How to Use Dispatch

Dispatch allows you to pre-populate GoCanvas forms and then assign them to any users in your account. This is a great way to assign jobs to your mobile workers so they know:

• Where to go,
• Who to talk to when they get there,
• What needs to be done.  

Jobs can be dispatched from Work Hub individually or in bulk by uploading a CSV file. You can also use Webservices to push dispatches automatically to GoCanvas from your own system. As a reminder, the ability to create and edit dispatches is exclusive to the admin and designer roles

Enable Dispatch

To get started, you need to enable it on your form.

1. Go to your Forms page.

2. Click on the name of the form you want to activate dispatch on.

3. Under Settings, find Dispatch and click the Settings button:

4. Check the box and push Save to enable Dispatch.

Now you can use dispatch for this form.

Note: You need to have more than one user assigned to a form for dispatch to be configured. 

How to Dispatch Individual Jobs 

1. Click Work Hub.

2. Click the Create Dispatch drop down button and select Create New.

3. Fill out these fields before sending:

• • • Which form would you like to use? - Only forms with dispatch activated will appear on this list. 
    • Dispatch Name - This will be displayed on the Dispatch Calendar, the In Progress tab, and in the calendar invitation sent to the person assigned to the dispatch.
    • Description - Additional information about the dispatch that will show up on the user's mobile device. 
    • Assign to - This is the user that you are assigning this dispatch to. If you need help adding users to GoCanvas, please read our help topic.

4. If you want the dispatch work to be done in the future, you can schedule it by deselecting the Immediate Dispatch checkbox.

This feature is available for select plans. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or Account Manager to see if you qualify.

5. Hit Next in the lower right corner of the page.

6. On the next page, you can pre-fill fields in the form so that when the user opens it up on their mobile device, information will already be there. You'll see the available fields from your app. You must populate one field, but can fill in as many as you'd like. 

7. Hit Create Dispatch at the bottom right when finished.

8. You will automatically be placed back on the Create Dispatch screen if you have additional Dispatches to create. If not, you can simply press the Cancel button in the lower left corner of the page to return to Work Hub.

The In Progress tab will show the dispatch you created.

How to Create Dispatches in Bulk

Here's how to create multiple dispatches at the same time.

1. Navigate to Work Hub.

2. Click Create Dispatch and Upload Dispatches from the drop down menu. 

3. Click on the Download button next to the form for which a dispatch will be made. GoCanvas will create a .csv file automatically that contains the fields (as columns) you need to prefill to create dispatches in bulk.

4. Open the .csv file that downloads automatically to your computer. The first three columns represent the three fields you must complete in order to assign a dispatch to a user. 

• • • App Name: It will auto-populate the form name in the second row based on the sample you downloaded. Drag that value down to populate more rows.
      Note: You can dispatch to multiple forms in a single file. Make sure your form name is accurate.
    • Dispatch Name: This will be displayed on the Dispatch Calendar and in the calendar invitation sent to the person assigned to the dispatch.
    • Description: This is the name of the dispatch that will show up in the Dispatch Manager and on the user's mobile device. They appear alphabetically on the mobile device. 
    • User email: This is the email address of the mobile worker to whom the dispatch will be assigned.

Note: You must add users to your account if you intend to assign dispatches to your mobile workers.  

5. Save the file. It must be a CSV.

6. In Work Hub, click the Create Dispatch button and select Upload Dispatches.

7. Upload your file within the box with the dotted line on the right side of the page.

8. Push browse and select the file from your hard drive. 

9. Push the Import button to upload. 

That's it! Your dispatches will now appear in Work Hub.

Dispatch on the Mobile Device

Once you have created dispatches and assigned them to users, the information is available on their mobile device. 

1. The user will need to Sync their device to receive the dispatch. The message below will appear when a dispatch (or multiple dispatches) is received by the mobile user. You will also see a round black icon next to the form.

2. Click on the form with the dispatch assigned and see a list of dispatches available to the remote user. The dispatches will be named by Item Description. Dispatches will show up on this list alphabetically. The user simply clicks on the dispatch to see the pre-populated data. 

3. You can also view any current or upcoming dispatches by clicking on the Tasks banner on the Home page. If a user is ready to start a dispatch assigned for that day, select the dispatch and the first screen of the form will launch to complete as usual.

If you need your users to see their Upcoming tasks before the day of the scheduled dispatch, a feature called Future Dispatches allows for dispatches to be viewed up to seven days before the day of the scheduled dispatch. 

Selecting an upcoming dispatch will allow the user to see a static view of the form and any fields filled out by the dispatcher, but will not become a submission that the user can fill out until the scheduled day.

Note: Future dispatches is currently available on a by-request basis. Submit a ticket if you are interested in enabling this feature.

Tracking the Dispatch & Viewing your Data

The status of your dispatch will change on the In Progress tab as the user fills out the form. This allows admins to see where your mobile worker is in the process of completing this job. 

Below are the different statuses you may see.

Assigned - When the dispatch is created but not received by the user yet.

Received - When your user downloads the dispatch to their device.

Unassigned - When the dispatch is no longer assigned to any user.