Site Visits & Calendar

Overview

Site visits are the operational backbone of your field service business. Check-in ARTISAN provides a full-featured scheduling system that lets you book interventions, assign staff, manage a job backlog, and view your schedule in both calendar and list formats. This guide covers every aspect of site visit management.

Creating a Site Visit

To create a new site visit, navigate to the Site Visits section and click the Create button. You can also create site visits directly from the calendar view by clicking on a time slot.

Selecting the Job

The first and most important field is the Job selector. When you select a job, the system automatically links the site visit to that job's customer. This means you do not need to separately select a customer -- the relationship is inferred from the job.

The job dropdown is searchable. Start typing the job name or the customer's name to quickly find the right record.

Tip: If the job does not exist yet, you will need to create it first (either from the Jobs section or from the customer's profile). Site visits always require an existing job record.

Date and Time

Each site visit has a start date/time and an end date/time:

• Start -- When the intervention is scheduled to begin on site.
• End -- When the work is expected to be completed.

Both fields use date-time pickers that respect your business timezone setting. Set realistic durations based on the type of work being performed and the job's scope.

Common Intervention Durations

These are general guidelines. Adjust based on your experience and the specific job's complexity and site conditions.

Staff Assignment

Check-in ARTISAN provides flexible staff assignment for each site visit.

Staff Field (Free Text)

The Staff field is a free-text input where you can type any name or description. This is intentionally flexible -- you can enter a technician's name, a van number, or any other identifier that makes sense for your dispatch workflow.

Examples:

• "Jean-Paul"
• "Van 3"
• "Morning team"

Person in Charge and Assistants

In addition to the free-text staff field, each site visit can have structured staff assignments:

• Person in charge -- The primary tradesperson responsible for this visit. This is selected from your team members (defined in Settings > Team).
• Assistant 1 -- An optional first assistant, also selected from your team members.
• Assistant 2 -- An optional second assistant, also selected from your team members.

To set up team members, go to Settings > Team and add your staff with their first and last names. See Shop Settings for details.

These structured assignments allow you to:

• Track who worked on which intervention.
• Balance workloads across your team.
• Maintain accountability for the quality of each visit.

Slot / Position Number

The Slot number field lets you assign a numbered slot or position (1 through 30) to each site visit. This is a practical feature for businesses that manage multiple concurrent interventions:

• Assign a slot number when the site visit is confirmed to track your daily dispatch order.
• Staff can quickly identify their position in the day's schedule by checking the slot number.
• The number range (1--30) accommodates most team sizes and daily volumes.

Not every business uses slot numbers. If your workflow does not require them, simply leave this field empty.

Job Backlog

The Job backlog toggle allows you to flag a site visit as pending or unscheduled rather than confirmed.

How the Job Backlog Works

• When the toggle is enabled, the site visit is created but marked as "backlog."
• Backlog site visits appear differently in the calendar and list views, making them easy to distinguish from confirmed bookings.
• When a confirmed slot opens up, you can edit the backlog visit, set the appropriate date and time, and turn off the backlog toggle to confirm it.

When to Use the Job Backlog

• A customer wants work done in a specific week but you are fully committed -- add them to the backlog so you do not lose track.
• A job is scoped but awaiting parts or a permit before it can be scheduled.
• You have a tentative booking that has not yet been confirmed by the customer.

Filtering by Job Backlog

The site visit list view includes a filter for backlog entries, making it easy to review all pending work at a glance.

Dedicated Job Backlog Page

In addition to the filter in the site visit list, Check-in ARTISAN provides a dedicated Job Backlog page accessible from the Business navigation group (right after Site Visits). This page shows all backlog site visits sorted by creation date, giving you a clear overview of which jobs have been waiting the longest.

From the backlog page, you can click on any entry to edit it -- for example, to assign a date and time and remove the backlog flag once a slot opens up.

Comments and Notes

Each site visit has three distinct comment fields, each serving a different purpose:

Customer-Facing Comment

This is a note that may be shared with or visible to the customer. Use it for information the client needs to know:

• "Please ensure the water mains are accessible before the technician arrives."
• "Visit includes pressure test and full inspection of all connections."
• "Customer requested work to be completed before 3 PM."

Staff-Only Notes

These notes are strictly internal and are never shown to the customer. Use them for operational details:

• "Access code for the electrical panel: 1492. Do not share with tenant."
• "Customer is usually 10-15 minutes late to open the door -- allow extra time."
• "Last visit we found concealed corrosion behind the panel. Check adjacent pipework this time."

Post-Visit Notes

An additional field specifically intended for notes recorded after the intervention is complete:

• "Work completed. Replaced 4m of copper pipe. Pressure test passed. Customer signed off."
• "Could not complete second fix -- materials delivery delayed. Rescheduled for next Thursday."
• "Found additional fault in the consumer unit. Quoted customer separately for repair."

Having separate comment fields prevents accidental sharing of internal notes with customers and keeps all information organized across the visit lifecycle.

Calendar View vs. List View

Check-in ARTISAN offers two ways to view your site visits:

Calendar View

The calendar view displays site visits in a traditional calendar format:

• Day view -- See all site visits for a single day, laid out by time.
• Week view -- A week-at-a-glance showing all interventions across the week.
• Month view -- A high-level monthly overview.

The calendar view is ideal for:

• Visualizing your day's dispatch schedule at a glance.
• Spotting gaps in your schedule that could be filled.
• Understanding your team's workload distribution across the week.

Site visits are displayed as colored blocks on the calendar. You can click on any visit to view its details or edit it.

List View

The list view displays site visits in a tabular format with sortable columns:

• Job name
• Customer name
• Date and time
• Staff assignment
• Status (confirmed / backlog)

The list view is ideal for:

• Searching for specific site visits.
• Applying filters (see below).
• Bulk operations on multiple entries.
• Getting a quick overview without the visual overhead of a calendar.

You can switch between views using the toggle at the top of the Site Visits section.

Schedule Slots

Schedule slots allow you to define your business's operating hours and capacity on a per-weekday basis.

Configuring Schedule Slots

Each schedule slot entry includes:

• Weekday -- The day of the week this slot applies to (Monday through Sunday).
• Time -- The start time of the slot.
• Max jobs per slot -- The maximum number of site visits that can be booked into this time slot.

Example Configuration

Capacity Planning

The "max jobs per slot" setting helps prevent overbooking:

• Set it based on the number of technicians available during that time slot.
• Reduce it for slots where you expect longer or more complex interventions.
• Leave some buffer for emergency callouts or visits that run over time.

Filters

The site visit list view provides filters to help you find exactly what you need:

Job Backlog Filter

Toggle this filter to see only site visits that are in the backlog. This is the quickest way to review all pending work when an opening becomes available in your schedule.

Upcoming Filter

Filter site visits to show only future visits. This hides past interventions and focuses your view on what is coming up.

Additional Filtering

You can also use the search bar to find site visits by:

• Job name
• Customer name
• Staff member

Combining search with filters lets you quickly answer questions like "What are Jean-Paul's upcoming site visits?" or "Which backlog jobs are due this week?"

Site Visit Workflow

Here is a typical workflow for managing site visits in Check-in ARTISAN:

Before the Visit

1. Create the site visit -- Select the job, set the date and time, assign staff.
2. Add internal notes -- Record any special instructions, access codes, or preparation requirements in the staff-only notes.
3. Assign a slot number -- If your business uses numbered dispatch slots.

During the Visit

1. Check in on site -- Verify the visit details and any special requirements.
2. Refer to notes -- Check the job profile and site visit notes for any special handling instructions.
3. Update as needed -- If the visit runs longer or shorter than expected, update the end time.

After the Visit

1. Add post-visit notes -- Record what was done, any observations, and recommended follow-up work.
2. Create an invoice -- Link the site visit to an invoice for billing (see Invoicing & Quotes).
3. Update the job profile -- Add photos, update job status, or note any changes in scope.

Best Practices

Allow Travel Time Between Visits

Do not book site visits back-to-back with zero gap. Field work often runs over time, and your technicians need travel time between locations. A buffer of at least 30 minutes between visits in different areas is a good starting point.

Use the Job Backlog Proactively

When a customer requests work and your schedule is full, always add them to the backlog rather than asking them to call back later. It shows you value their business and creates a clear pipeline to work through when gaps open up.

Keep Post-Visit Notes Current

Post-visit notes are valuable for the next intervention. If a particular approach worked well (or did not), note it. If additional work was identified, document it. Over time, these notes build up into a comprehensive intervention history for each job.

Review Your Schedule Daily

Start each day by reviewing the calendar view. Check for:

• Any special access requirements or site constraints noted in staff-only comments.
• Jobs that may need extra time or specialist equipment.
• Backlog entries that could be slotted into gaps in the current day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have recurring site visits?

Check-in ARTISAN does not currently support automatically recurring site visits. You will need to create each visit individually. However, you can use the previous visit as a reference for timing and notes, which is particularly useful for scheduled maintenance contracts.

What happens if I delete a site visit?

Deleting a site visit removes it from the calendar and list views. Any invoices linked to that visit retain their data, but the visit reference will be cleared.

Can multiple jobs have the same slot number at the same time?

The system does not enforce unique slot numbers per time slot. It is up to your team to manage slot assignments to avoid conflicts during dispatch.

Next Steps

With your schedule in place, learn how to bill your clients for their field interventions:

• Invoicing & Quotes -- Create professional quotes and invoices with automatic numbering and PDF generation.