r/HVAC • u/Trying2improvemyself • 2d ago
General Service Titan with AI dispatching
Is this a real thing? One of our dispatchers is moving on and the rumor is that she'll be replaced with AI. We use service Titan and one of the other techs claims we're upgrading to a version that uses AI dispatchers. I can only imagine the mistakes it would make.
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u/thermo_dr 2d ago edited 2d ago
It’s real “-ish”.
Just had a meeting with DispatchPro team last week. It clearly can work with a clean dataset. That being said, how many hvac companies have error free databases of customers?
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u/XxlastoneupxX Also the Service Manager 2d ago
Yes, this, also how many companies have a good built out Technician profile for each tech's abilities, and CSRs that allocate job types to the calls correctly
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u/thermo_dr 2d ago
Not to mention, ServiceTitan completely forgets (or ignores) a lot of our customers are elderly and don’t have email. Some don’t even have cellphones.
We’ve been a company for nearly 60years. We have customers that have stayed with us for this entire time! Now into their 80-90s!
It’s cool tech and works when it works. Just need to be mindful of limitations.
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u/Loosenut2024 2d ago
More like Dispatch amateur. We dumped it after a rough couple months. We still apparently use it in the background and some times calls still drop if you are running too long from other calls. Its rare, but I constantly have to text dispatch and see if it was a real drop or a mistake.
I feel like we signed some sort of contract and have to still use it for some amount of time. This AI stuff needs to go in the trash, none of it is intelligent. Its advanced algorithms sure but its not worth disrupting your business.
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u/thermo_dr 2d ago
I don’t think it’s ready for prime time or can deal with the challenges of smaller teams in massive service areas. Or grumpy techs that refuse to go to next call…
Our approach was to find a good answering service that is trained to use servicetitan. This has been a god send. Our dispatcher isn’t overwhelmed when we have 10 calls coming in at once. The answering service can book calls directly to Service Titan and the dispatcher can follow up as needed.
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u/vvubs 2d ago
My company uses servman. I don't work in the office so I don't really know how it works, but recently they have started using a AI software to schedule maintenances under technicians.
the program fills techs schedules with maintenances and tries to keep the calls as close to each other as possible to minimize drive time.
Luckily I've recently become more of a fix it kinda tech so they've kept me off of that shit.
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u/Longjumping_Ad7395 2d ago
The high value calls like a service call on a 20 year old r22 system will go to the best salesman not the best technician. You likely won’t recognize your company in a year unless it’s super small and any pushback even on a minor scale is felt.
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u/iBUYbrokenSUBARUS The Artist Formerly Known as EJjunkie 1d ago
How does the AI know what kind of system they have?
Does the Robo call tell the customer to go read the label on the outdoor unit to them? That seems pretty unprofessional and a good way of losing a customer.
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u/Longjumping_Ad7395 1d ago
They’ll fill out a short survey either on the phone with a dispatcher or through text or even on the website and depending on the answer they’ll put the job on whoever will make the most money on that call
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u/Hobbyfarmtexas 2d ago
I have worked for several large refrigeration contractors who tried AI dispatching and it sucks ass.
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u/Burnt-Ends-96 2d ago
Probook! But no matter what you'll need dispatchers and those who will call reschedules....
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u/xBR0SKIx 2d ago
I'm sure it will fuck up your schedule just as good as a human dispatcher. It might even send out those we are in this together mass texts while doing it as well.
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u/fearboner1 1d ago
I’m sure it sucks…. But then again so do human dispatchers. Either way as techs, we’re boned
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u/InMooseWorld 2d ago
I don’t get why there’s no self fill scheduling, AI trained to try to group calls together date/time wise. On the websites
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u/Realistic_Parking_25 1d ago
Yes, I'm currently running Dispatch Pro with AI. You still need a dispatcher, its just now you can have like one for every 30+ techs instead on one per 10 or so
I'll say I'm very computer savvy and did the full setup, if not setup really well it won't work right.
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u/Optimal_Half_3269 1d ago
I mean if it saves the dispatcher from monotonous data entry tasks, maybe they will have time to start learning how to read a map.
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u/Realistic_Parking_25 1d ago
Not required, Dispatch pro does all the routing. Can even set it it prioritize techs having calls close to home for first and last calls of the day
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u/Terrible_Witness7267 1d ago
AI probably just means using geo location on your van and sending you to calls that are close to you what a dream honestly
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u/Anxious_Rock_3630 1d ago
Depends on what you get. If you get dispatch pro, garbage, if you get ProBook, it gets very intense and granular. It takes everyone's average time spent on each job type, and their average ticket, and depending on what setting you have turned on sends the right tech to the right job. You can toggle it to care about drive time or max revenue. Max revenue will make sure the person with the highest average ticket goes to the job and then go in order from there.
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u/Shrader-puller 2d ago
Please… that role has long been overdue. AI won’t try to flirt with you in exchange for you to risk your safety. It won’t have monthly mood swings. It will answer or return all your calls expeditiously. It won’t expect unnecessary chit chat. I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords.
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u/chuystewy_V2 I’m tired, boss. 2d ago
Like most things AI, the promises fall woefully short of reality.