Glossary
Dispatch
Also known as: call dispatch, dispatch routing, tech dispatch
Definition
Dispatch, on an AI receptionist, is the routing of a booked call to a specific team member or vehicle based on the caller's request, the service type, the caller's location, or the urgency. A single-operator business doesn't need dispatch; a multi-staff or multi-location business does.
Why it matters
Without dispatch, every booking lands on a single 'all of us' calendar and the office manager hand-routes each one — adding 5-15 minutes per booking and creating mismatched skill assignments (the junior tech sent to the high-stakes job, the senior tech sent to the simple drain). With dispatch, the AI routes during the call itself: caller asks for 'whoever does gas lines', AI books the gas-line specialist. The result is the right tech on the right job with the right rate.
How it works
The business lists each team member during onboarding with name, specialties, optional schedule overrides, and aliases. During calls, the AI matches the caller's intent against the team list. Direct match ('book me with Carlos') routes to Carlos. Specialty match ('who does sewer repipes?') routes to the team member with that specialty. Round-robin or load-balancing rules can be configured if no specific routing applies. RingDispatch's Professional plan includes dispatch by name + specialty; Enterprise adds location-based routing.
Examples
- Plumbing shop with 5 techs: caller asks for 'the gas-line guy' — AI books with Carlos (specialty: gas-lines, water-heaters). Caller asks for 'someone Spanish-speaking' — AI books with Diego.
- Dental practice with 3 doctors: caller says 'book me with Dr. Patel' — AI puts them on Dr. Patel's hygiene calendar at the right slot.
- Multi-location HVAC: caller in 78704 zip — AI routes to the south-Austin truck, not the north-Austin truck.