What a Dispatch Operator Actually Does at STEADYWRK

The job title "dispatch operator" sounds like a call center role from 2005. At STEADYWRK, it is one of the most technically demanding positions in the company — and one of the most important.

Our dispatch operators do not answer phones and fill out spreadsheets. They manage the 20% of every field service dispatch that AI cannot handle yet. The other 80% — work order classification, NTE quoting, contractor matching, SLA monitoring — runs autonomously through our AI dispatch engine.

Understanding this 80/20 split is the key to understanding the role.

The Five Dashboards

A STEADYWRK dispatch operator manages five concurrent views during a shift:

1. Inbound Queue New work orders arrive from customer facility portals, shared inboxes, and direct APIs. The AI engine classifies each work order by trade (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, general maintenance), urgency (emergency, urgent, standard, preventive), and estimated scope. The operator sees pre-classified tickets with confidence scores.

When confidence is above 70%, the AI routes the work order automatically. When it drops below 70%, the ticket lands in the operator's manual review queue. This is the first critical judgment call — the operator reads the description, checks site history, and assigns the correct trade and priority.

2. Quote Board Every work order needs an NTE (Not-to-Exceed) quote before a contractor is dispatched. The AI generates quotes based on historical pricing data, trade rates by metro area, and job complexity scoring. The operator reviews quotes where the AI's confidence is below threshold or where the amount exceeds client-specific NTE caps.