Plumbing Dispatcher Pre-Hire Assessment

The short answer: First Move Assessment reads what a plumbing dispatcher does first when an emergency lands on a full board: check where the trucks and the parts really are, rebuild the day and call the customers whose windows moved, or move the problem to somebody else. It takes the candidate 10 to 20 minutes and starts at $149.

What the Dispatcher seat carries in a plumbing company

Plumbing dispatch runs on emergencies that do not wait. A burst supply line at nine in the morning, a sewer backup at a restaurant, a water heater leaking through a ceiling, all landing on a board that was full at seven.

A strong dispatcher looks first and briefly: which plumber has the jetter, whose truck has the water heater, which job is a two-hour repair and which one just turned into a repipe. Then they commit, rebuild the afternoon themselves and call every customer whose window moved.

They keep the promises the company already made, the member visit and the inspection slot that cannot move, and they send price, warranty, overtime and discipline to the service manager without a debate.

Every seat in the trade is listed on the plumbing 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.

Where the wrong instinct shows up

• The emergency sent to the wrong truck. The sewer backup goes to the nearest plumber, who has no jetter on board, and the customer waits for a second truck.
• The inspection slot lost. The rough-in inspection gets pushed to make room for a drain call, and the builder's schedule slips a week.
• The window nobody called about. The afternoon gets rebuilt and the customers find out when nobody arrives.
• The overtime said yes to. A plumber asks to stay late on a job and the dispatcher approves it, a call that belonged above the board.

See our guide to hiring a dispatcher, which covers plumbing and electrical shops as well as HVAC.

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. 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.

Does it measure dispatch software skill?

No. Software and the price book can be trained. The assessment reads the judgment calls the board throws at them every hour.