HVAC Dispatcher Pre-Hire Assessment
The short answer: First Move Assessment reads what an HVAC dispatcher does first when the board breaks: a short look at where the trucks really are and then a rebuilt afternoon, or a scramble that moves the problem to somebody else. It takes the candidate 10 to 20 minutes and starts at $149.
Your first report is covered by a 30-day refund.
How it works
- 1. Pick the seat and send the link.Enter their name and email. About a minute of your day.
- 2. They answer on any phone or computer.10 to 20 minutes. No account, no login, no download.
- 3. The report lands in your inbox.As soon as they finish, ready before the interview.
A seat is the job you are filling, from Service Technician and Dispatcher to General Manager and Chief Financial Officer.
What the Dispatcher seat carries in an HVAC company
In July the HVAC dispatch board is a promise to every customer on it. A technician runs long on a compressor change, two no-cools land before noon, a member with a no-cool is owed priority, and the dispatcher has to decide who gets pulled, who gets called and who waits, in minutes, while the phones keep ringing.
A strong dispatcher looks before they answer, and the looking is short: where the truck actually is, what the notes say, whether the part is on it. Then they commit, rebuild the afternoon themselves and call the customers whose windows moved.
They also know which questions are not theirs. Price, warranty, overtime and anybody's discipline go up to the service manager the moment they come in, without a debate. A dispatcher who settles those at the board makes promises the company did not make.
Every seat in the trade is listed on the HVAC page.
What the standard for this seat measures
Every situation the candidate reads is written from inside this seat, in the trade's own words, and each one asks for the move they would make first. The report gives a seat match from 0 to 100 against the written standard for the Dispatcher seat, with its margin of error printed beside it. It shows where the candidate's instincts line up with the seat and where they pull away, with the interview questions to ask about the gaps and what to listen for in the answers. It does not tell you whom to hire. You make the decision.
For this seat the standard leans on a short check before committing, on owning the day's fix, and on routing the questions that sit above the board. It also reads how they hold up when people with standing push on the board, because technicians, CSRs, managers and the owner all push on the board.
Where the wrong instinct shows up
- The board by ten in the morning that nobody trusts. The dispatcher says yes to every technician, every CSR and every manager who asks for a change, and the day stops matching the screen.
- The window nobody called about. The afternoon gets rebuilt, the technicians know, and the customer finds out when nobody shows up.
- The price settled at the board. A customer pushes for a lower diagnostic fee and the dispatcher waives it to keep the peace, a call that belonged to the service manager.
- The same Tuesday problem. The booking pattern that breaks the board every Tuesday gets fixed by hand every Tuesday and never written down.
See our guide to hiring a dispatcher.
For the interview itself, see the HVAC dispatcher interview questions.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Dispatcher assessment cost?
One assessment is $149. A 5 Pack is $595, a 10 Pack is $995 ($99.50 a candidate) and a 25 Pack is $1,995 ($79.80 a candidate). The Practice License is $4,950 a year and includes 100 assessments ($49.50 each). Every seat costs the same, and assessments never expire. Your first report is covered by a 30-day refund. Full details are on the pricing page.
How long does it take the candidate?
About 10 to 20 minutes on a phone or a computer, with no app and no account. The candidate link expires 30 days after you send it.
How do I get the report?
You pick the seat and enter the candidate's name and email, and the link goes out. The report lands in your inbox the moment the candidate finishes, and it stays in your account for four years, unless you delete it or close the account.
Is dispatcher the same seat as CSR?
No. They are separate seats with separate written standards. The CSR wins or loses the call; the dispatcher keeps the board's promises. If one person will do both jobs, send both assessments and read each report against its own seat's standard.
Can a technician moving into dispatch take it?
Yes. Send the Dispatcher assessment to the technician you are thinking of moving inside, and you see how they read against the board before they sit at it.