Overview
Appointments in Fentu FSM provide a lightweight scheduling layer for managing confirmed customer visit slots. While work orders and tasks represent the work to be done, appointments track the specific date, time, and location that has been agreed upon with the customer — giving dispatchers and customers a shared reference point for upcoming service visits.Appointments link directly to service requests and work orders. Creating an appointment does not replace scheduling tasks on the dispatcher — it records the customer-facing commitment so everyone knows when to expect a technician.
When to Use Appointments
Use appointments when you need to:- Confirm a specific visit slot with a customer
- Give customers a reference date and time they can rely on
- Track upcoming visits across all service requests
- Distinguish between “work is planned” and “visit is confirmed with customer”
- Send appointment confirmations or reminders to customers
- Report on scheduled visit volumes by branch or technician
Appointments List View
Key Features
Confirmed Slot Visibility
Confirmed Slot Visibility
See all upcoming confirmed appointments in one view, sorted by date. Quickly identify which visits are happening today, this week, or next week.
Customer and Case Linkage
Customer and Case Linkage
Every appointment links to a customer and a service request (Case), giving full context without leaving the list view.
Status Tracking
Status Tracking
Track each appointment through its lifecycle: Scheduled, Confirmed, Completed, Cancelled, or No Show.
Technician Assignment
Technician Assignment
See which technician is assigned to each appointment at a glance and filter by resource to plan daily routes.
List Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Appointment reference (e.g., “APT-0042 — Cooling System Service”) |
| Customer | Customer name. Click to open the customer record |
| Location | Service address where the technician will visit |
| Case | Linked service request. Click to view full case details |
| Technician | Assigned technician or team |
| Date | Scheduled date of the appointment |
| Time From | Appointment start time (as communicated to the customer) |
| Time To | Appointment end time |
| Status | Scheduled, Confirmed, Completed, Cancelled, No Show |
| Actions | View, edit, cancel, or send confirmation to customer |
List Features
Date Range Filter
Date Range Filter
Filter appointments by date range to focus on a specific period — today, this week, or a custom range. Helps dispatchers manage their daily view without clutter.
Branch Filter
Branch Filter
Narrow appointments to a specific branch location. Useful for branch managers reviewing their own team’s upcoming visits.
Status Filter
Status Filter
Show only appointments with a specific status — for example, filter to “Scheduled” to see visits that have not yet been confirmed with the customer.
Search
Search
Search by customer name, location, appointment name, or technician to find a specific appointment quickly.
Creating an Appointment
Appointments can be created directly from the Appointments list or from within a service request.From the Appointments List
Select the Case
Search for and select the service request (Case) this appointment is for. The customer and location will populate automatically
From a Service Request
- Open the service request from Service Management → Service Requests
- Scroll to the Appointments tab on the case detail view
- Click Add Appointment
- Fill in date, time, and technician — the Case and Customer are pre-filled
- Save
Appointment Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Auto-generated reference number, or a custom descriptive name | Auto |
| Case | Linked service request. Drives the customer and location | Yes |
| Customer | Auto-populated from the linked Case | Auto |
| Location | Service address. Defaults to the Case location, can be overridden | Yes |
| Technician | Assigned technician or team | Recommended |
| Date | Date of the visit agreed with the customer | Yes |
| Time From | Start of the appointment window | Yes |
| Time To | End of the appointment window | Yes |
| Status | Current status of the appointment | Yes |
| Customer Notified | Flag confirming confirmation was sent to the customer | No |
| Notes | Internal notes or instructions for the technician | No |
| Remarks | Customer-facing notes (included in confirmation communications) | No |
Appointment Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scheduled | Visit slot is set but not yet formally confirmed with the customer |
| Confirmed | Customer has acknowledged and confirmed the appointment |
| Completed | The visit took place as planned |
| Cancelled | Appointment was cancelled by customer or your team |
| No Show | Technician attended but customer was not present |
Sending Appointment Confirmations
Once an appointment is saved, you can notify the customer:Review the Message
Preview the confirmation email or SMS that will be sent. It includes the date, time window, technician name, and any customer-facing remarks
Confirmation message templates are configured in Administration → Settings → Document Templates. Contact your administrator to adjust the wording, branding, or included fields.
Rescheduling an Appointment
If a customer requests a different time or a technician becomes unavailable:Cancelling an Appointment
To cancel a confirmed appointment:- Open the appointment
- Click Cancel Appointment or change Status to Cancelled
- Add a cancellation reason in the Notes field
- Save
- If the underlying service request is still open, return to the Case and create a new appointment for a rescheduled visit
Cancelling an appointment does not cancel the linked service request (Case) or work order. The case remains open and can be rescheduled at any time.
Appointments and the Dispatcher
Appointments feed directly into the Dispatcher and Resource Dispatcher views:- Confirmed appointments appear as scheduled blocks on the technician’s calendar
- Dispatchers can see at a glance which technicians have committed visits
- Dragging an appointment block on the dispatcher timeline updates the Time From and Time To on the appointment record
Best Practices
Set Realistic Time Windows
Set Realistic Time Windows
Give customers a window (e.g., 9:00–12:00) rather than an exact time. Windows allow for travel variability and reduce customer frustration when exact times can’t be met.
Always Send a Confirmation
Always Send a Confirmation
Use the Send Confirmation action for every appointment. Customers who receive a confirmation are significantly less likely to result in a No Show.
Create Appointments Early
Create Appointments Early
Schedule appointments as soon as a visit is agreed — don’t wait until the day before. Early scheduling prevents double-booking and gives technicians time to prepare.
Keep Notes Updated
Keep Notes Updated
Add site access instructions, parking notes, or customer preferences in the Notes field. Technicians can review these before heading to the job.
Review No Shows Promptly
Review No Shows Promptly
Follow up on No Show appointments the same day. Contact the customer to reschedule and understand the reason. Repeated No Shows may indicate a contact or communication issue.
Link to the Correct Case
Link to the Correct Case
Always link an appointment to its Case. Unlinked appointments break the traceability chain and make reporting inaccurate.
Common Questions
Is an appointment required for every service request?
Is an appointment required for every service request?
No. Appointments are used for planned customer visits. Remote support, phone resolutions, or internal administrative tasks typically don’t need a customer appointment record.
Can a Case have more than one appointment?
Can a Case have more than one appointment?
Yes. A single Case can have multiple appointments — for example, an initial assessment visit and a follow-up repair visit. Each is tracked and confirmed independently.
Does creating an appointment automatically assign a technician on the dispatcher?
Does creating an appointment automatically assign a technician on the dispatcher?
No. The appointment records the commitment; the task assignment and dispatcher scheduling are managed separately. Both should reflect the same technician and time slot.
Can I create an appointment without a linked Case?
Can I create an appointment without a linked Case?
It is not recommended. Without a Case link, the appointment has no customer history, no work order connection, and will not appear in case-level reporting.
How do I handle back-to-back appointments for the same technician?
How do I handle back-to-back appointments for the same technician?
Check the technician’s calendar in the Dispatcher or Resource Dispatcher before creating the appointment to confirm they have capacity. Allow travel time between visits.
Related Documentation
Service Requests
The Cases that appointments are linked to
Dispatcher
Schedule and visualize technician assignments on the calendar
Resource Dispatcher
Balance workload and manage technician availability
Work Orders
The work orders generated from service requests