Overview
This section allows you to configure how service installation or activation is scheduled during checkout. You can enable these settings to allow customers to select a Preferred Activation Date and/or choose time slot(s) for Schedule Installation.
Configuring Preferred Activation Date
This setting allows you to ask checkout users for their preferred activation date. When enabled, users select a date using a date picker to indicate when they would ideally like to be activated. The interface clearly states that the actual activation date will be confirmed after the order is placed.
We recommend using this option when you want to give customers the ability to select their preferred activation date without requiring them to schedule a specific time during checkout.
When selecting Enable customers to choose their preferred activation date, a few additional settings become available:
- Minimum advance time — Specify the minimum number of days between the current date and the preferred activation date. This prevents customers from selecting dates that are too soon for your company to process the activation.
- Maximum advance time — Configure the maximum number of days between the current date and the preferred activation date. This prevents users from selecting dates that are too far in the future for your company to process effectively.
- Weekends — Allow users to select Saturdays and Sundays for their preferred activation date.
Order details
When the order is placed, the preferred activation date is visible in the order details in the Orders module as well as the ticket related to the order.
Configuring Schedule Installation
This setting allows you to provide time slots to checkout users so they can select when they are available for installation. You can control the number of time slots offered each day, how many slots users must select, and the integration which displays live availabilities from the Workforce module. The actual installation date and time is only confirmed after the order has been placed.
When you enable Schedule Installation, additional settings become available:
Time slots
- Click Add time slot to add a new time slot for each day.
- Specify the start time and end time of each slot.
- Click the bin icon on the right to remove a time slot.
Number of time slots
Specify how many time slots must be selected by the user, in order of preference. We recommend asking for 2 or more choices to help mitigate situations where multiple customers select the same time slot as their first choice.
Maximum and minimum time frames
Minimum advance time
Configure the minimal number of days between the current date and the preferred activation date. This prevents users from selecting dates that are too soon for your company to process the activation.
Maximum advance time
Configure the maximum number of days between the current date and the preferred activation date. This prevents users from selecting dates that are too far in the future for your company to process effectively.
Weekends
Allow users to select Saturdays and Sundays for their preferred activation date.
Workforce module settings
This setting allows you to create work orders directly in the Workforce module when orders are placed, eliminating the need for manual work order creation.
Work order type
Select which work order type will be used for automatically created work orders. Keep in mind the selected type will affect which technicians can be assigned, depending on their qualifications.
Learn more about work order types and technician qualifications here: Creating a Work Type
Technician availabilities
Filters checkout time slots to only show those with available technicians. This prevents offering time slots when no technicians can be scheduled. We highly recommend enabling this option if your company actively uses the Workforce module and maintains up-to-date technician schedules.
Auto-assign work orders
gaiia’s Auto-Assign logic automatically assigns technicians to new work orders based on calendar availability, travel time, and technician qualifications. To learn more, see: Automatically assigning technicians.
When enabled, you can optionally specify the maximum travel time for auto-assigned work orders. This ensures work orders in remote locations will not be auto-assigned to a technician and instead require manual assignment by a dispatcher.
Calculating travel time requires that technicians are assigned a base location. Learn more here: Creating a Technician
If auto-assign is disabled, work orders will be created with the status Pending, meaning they are waiting to be reviewed by a dispatcher and assigned manually.
Best practices
Preferred Activation Date or Schedule Installation?
We recommend using one of the two features, and not both simultaneously, to avoid confusing checkout users.
If your company is actively using the Workforce module and maintains up-to-date technician schedules, we strongly recommend using the Schedule Installation feature. This option can automate most or all of the work order creation and assignment process, significantly reducing your team’s manual workload.
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