How to Choose a Scheduling Type for Your Business
When to use host priority, dispatching, or dispatch advanced based on how your team schedules.
A scheduling type is how Alivo decides which rep handles a booked appointment. The core question is simple: when a customer books, does Alivo assign a specific rep right away, or does the job go into a pool for your office to sort out later? This guide walks through the three scheduling types, when each one fits, and a newer option that lets a customer book directly with a specific rep by name across your website, the phone, and text.
The Three Scheduling Types at a Glance
| Type | Who gets the job | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Host Priority | A specific rep is assigned the moment the customer books | You want the booking tied to a named rep and their calendar right away |
| Dispatching | The job goes into a pool for your office to assign later | Your office decides who runs each job after it is booked |
| Dispatch Advanced | Pooled for later assignment, but with calendar awareness | You dispatch later but still want calendars respected when booking |
Host Priority: When the Customer Books With a Named Rep
With Host Priority, a real rep is attached to the appointment as soon as the customer books, and that rep's own calendar is checked for conflicts. You control how the rep is picked.
Pick Host by Priority Order
Rank your reps. Alivo offers the first available rep at the top of the list, then works down the order. Good when you have a preferred person or a seniority order you want to honor.
Evenly Distribute Appointments
Alivo spreads bookings across your reps so the work lands fairly instead of piling on one person. Good when everyone is interchangeable and you want a balanced day.
Let a Customer Book Directly With a Specific Rep
Under Host Priority, a customer can now be pointed straight to one rep instead of the whole team, and this works everywhere a lead reaches you.
- On your website. Hand out a personal booking link for a rep. That link opens the booking page already narrowed to that rep's availability, so "book directly with me" actually books with them.
- On the phone. If a caller asks for a rep by name, your AI phone agent can scope availability to that person. It only matches when it is confident about the name and never guesses on an unclear one.
- By text. If a customer names a rep, your AI text agent sends a booking link already set to that rep.
Good to know: If the requested rep has no open times, Alivo quietly shows all reps instead. The customer never hits a dead end or sees a "that rep is unavailable" error, so you still capture the booking.
Dispatching: When Your Office Assigns Reps Later
With Dispatching, a booked job drops into a pool rather than onto a specific rep's calendar. Your office then assigns who runs it. This fits teams where the field schedule is decided by a dispatcher, not by the customer's booking.
Dispatch Advanced: Dispatch With Calendar Awareness
Dispatch Advanced works like Dispatching, jobs are assigned later, but it adds calendar awareness so availability still reflects real openings when the customer books. Choose this when you dispatch later but do not want customers booking times your team clearly cannot cover.
Which Type Should You Use?
- Want the booking tied to a person immediately? Use Host Priority.
- Want your office to assign the rep after booking? Use Dispatching.
- Want later assignment but with calendars respected up front? Use Dispatch Advanced.
Availability Differences by Scheduling Type
The types differ in whose calendar is checked when a customer looks at open times. Host Priority checks the assigned rep's individual calendar, so the times shown are that person's real openings. The dispatch types hold jobs for later assignment, so availability is based on your team's overall coverage rather than one rep's calendar, with Dispatch Advanced adding the calendar awareness that plain Dispatching does not.
Common Questions
Can a customer always request a specific rep?
Booking with a named rep is a Host Priority behavior. You enable it by handing out personal booking links or letting your agents scope to a rep, and it falls back to all reps if that person is booked.
What if the AI is not sure which rep the caller means?
It will not guess. If the name is unclear, it books with your normal all-reps availability rather than risk sending the customer to the wrong person.
Can I change scheduling types later?
Yes. You can switch types as your team grows or your dispatch process changes.
Still have a question this didn't answer? Reach out to our support team support@alivo.ai and we'll be glad to help.