Setting Up Pre-Dispatch Instructions with Latchel
As a Property Manager, you can provide instructions for the Latchel team to follow before dispatching a service provider occurs.
These instructions are ONLY for Emergency work orders.
Benefits of Pre-Dispatch Instructions
- Provide the list of contacts to reach out to before dispatching a service provider.
- Provide special instructions to prevent dispatching for certain types of issues.
- Provide helpful contextual advice for the team because of unique property conditions.
The Pre-Dispatch Contact Details
This must includes a list of contacts to be reached out to before dispatching a service provider.
PM escalations before dispatching can be attempted via all contact methods. This doesn’t imply waiting for responses; moving forward is permissible if escalation contacts are unresponsive.
What Not to Include in Pre-Dispatch Instructions
Pre-dispatch instructions should focus on critical steps Latchel needs to follow before sending a vendor. Avoid adding general property notes, vendor preferences, or post-dispatch follow-ups to keep your instructions clear, actionable, and effective—because these notes can be configured in other settings of your account.
The table below shows what is not to be included in pre-dispatch notes.
| Prohibited Content | Description | Configurable through the Latchel portal? |
| Service Provider Preferences | Avoid including specific preferences for service providers. | Yes |
| Blacklisted Service Providers | Do not list service providers who are not allowed to service the property. | Yes |
| Warranty Information | Do not include warranty-related details in critical or pre-dispatch notes. | Yes |
| Custom Troubleshooting/Troubleshooting Tips | Specific instructions for troubleshooting should not be noted. | Yes > Product Request |
| Severities | Levels of severity associated with an issue should not be covered in these notes. | Yes |
| Post-Dispatch Escalation | Issues arising after dispatching that require escalation should not be included. | No |
| Unresponsive Residents or Service Providers | Do not mention steps to take for unresponsive residents or service providers in the notes. | No |
| Lockout Instructions | Instructions pertaining to lockouts should not be provided in the notes. | Yes |
| Pre-Approval | Any details regarding pre-approval should not be part of the critical notes. | Yes |
| Access Instructions | Specific instructions for accessing properties are not suitable for these notes. | Yes |
| Relay Instructions to Residents | Instructions that are to be conveyed to residents by the service provider should not be included. | No |
| Subscription Workflows | Notes must not cover workflows that are part of the property’s subscription. | Yes |
| Skip Troubleshooting due to Unresponsive Residents | Avoid including advice to skip troubleshooting due to the resident’s unresponsiveness. | Yes > Action Set |
| Utility Instructions | Do not include instructions related to utilities in the notes. | No > Link Ops Standard Process around utilities |
| Budget Limits or Budget-Specific Problems | Do not include details about budget limits or specific budget-related problems. | Yes |
| Bypassing Resident Availability | Don’t note instructions that bypass resident availability. | No |
| Work Order State Prohibition | Do not include instructions that restrict a work order from entering a specific state, such as “never cancel a work order”. | Yes > Action Set |
How to Set up Pre-dispatch Instructions
If you would like to set this up for all properties on your account, a specific portfolio, or selected properties, please email success@latchel.com for assistance.
To help us assist you better, kindly include your desired configuration level (company/global account, portfolio, or property) along with the instructions you want our team to follow before dispatching.