What Is Dispatching?

Newspaper dispatchers respond to missed or damaged papers, carriers with shortages, or general messages by communicating with drivers on the road. Circulation’s Dispatching module helps dispatchers locate and track items to be dispatched. Complaints, shortages, and messages entered in Customer and Route Service will appear in Dispatching, and dispatchers can enter follow-up information about the items once they have been dispatched.

Messages can be entered in both Customer and Route Service. Examples of messages might be: “Rack at the City Plaza is tipped over” or “Put up a tube for newspaper delivery at this address”. Complaints (such as “wet paper” or “no paper delivered”) are entered in Customer Service. Shortages are entered in Route Service. A carrier might call, for example, to report that she was shorted ten newspapers on her route today. In order to appear in Dispatching, shortages, complaints, and messages must all be flagged for dispatching when they are entered (by selecting the Dispatch checkbox).