Choose Remote vs Onsite IT Support From the Actual Task

Give the Decision to the Person Running Dispatch

Keep the visit decision visible in the ticket. In the model, a team lead dispatches from the technician pool below about 10 desk people, with a dedicated dispatcher at around that point. That is desk headcount, not total company headcount.

The technical lead owns deciding what work is required. The person dispatching owns assigning it against the current schedule and agreed service priority. Make the authority clear even when the same person does both jobs.

Don't call this field service optimization. Name the task that needs hands and the person who can do it. The dispatch record should let the next lead understand the choice without repeating the investigation.

Ask Four Questions Before Assigning Travel

I'd use these checks when a ticket may need a visit. They are a proposed decision sheet for your desk, not a scoring system. A missing answer needs a next action and an owner.

An urgent need for physical work shouldn't wait for a ritual remote attempt. Equally, a request for a visit still needs its scope clarified. Record what the client needs done and why the chosen method can achieve it.

If the work raises a suspected security incident or requires authority outside normal support, use the relevant escalation process. Don't let the visit sheet replace that decision. The person dispatching needs to know who can authorize the next action.

Use Local Help Only for an Agreed Task

Ask who is available at the site and what they can reasonably do. Give them a specific proposed action through your approved process. If the person lacks the access or ability needed, arrange suitable attendance rather than treating their presence as proof that the work is covered.

Say a hypothetical client has received a replacement workstation but nobody is assigned to set it up locally. The technical lead confirms what must happen onsite before the remaining work can proceed remotely. Dispatch can then schedule that physical task instead of sending a technician with only a vague installation request.

If a suitable authorized person can complete the local part, confirm their availability and the handoff. Keep the remote technician assigned to the remaining work. A client agreeing to help doesn't close the ticket.

Record the result when the local step is complete. If it cannot be completed as planned, return the constraint to dispatch. Don't leave the ticket in a remote queue while everyone assumes someone else will attend.

Confirm the Site Before the Technician Leaves

Put the actual location in the visit record. Nick Clift recalls a technician attending the other bank branch in a town and fixing an unreported problem while the requested visit remained outstanding. He uses that account to recommend clarifying the request and site before starting work.

Check the location against the receiving contact and the task. Use the ticket to identify the relevant asset or room where needed. A familiar client name doesn't tell the technician which premises they should enter.

Have the visiting technician check that the required equipment and access arrangements are ready. If something is missing, decide whether another useful authorized task justifies proceeding or whether the trip should change. A van isn't a diagnostic tool.

Keep travel and the visit in the shared schedule. A planned stop at the same client doesn't automatically mean that technician can absorb another job. The person dispatching must check the scope and available capacity before combining the work.

Keep Ownership When the Method Changes

If remote work turns into a visit, retain the investigation and results in the ticket. Tell the receiving technician what has been established and what remains untested. They should know the purpose of attendance before taking the assignment.

If an onsite check enables remote completion, name who takes the remaining action. Have that person accept it. Don't use the technician leaving the premises as the completion condition for a ticket that still has work outstanding.

Tell the client what happens next through the agreed contact arrangement. Confirm a supported visit or update time after checking the schedule. If the plan changes, update both the ticket and the person expecting attendance.

Test the Decision on the Board

On Monday morning, does the board show why a visit is needed and who approved it? Read a scheduled job against the decision sheet. If its physical task or readiness is unclear, assign that check before treating the booking as settled.

Review completed visits for missing prerequisites and unnecessary repeat work. Record the actual travel and work so you can inspect where capacity went. A longer ticket doesn't prove the wrong method was chosen; use the task record to understand the reason.

Start with the next ticket being considered for travel. Have the technical lead identify the physical work, then let dispatch confirm how it will be delivered. Keep that decision in the record through the handoff and final check.