Customize Fieldworker Job Decline Reason Form

OctopusPro’s Custom Job Decline Reason Form turns every “No, thanks” from a fieldworker into actionable business intelligence. By capturing structured, searchable feedback the moment a job is refused, your dispatch team can pinpoint recurring obstacles—distance, skills, safety, timing—and refine future allocation rules, up-skill gaps, and service-area coverage. Studies across field-service and other high-velocity work-order networks show that organisations which systematically log decline reasons cut rescheduling time by up to 25 % and lift overall job-acceptance rates in the following quarter.

How the Feature Works

1. Admin Configures Questions
   Path: Settings › General Settings › Forms & Checklists › Decline Booking Request Form → Edit.
   • A pre-built form is supplied out-of-the-box, so you can begin collecting reasons immediately, but you can customize it to suit your business needs.
   • For multi-choice items, pre-load standard codes—e.g. “Distance > 30 km”, “No licence for task”, “Unsafe site”, “Schedule clash”—mirroring industry code lists used in payments and recruiting to keep data consistent.
2. Fieldworker Declines a Job
   
   • In the mobile or web app the fieldworker taps Decline.
     
   • The custom form pops up; mandatory questions ensure you always get structured data.
     
   • Optional free-text lets workers add context (“need confined-space ticket”, “traffic restrictions after 4 pm”).
3. Real-Time Admin Alerts
   • OctopusPro fires an instant push/email/SMS to the dispatcher containing: Fieldworker name,
     Booking ID, Decline code, Timestamp, Extra comments.
     
   • Alerts let schedulers re-route the job before the customer notices a delay.
4. Job Card 
   • Each alert deep-links straight to the booking page under the Forms and Checklists box.
     
5. Dashboard & Analytics
   • All responses are archived in Reports › All Booking Reports › Forms & Checklists Summary.
   • Export CSV or schedule a weekly digest to spot trends (e.g., “Too far” spikes after you added a new postcode).

Practical Use-Cases

Sector	Example Decline	Operational Fix
Home Maintenance	Electrician declines “3-phase upgrade” → lacks certification	Auto-tag job with HV-Licence so only certified techs see it next time.
Courier / Delivery	Driver rejects CBD runs due to parking fines	Adjust route optimisation to assign micro-van fleet or off-peak slots.
On-Demand Pet Care	Sitter refuses aggressive-breed request	Add “Breed preference” filter to booking form and sitter profile.
Solar Installation	Crew declines roof over 35° pitch	Flag job for rope-access subcontractor; schedule joint safety assessment.

Benefits at a Glance

• Data-Driven Dispatch – fewer blind reassignments; 25 % faster re-booking cycle.
• Training & Upskilling Insights – surface repeated “skill gap” codes to justify certification budgets.
• Service-Area Optimisation – detect clusters of “too far” rejections and redraw geo-fenced polygons.
• Fieldworker Engagement – structured feedback loop shows fieldworkers their concerns drive change, reducing churn.

Configuration Tips & Best Practices

1. Keep Choices Short & Actionable – aim for 5-10 standard reasons; long lists slow the app.
2. Use Skip Logic – if “Skill gap” selected, reveal secondary dropdown for missing licence type.
3. Review Monthly – archive low-frequency codes (<2 %) to keep the form lean.
4. Correlate with Job Acceptance Rate – declining trends often precede JAR dips; address root cause early.

Configure the “Decline Booking Request” checklist

Step	What you’ll see / do	Notes & best practice
1 Open the form	Settings ▸ General Settings ▸ Forms & Checklists → locate Decline Booking Request Form → Edit	A pre-built form is supplied out-of-the-box, so you can begin collecting reasons immediately.
2 Review the default question	The system ships with a single multi-select field:“Why are you declining this job request?”	Leave it as-is for quick deployment, or rename the question to reflect your internal language.
3 Tweak the options	Click Add Option to insert new reasons, Edit to rename, or Delete to remove any that don’t apply.	Typical options include: • Requested time not suitable • Outside my service area • Lacking licence / certification • Parts or equipment unavailable • Safety concerns on site • Personal emergency / illness
4 Decide on photos & comments	Toggle Show upload photos? and Are photos mandatory? if you need visual proof (e.g., unsafe workspace).	Enabling the free-text “Leave a comment” box (already included) lets fieldworkers provide extra context.
5 Set visibility & timing	Visibility — default is Fieldworker & Office. Display at — pre-configured for Decline booking / Decline appointment.
6 Save & test	Click Save, then use the mobile app to decline a test job and confirm the form appears as expected.	Form edits go live instantly; no app update required.

Good to know: The default checklist meets most use-cases. Customising it is optional—ideal if you want to standardise internal decline codes or capture compliance evidence such as on-site photos.

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Admin Alerts & Response Dashboard

When a fieldworker hits Decline and submits the custom form, OctopusPro instantly pushes an alert to dispatch: fieldworker name, booking ID, decline code, timestamp, plus any free-text comments. Real-time email/SMS/push keeps dispatchers in the loop so they can reassign the job before the customer feels the delay.

Multi-Channel Delivery

• Configure notifications per admin—email, mobile push, or SMS—for flexible on-call coverage.
• Each alert deep-links straight to the job card and the decline record, shaving precious clicks off the reschedule process.

Response Archive & Analytics

All decline submissions live under Booking › Activity › Job Requests. Here, admins can:

What you can do	Why it matters
Filter by date range, reason code, or fieldworker	Spot recurring issues (e.g., “Unsafe site” spikes on night shifts).
Export CSV or schedule weekly digest	Share trends with ops & training managers.
View heat-maps & pie-charts of top refusal causes	Data-driven tweaks improve acceptance rates up to 25 %.

Fieldworker Decline Flow

1. Request Arrives – Fieldworker sees Accept / Decline buttons in the app.
2. Tap Decline – Custom form appears with mandatory, admin-defined questions (dropdown, multi-select, or text).
3. Submit – App confirms receipt; the job disappears from the fieldworker’s calendar, freeing the slot.
4. Voice & Value – Structured feedback (e.g., “No confined-space certification” or “Parking impossible—CBD”) shows fieldworkers their concerns drive change, boosting retention.

Example: Jane, a commercial cleaner, rejects a large office job citing “Lack of heavy-duty equipment.” The dispatch team is alerted, reassigns the job to an industrial crew, and logs an upsell note to add equipment-hire fees for similar futures.

Benefits Recap

• Faster Reassignment – Real-time alerts cut manual chasing and reduce downtime.
• Actionable Insights – Decline codes feed dashboards that highlight training gaps, territory issues, or unsafe conditions.
• Higher Acceptance Rates – Companies that systematically track refusal reasons report up to a 25 % lift in JAR within one quarter.

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