Customers pick an urgency level when they submit a booking. Three options, each with a clear meaning customers will understand.
The three levels
| Level | Customer-facing description | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Routine | "Schedule at your convenience." | Customer's not in distress; they want a tune-up, an estimate, an install. |
| Urgent | "No heat or no AC." | Comfort is impacted but it's not a safety issue. |
| Emergency | "Safety concern or flooding." | Real risk — leak, gas, electrical, no heat in extreme cold. |
Customers see these descriptions next to the choices, so they self-classify accurately most of the time.
How urgency shows up in the office
When a booking submission arrives, the urgency level is visible:
| Location | What you see |
|---|---|
| Booking inbox | Color-coded badge (Routine = grey, Urgent = amber, Emergency = red). |
| Dispatcher notification | Pushed to the front of the queue if Emergency. |
| Customer's lead record | Recorded in lead notes for context. |
What's NOT supported today
- No automatic scheduling. Even Emergency bookings still need a dispatcher to slot the job. The urgency is a signal, not an action.
- No automatic SMS to a specific tech. Routing is up to your team.
- No tier-based pricing. Urgent and Emergency bookings show the same booking form; you set any after-hours pricing as part of your team's response, not via the booking form.
Recommended response patterns
| Level | Callback SLA | Schedule target |
|---|---|---|
| Routine | Within 4 business hours | Within a week |
| Urgent | Within 30 minutes during business hours | Same-day or next-day |
| Emergency | Within 10 minutes | Roll a truck immediately if safety is involved (gas, electrical, water) |
Note
These are your conventions, not platform-enforced rules.
When to push back on urgency
Customers occasionally pick Emergency for non-emergency issues. Train the office to:
- Confirm the actual situation on the callback.
- Educate the customer kindly if they over-classified.
- Reschedule to a real slot if it's not actually an emergency.
This keeps your Emergency queue meaningful.