Assignment rules: nearest, round-robin, zone owner and load balance

Open Setup → Settings → Automation & AI and look under Templates for Assignment ("Who gets the job. Suggests by default — auto-assign is a separate switch."). Pick the rule that matches how you'd hand out work yourself:

• Nearest available tech. The closest technician who is free, with fewest open jobs as the tiebreak. Options: Ignore techs farther than (km) (60 km to start) and Technician must match the job's skill class.
• Round-robin. Takes turns. Rotate among the whole team, techs with the job's skill class, a roster per service zone, or a hand-picked list, with Skip techs who are offline or busy if you want.
• Zone owner. One technician owns each service zone and gets its jobs. For a Job outside every mapped zone, choose Leave it for the office or Use the nearest available tech. See Service zones.
• Load balance. Whoever has the fewest open stops, then whoever is free soonest, then distance.

Any rule can be narrowed with Only for jobs with priority (for example, only Urgent) or Only for jobs needing this skill class, so you can automate the emergencies and keep routine work by hand, or the other way round.

Suggest first, then auto-assign

A new rule only suggests: the office gets a notification naming the technician, and you assign from the Scheduler to confirm. When you're ready, switch the rule to auto-assign (you'll be asked to confirm Turn on auto-assign). Jobs a rule assigned carry a purple A badge so you can always tell them apart.

Rules only touch unassigned jobs that are Pending or Confirmed. They never double-book a technician and never assign over recorded time off. A declined job goes back to the queue rather than to the next technician, so keep an eye on To schedule in the Scheduler.