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Not every issue that comes through your inbox needs a full work order. Sometimes a team just needs to be notified fast — no scheduling, no invoicing, no back-and-forth. That’s exactly what contact rotations are built for. The Contact Rotation feature lets you configure automated alert systems that immediately notify designated technicians or internal team members when specific situations arise. It’s a lightweight, direct channel designed for speed — getting the right person notified at the right time, without the overhead of the standard maintenance workflow.
Available to all customers. Contact rotations are available to every Latchel customer. You can use them for your Emergency Escalation Contacts, Pre-Dispatch instructions, and other alert needs.The on-call feature is the only use that requires an extra package. To use contact rotations for on-call, your company must be subscribed to the ER-SaaS-RBP package with “On-Call”. If you’re unsure whether this applies to your account, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

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Contact rotation help guides

Set up a contact rotation

Create a new rotation and add your first tech and backup layers.

Edit a contact rotation

Add layers, adjust schedules, or change who is on an existing rotation.

Set up absences

Record time off and assign a substitute so alerts are not missed.

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How It Works

Contact rotation is a structured system that automatically contacts a predefined list of technicians or team members — in a specific order or all at once — when a qualifying issue is submitted. It’s triggered by intake rules you configure, and it operates independently of the standard work order process.

Triggered by intake rules

Rotations activate when a resident submits a matching issue type — fully automated, no manual dispatch needed.

Ping alert, not a work order

Alerts notify via call or text. No appointment, invoice, or follow-up workflow is created unless you choose to.

Sequential or simultaneous

Layers can escalate one person at a time, or alert the whole group at once — you decide the escalation style.

Configurable SLA & frequency

Set alert retry intervals (5–30 min), total attempts (up to 5), and a response SLA (20 min–2 hours, default 45 min).
When an alert goes out, the contact technician can acknowledge it by replying to the call or text, or taking no action which passes the alert to the next person in the rotation. If no one acknowledges after all attempts, the final escalation group receives an email notification. Contact rotations are best suited for situations where immediate awareness matters but a full work order workflow isn’t necessary — such as security teams handling lockouts, internal staff managing parking disputes, or teams receiving alerts for non-maintenance events like power outages.

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Why This Matters

Contact rotations close the gap between a resident submitting an issue and the right person being aware of it — in real time, without manual intervention. Here’s why that matters for your team:

Faster response, fewer gaps

Automated escalation ensures alerts don’t fall through the cracks, even when the first contact is unavailable.

Lighter workflow for simple issues

Not every situation needs invoicing and scheduling. Contact keeps things simple when speed is the priority.

Built-in accountability

Every alert is logged — acknowledged, missed, or passed — so property managers have full visibility into response activity.

Measurable team performance

Technician scorecards in Analytics track acknowledged rate, missed alerts, and median response time over time.

Flexible for any team structure

Calendar or block rotations, multi-week cycles, and backup layers let you model your real team structure accurately.

Covers non-maintenance needs

Teams outside of maintenance — security, parking, facilities — can use contact rotations without needing the full maintenance workflow.

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Contact Rotation and the EEC / Property Details Section

The Contact Rotation feature is also used outside of the on-call context. When setting up your Emergency Escalation Contact (EEC) or Pre-Dispatch (PD) sections, you can link an existing contact rotation to those configurations. This allows Latchel to reference the same rotation you’ve set up when escalating emergency situations through those workflows. This is a separate use case from the on-call feature and does not require the on-call package to be active. If you have a contact rotation already configured, it can be selected and connected to your Emergency Escalation Contacts or Pre-Dispatch settings to route emergency escalations to the right people automatically.
Last modified on October 2, 2026