--- url: "https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/communication-messaging/" type: "page" title: "Frontline Messaging Software for Field Teams | Skedulo" description: "Share schedule changes, job details and urgent updates with the people affected, and keep every decision connected to the work." --- # Team conversations, inside Skedulo. Dispatch, supervisors and frontline teams can message each other in the apps they already use for work. Discuss a visit, share a site photo or send an update to a regional team. [Book a Demo](https://www.skedulo.com/book-a-demo/) ![Home care worker messaging on her phone in a parked car](https://assets.skedulo.com/uploads/hub-heroes/uc-communication-messaging-hero-v1.jpg) ## Trusted by teams coordinating frontline work. - Achieve3000 - American Red Cross - Connexin - ECL Group - Mainmark - Rocket Fiber _Who it's for_ ## Messaging for the office, supervisors and frontline teams. A delay, absence or access change has to reach the people it affects. The conversation happens in Skedulo, and the confirmed change still goes in the schedule. _Runs the operation_ ### Regional operations manager Broadcast an operational change to a region or site and coordinate the response. [Explore operations leadership](https://www.skedulo.com/solutions/operations/) ![Worker taking a photo with a phone while two colleagues load a trailer](https://assets.skedulo.com/uploads/photo-library/home-services/cleaning-pest-property-care/cpp-09-a.webp) _Plans the work_ ### Supervisor Share coverage changes, handoff details and job context with the people doing that work. [Explore scheduling and dispatch](https://www.skedulo.com/solutions/schedulers/) ![Worker in a hi-vis vest using a tablet beside a packing line](https://assets.skedulo.com/uploads/photo-library/manufacturing-light-industry/consumer-goods-packaging/cgp-03-a.webp) _Does the work_ ### Frontline worker Read and reply to messages, share photos and exchange files in Skedulo Mobile between assignments. [Explore frontline work](https://www.skedulo.com/solutions/frontline-workers/) ![Technician using a phone beside an open indoor unit](https://assets.skedulo.com/uploads/photo-library/home-services/hvac-electrical-plumbing/hep-09-a.webp) _One Communication Operation_ ## A conversation for each team and situation. Use ongoing channels for a site or region, group conversations for a working team and direct messages for individual questions. ### Team & Location Keep a stable crew, care team, department, site, or region connected in one place. _Illustration: The Skedulo web app open on Messaging. The Find a channel search in the sidebar opens Discover channels over the dimmed app, listing channels with their member counts; region is typed and the list turns to central-region, north-region, the private region-leads with a lock, and south-region. Join on central-region becomes a green Joined, its members going from 16 to 17._ ### Shift & Work Share coverage changes, handoff details, and job or customer context with the people doing that work. _Illustration: One question asked once in the Skedulo #on-call channel, a thread card on a pale blue ground with the channel's 12 members: Doug Lindqvist at 7:52 AM, I can't make Saturday's standby, 7 AM - 3 PM, can anyone cover? Under 3 replies: Brooke Feeney, I can take it; Aaron Feldman, I'm free too, if Brooke can't; and Mark Doherty at 8:12 AM, Brooke covers Saturday, 7 AM - 3 PM, marked with a green Schedule updated._ ### Region & Incident Broadcast an operational change and coordinate the response across the teams it affects. _Illustration: Skedulo web app, Messaging: a new broadcast from Wade Brennan, Field Supervisor. Audience chips go in one at a time - North region crew and South region crew, then Harrison St depot and 2900 Larimer St - and the reach climbs from 12 to 38 people. Closure is picked as the type. The message: 2900 Larimer St is closed this afternoon after a power outage; report to the Harrison St depot; today's jobs there have moved to tomorrow. Sent: delivered to 38 people across 2 teams and 2 locations, read by 24._ _Tempo_ ## Draft and discuss updates with Tempo. Ask Tempo to help prepare a response using the relevant work records. Your team can review it alongside the scheduling or operational decision; available actions depend on your setup. [Meet Tempo](https://www.skedulo.com/product/tempo/) ### Unplanned site closure A site has closed. Use Tempo to help review the affected jobs and prepare clear instructions for the team. _Illustration: Skedulo Tempo working a storm warning from its issue: lightning and hail from 2:00 to 5:00 PM put three rooftop jobs at risk. The warning lands in red and becomes the task's header; Tempo reads the forecast, the rooftop work and the indoor work waiting. The panel opens on the storm hour by hour and the rooftop jobs for Curtis Mensah and Hoa Pham. Once the dispatcher starts the plan, Tempo moves the rooftop jobs to a clear Thursday morning, fills the afternoon with indoor work, and tells the customers and the crew_ _Shift callout, no coverage_ ### Shift callout with no coverage Use Tempo to help review the open shift and prepare a request for replacement coverage. Confirm the assignment in scheduling. _Illustration: Skedulo Tempo taking a sick call from a chat: the scheduler types Bridget Hanley, the name autocompletes as a resource, and sends 'called in sick for the rest of the day'. Tempo opens an issue for Sun 2 Mar on Ward B and gathers her hours, sick leave from Workday, preferred contact and the 12:30 - 6:30 PM shift left uncovered. Once the scheduler starts its plan it records her sick leave, lists three available nurses from Mastermind, has the policy engine pick Carol Ng for fewest hours, asks before offering her the shift, texts her, and allocates her when she says yes_ _Customer question_ ### Customer question needs an answer Review the customer's question with the relevant appointment details before replying. Tempo can help prepare the response. _Illustration: Skedulo Tempo working a cancellation from its issue: Dana Whitfield cancels today's 2:30 PM thermostat check, leaving Doug Lindqvist 2:30 - 4:15 PM open. The issue becomes the task's header; Tempo reads his afternoon, the queued work nearby and who asked to be seen sooner. The panel opens on Dana's note and the gap in Doug's day, and Tempo picks Nina Castillo's air conditioner repair, 12 minutes away. Once the dispatcher starts the plan, Tempo offers her 2:30 PM by text, books it when she says yes and rebooks Dana_ ### Urgent safety alert Use Tempo to help prepare a site update for the responsible manager. Follow your established emergency procedures for urgent safety issues. _Illustration: Skedulo Tempo working an urgent job from its issue: Harvest Table's walk-in cooler is at 41 degrees and rising, and JOB-4861 needs someone who handles refrigerant on site by 3:20 PM. The issue lands in red and becomes the task's header; Tempo reads the job and the qualified technicians' afternoons. The panel opens on the cooler's readings; only Brooke Feeney, on call 8 minutes away, can make it if her routine filter change moves. Once the dispatcher starts the plan, Tempo moves it to Friday, sends Brooke and texts both customers_ _How it runs_ ## A schedule change needs a conversation, too. _[ 01 ]_ ### A change to the day A delay, absence, access change, customer question, or other issue creates a need to update the people involved. _Illustration: A Skedulo message exchange lifted out of the #north-region thread: Gloria Benitez at 9:06 AM, running about 40 minutes behind on job #4821 - the parkway is banked up, can we shift the 2pm? - with 3 replies; then Mark Doherty at 9:44 AM: Done. Window is now 2:40 - 4:10, marked Schedule updated._ _[ 02 ]_ ### The affected team Identify the relevant team, shift, job, location, or role using the recipient settings configured for your operation. _Illustration: A Skedulo card listing the technicians on job #4809, 3 of 4: Aaron Feldman, crew leader, dispatched; and the members Andre Bassett, dispatched, and Brooke Feeney, confirmed - the people an update about the job is for._ _[ 03 ]_ ### Relevant details Include the relevant job or schedule and any instructions, files, or photos needed to understand the update. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card for job #4821, running 26 minutes over: its location, 123 Birch St, today's 2:00 - 3:30 PM window and the technician, Gloria Benitez, with Mark Doherty's 9:08 AM update under it - updating the ETA and texting the customer now, Pioneer Health has been notified - marked Schedule updated._ _[ 04 ]_ ### Questions & replies Use a direct message, group, or channel to ask questions, share answers, and involve the right person. _Illustration: The Skedulo web app open on Messaging, the north-region channel on the morning's delay. In the composer Mark types Can you sign off on #4821 at 4:10? and then @W, and the two channel members it matches pop over the composer - Wen Zhao, Technician, and Wade Brennan, Field Supervisor - the highlight moving from Wen Zhao to Wade Brennan._ _[ 05 ]_ ### A confirmed decision Record the decision and responsible person, then update the affected assignment or business record as your workflow requires. _Illustration: A slice of the Skedulo dispatch board - four technician lanes across a Denver afternoon, the now line at 1:24 PM. Gloria's belt check runs past its end, her 2:00 PM water changeover gets the rose overlap band, and the dispatcher drags just that card one lane down onto Doug Lindqvist, where it lands at 2:15 PM; a notice says the customer was sent the new window. Then Bridget Hanley calls out, her lane hatched from 1:30 PM, and her remaining job moves onto Aaron Feldman. Every other card stays where it is._ _[ 06 ]_ ### The operational record Record confirmed changes in the schedule or relevant business record. A conversation alone does not change an assignment. _Illustration: Skedulo mobile actions card for JOB-4821, water changeover service at Pioneer Health Systems: Helen Pryor, Facilities Manager, with call, SMS and email buttons; directions to 1160 Pioneer Way, Denver; the unit 2 asset record, last serviced 14 May; and Create follow-up job, pressed, which makes follow-up JOB-4872 in its place without leaving the job._ _Conversations_ ## Talk to a colleague or the whole team. Use direct messages for individual questions, groups for a working team, and public or private channels for ongoing coordination. Keep relevant updates and decisions in the conversation as people join. _Illustration: The Skedulo web app open on Messaging, the north-region channel beside the sidebar. The plus beside Direct messages opens New message: a people picker drops under the To field listing five colleagues with their roles, Gloria Benitez and Odette Ferreira are ticked, each landing in To as a name chip, and the composer reads Message Gloria Benitez and Odette Ferreira._ _Broadcasts_ ## One update to the group or channel. Share the change, when it takes effect, and what people need to do. Use the relevant groups or channels and follow up where a response is required. ### Team channels Send the update to the relevant team channel or group. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card for a group message titled Mark Doherty, Gloria Benitez, Odette Ferreira beside their three photos: Mark asks Gloria, Odette - all set for Pioneer Health at 2:40?, Odette answers Yes. Helen will meet Gloria at the dock., and Gloria replies Thanks - I'll message when I'm 15 minutes out._ ### Change details The change, the effective time, the required action, and the source. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging thread for today: Gloria Benitez at 9:06 AM, running about 40 minutes behind on job #4821 - the parkway is banked up, can we shift the 2pm? - with 3 replies, the last at 9:44 AM; then Mark Doherty at 9:08 AM, updating the ETA and texting the customer now, Pioneer Health has been notified, marked Schedule updated._ ### Supporting information Include the job or appointment details, files and procedures colleagues need to understand the update. _Illustration: A Skedulo job card linked in a message: the current job, #4821, 26 minutes over, at 123 Birch St, in today's 2:00 - 3:30 PM window, with Gloria Benitez as the technician._ ### Replies & confirmation Ask the people affected to reply when confirmation is needed, then follow up on unanswered requests. _Illustration: A Skedulo Tempo card on a soft blue ground: View agent reasoning, folded, then a box headed Actions complete with a green check. Three tools, each ticked green: Skedulo API, assigned JOB-4841 to Gloria; Message composer, drafted the text to Dana; Notification gateway, sent it to Dana by SMS._ ### Unanswered requests Follow up with recipients whose response is still outstanding, then keep the update in the channel where it belongs. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card with the settings of the heatwave channel: Archive is pressed, the status changes from Active to Archived, the row becomes Restore channel with a blue Restore button and a line reads Archived today by Dana Pruitt; then Restore is pressed and the channel is active again. Below, who can archive: managers and administrators; who can restore: administrators._ _Work in Context_ ## Sometimes a site photo explains it best. Share a photo, file or site instruction in the conversation. Colleagues can review the details, ask questions and agree on a response without piecing it together from separate calls. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card for the #north-region channel on a pale blue ground. Gloria Benitez asks at 2:05 PM: How do I get into the site? Leaving for Birch St now. Her message carries a link to JOB-4821, Water changeover service, which opens into the job's details: account Pioneer Health Systems, address 123 Birch St, window 2:40 - 4:10 PM, technician Gloria Benitez, status Dispatched. Dana Pruitt answers at 2:08 PM: use the loading dock gate on Birch St, the code is 4417, and Helen will meet you at the dock._ _Mobile_ ## Built for work away from a desk. Frontline workers can read and respond to messages, share photos and exchange files in Mobile while managing their assignments. - Mentions and unread state - Channels, groups, and direct messages - Work and schedule links - Photos, files, and reactions - Connection and synchronization status - Context that carries over between web and mobile _Illustration: Skedulo mobile app on an iPhone on a hatched ground, the phone cut off at the bottom: the #north-region channel at 9:08, where Gloria Benitez shared a delay on JOB-4821 and Mark Doherty answered. A notification drops in from Mark - Rebooked. New window on the job - 2:40 to 4:10. Tapped, it opens their direct messages: Mark asked if she can make 2:40 if he pushes the window, she said yes, and his rebook carries the job card - Water changeover service, today 2:40 - 4:10 PM, JOB-4821._ _Governance_ ## Control who can join each conversation. Use public and private channels, manage membership, and archive spaces that are no longer active. Set your organization’s rules for sensitive information, retention, and which decisions must also be recorded in the relevant business system. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card, Messaging settings: Create channels set to Managers, Add members set to Everyone, Edit own messages and Delete own messages as switches; the Edit own messages switch slides on and a green Saved appears in the corner, Delete own messages stays off._ _Completion_ ## Decisions in the conversation. Changes in the schedule. **Use the discussion to agree on a response and who will handle it. Record the confirmed change in the affected assignment or business system as your process requires.** ### Agreed response Confirm the answer or decision and record whether any action remains. ### Supporting details Keep the relevant files, photos and explanation in the conversation. ### Action owners Record who needs to respond and who owns the next action. ### Updated work records Update the affected schedule or business record so the confirmed decision is reflected in the operation. _Illustration: Skedulo mobile on an iPhone, open on the #north-region channel at 3:48 PM: Gloria Benitez's message tells @Mark Doherty that unit 2 is back in service and lands with a photo from the job - the red-handled shut-off valve and pressure gauge on the unit's pipework - and the signed commissioning-sheet.pdf under it, then Mark's thumbs-up reaction lands on the message as a quick acknowledgement instead of a reply._ _Analytics_ ## Communication activity and follow-up. ### Reach Review the intended recipients and available delivery or response data. _Illustration: Analytics tile: 78% of the week's 36 offers accepted, up 4 points, as a funnel of three long centred bands - 36 sent, 32 viewed, 28 accepted in green - one more acceptance landing._ ### Response Review replies, acknowledgments, and response times where those records are available. _Illustration: Analytics tile: 92% of the week's 24 open shifts filled, up 6 points, as a large donut with the median time to fill, 1h 40m, in the middle and its counts in a table beside it - 14 by targeted offers in blue, 8 by broadcast in purple, 2 still open in grey._ ### Resolution Review recorded decisions, assigned actions, and outstanding escalations. _Illustration: Analytics tile: 14 corrective actions open across 6 owners, down 3 on last week, the oldest open 11 days - a donut by how long each has been open, the median 4 days in the middle - 7 opened in the last two days in green, 5 open three to seven days in amber, 2 open eight days or more in rose._ ### Work follow-up Review actions linked to schedule changes and outstanding responses. _Illustration: Analytics tile: 14 changes to the roster since it was published, down 5 on last week - a purple staircase counting the changes day by day, Saturday to Friday, under last week's dashed staircase that ends at 19, and a swap on Thursday adding a step._ ### Channel health Review channel activity and identify spaces to archive. _Illustration: Skedulo web messaging card, Browse channels: denver-metro, north-region and south-region marked # with their member counts, north-region already joined, and hvac-escalations marked with a lock, private, 4 members, invite only; Join on denver-metro is pressed, it becomes Joined with a green tick and its members go from 34 to 35._ ## Sports Kickstart cut scheduling time 40% and grew 15% year-over-year. - **Before** - Spreadsheets, email, and text messaging to relay assignments as the team grew. - 300-400 sessions a week outgrowing an ad hoc process. - **With Skedulo** - One connected mobile workflow for both scheduling and communication. - Reliable information moving from the office to the road and back. - **Outcome** - Time spent scheduling cut by 40%. - Growth nearly doubled to 15% year-over-year. > Our business is growing since we started using Skedulo. We are seeing 15% growth year-over-year. We can continue to grow and it grows with us. Before using Skedulo, we were growing 7% to 9% year-over-year. > > — Diego Ros, General Manager, Sports and Soccer, Sports Kickstart - **40%** — less time spent scheduling, with growth nearly doubling to 15% year-over-year [Read Story](https://www.skedulo.com/customers/sports-kickstart/) _Related Products_ ## Explore tools for connected frontline teams. ### Products - [Skedulo Intelligence](https://www.skedulo.com/product/skedulo-intelligence/) - [Field Scheduling](https://www.skedulo.com/product/field-scheduling/) - [Shift Scheduling](https://www.skedulo.com/product/shift-scheduling/) - [Frontline Mobile App](https://www.skedulo.com/product/mobile/) - [Forms & Checklists](https://www.skedulo.com/product/forms-checklists/) - [Messaging](https://www.skedulo.com/product/messaging/) - [Analytics](https://www.skedulo.com/product/analytics/) - [Tempo](https://www.skedulo.com/product/tempo/) ### Industries - [Energy & Solar](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/energy-solar/) - [Home Services](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/home-services/) - [Telecommunications](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/telecommunications/) - [Security & Facilities](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/security-facilities/) - [Healthcare & Human Services](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/healthcare-human-services/) - [Manufacturing & Light Industry](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/manufacturing-light-industry/) - [Public Sector](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/public-sector/) - [Retail & Hospitality](https://www.skedulo.com/industries/retail/) ### Use Cases - [Field Service](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/field-service/) - [Installation](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/installation/) - [Shifts & Rosters](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/shifts-rosters/) - [Time & Attendance](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/time-attendance/) - [Workforce Management](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/workforce-management/) - [Home Appointments](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/home-appointments/) - [Asset Management](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/asset-management/) - [Inspections & Forms](https://www.skedulo.com/use-cases/inspections-forms/) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is frontline messaging software? Frontline messaging software connects field and shift workers with colleagues in the office. Teams can discuss assignments, share files and photos, and send updates through direct messages, groups and channels. In Skedulo, messaging is available alongside the applications teams use to manage work. ### How is frontline messaging different from SMS or a consumer chat app? Skedulo Messaging is available in the web and mobile apps your teams use for work, with administrator-managed access and channel membership. Share the relevant job details or a link in the conversation so colleagues have the context to respond. ### Can messaging support direct, group, public and private conversations? Yes. Skedulo Messaging supports direct messages, groups, and public or private channels. Configure membership and channel controls around how your teams work, and archive channels that are no longer active. ### Can we share job details in a conversation? Yes. Teams can include job or appointment details, links, photos and files in a message. Sharing information in a conversation does not automatically update the job or schedule; confirm operational changes in the relevant record. ### How do supervisors know who has seen an urgent update? Ask for an explicit response when confirmation matters and follow up with anyone who has not answered. For urgent safety issues, use your organization's emergency communication procedures; a message or delivery indicator does not guarantee it has been read. ### How does messaging help when a worker calls out of a shift? Discuss the coverage gap with the relevant team and use the configured allocation and offer process to fill it. Confirm the replacement in the schedule so the conversation and assignment agree. ## How does your team stay in touch? We'll show you direct messages, groups and channels in the web and mobile apps, using the conversations your team has every day. [Book a Demo](https://www.skedulo.com/book-a-demo/) [Explore Messaging](https://www.skedulo.com/product/messaging/)