch to another email or fax number. You must select at least one copy location, to ensure that the work order will reach the contractor.
After you have selected all the dispatch options, click the OK button. Pinnacle will then attempt to dispatch the work order or work orders using the contact information on the Dispatch window. Pinnacle will create dispatch entries in the dispatch queue, and the work orders will be dispatched via the Outgoing Communications Gateway program.
If you chose to dispatch permits with the work orders, Pinnacle will display the permits for each work order in a separate window. You can choose which of the work order permits you want to be dispatched. Not all permits may be relevant to the contractor, so you may want to be selective about which permits are dispatched. Pinnacle will display a new permits window for each work order included in the bundle, if you are bundling work orders together for dispatch.
Work Order Pre-Dispatch Process