A commercial plumbing dispatcher sends plumbers to repair calls at stores, offices and other buildings, and reworks the day when a business calls with an urgent leak. Before a plumber leaves, they check site access, parts and any hazard the owner has flagged.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Responsible for efficiently assigning jobs, tracking commercial plumbing technicians, and updating daily schedules to ensure seamless field operations and high-quality customer service.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assign incoming service requests to the appropriate commercial plumbing technicians.
Monitor and update daily schedules to maximize operational efficiency.
Track technician progress and adjust assignments as needed throughout the day.
Maintain clear and timely communication between the office and field teams.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and prioritize service requests and work orders at the beginning of each shift.
Utilize dispatch software to assign tasks and update technicians’ statuses in real time.
Communicate schedule changes or emergencies promptly to field staff.
Collaborate with the Operations Manager to optimize route planning and workload distribution.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Average response time to assign jobs: <5 minutes.
Daily schedule adherence: 95% compliance.
Technician utilization rate: 90% or higher.
Customer satisfaction rating: >4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; additional certifications are a plus.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a dispatch role or related field.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in dispatch software and basic computer applications.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous dispatch experience in the commercial plumbing or wider home services industry.
Familiarity with field service management and scheduling software.
Experience working in fast-paced, customer-focused environments.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks under time-sensitive conditions.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
Frequent use of a telephone and communication devices.
Occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds.
Capable of working in a high-paced, busy office environment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday to Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM.
Occasional evening or weekend shifts may be required.
Primarily office-based within a dynamic dispatch center.
Minimal travel between the office and local service sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $18 – $25 per hour.
Performance-based bonus opportunities available.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a growth-oriented company that values innovation and continuous improvement.
Our team is built on a foundation of mutual respect, open communication, and support.
We emphasize professional development and encourage our employees to achieve their full potential.
We foster a positive, collaborative environment where every contribution is recognized and rewarded.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What changes for a dispatcher at a commercial plumbing contractor
The plumber is walking into someone else's building, sometimes an old one, and sometimes the job turns into digging. A dispatcher who checks a few things first saves a wasted trip.
Old pipe insulation may be asbestos
When a building dates from 1980 or before, OSHA presumes its pipe and boiler insulation contains asbestos unless an inspection or lab test rules it out. Before work starts, the building owner must find out where it is and how much there is. The owner must also tell the contractors who will work near it. When a call involves old pipe wrap or a boiler room, ask the owner for that information. Pass it to the operations manager before you book the plumber. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.1101, Asbestos (construction).
Digging waits for the locate marks
A broken water line or a caved-in sewer pipe under a parking lot can turn a service call into a dig. In Idaho, the contractor doing the digging must notify the state's one-number locate center no less than two business days ahead of digging, and no more than ten. No digging until known lines are marked. Emergencies have their own steps. Put the locate ticket number on the job, and don't book the dig before the marks are due. Source: Idaho Code 55-2205: Duties of excavators.
Signed tickets get the work paid
Time and material work for building owners usually gets paid on a ticket signed by the customer's representative. Make sure the plumber gets that signature, the hours and the parts list before leaving, and chase any missing ticket the same day. A signature gathered a week late invites a dispute.
Island and rural jobs need a plan days ahead
A water heater swap at a hotel on another Hawaiian island means flights, lodging and parts shipped ahead. So does a repair at the far end of Idaho, by road. Group those calls into one trip when the customer can wait. Book travel with the operations manager, and make sure the parts arrive before the plumber does.
How much commercial plumbing dispatchers make
Dispatchers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $22.83 an hour ($47,480 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $50,340 median for dispatchers in all industries. About 12,070 of the 202,810 dispatchers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Hourly pay is the norm, sometimes with a bonus tied to how the board runs. The template's range straddles the BLS median for this trade.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$47,480$47,480 median Middle half $42,120–$56,740 10th–90th $36,830–$64,260
All industries
$50,340$50,340 median Middle half $42,750–$62,450 10th–90th $36,030–$78,140
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$36,830
$42,120
$47,480
$56,740
$64,260
All industries
$36,030
$42,750
$50,340
$62,450
$78,140
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together, residential and commercial. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Quick, sound choices about which job moves when an urgent one comes in
Clear phone and radio talk with plumbers in the field
Careful notes on access, site contacts and locate ticket numbers
Comfort with dispatch software, maps and several screens at once
Steady follow-up on unsigned tickets and open jobs
Teach these on the job
Commercial plumbing call types and which plumber fits each
Your customers' building access rules
How locate requests work in your state
Your dispatch software and ticket fields
Reading a basic floor plan or site plan
The board usually lives in a service platform like ServiceTrade, BuildOps or simPRO, with GPS on the trucks and a calendar shared with project management. Name your platform in the posting, and mention it if the dispatcher will also file locate requests online.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Prioritizing commercial calls
Three calls come in: a restaurant's grease interceptor overflowing, an office toilet clog, and a no-hot-water call at a small hotel. How do you rank them?
A strong answer: Puts the overflow first for health and damage risk, then hot water at the hotel, then the clog, checks who's qualified and equipped, and gives each customer an honest time.
Behavioral · Busy days
Tell me how you kept control of a full board when an emergency, like a burst main at a customer's building, hit in the middle of the day.
A strong answer: Names the tools and habits they used, the decisions they made, and how they kept customers and technicians informed.
The template's targets are examples. Track your own board for a month, then agree on targets with the operations manager and check them every week.
Average response time to assign jobs
Time from when a service request is logged to when a plumber is assigned, from your software's time stamps. Track urgent business calls apart from planned work.
Daily schedule adherence
Share of booked visits that started inside the window promised to the customer. Write down why each one missed: access, parts, traffic or an emergency that bumped it.
Technician utilization rate
Billable hours divided by paid hours for each service plumber, from timecards and tickets. Drive time between buildings shows up here, so look at routes as well.
Customer satisfaction rating
A short survey to the site contact after each visit. Read low scores for dispatch causes, like a missed window or no warning about a late arrival.
Does a commercial plumbing dispatcher schedule the construction crews too?
Usually not day to day. Crews on new buildings and tenant build-outs stay on one job for weeks, set by the field supervisors and the operations manager. The dispatcher runs the service plumbers and short jobs, and needs to hear right away when someone moves from service to a project, or when a project plumber is lent to an urgent call.
How much does a commercial plumbing dispatcher make?
Dispatchers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $22.83 an hour ($47,480 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $42,120 and $56,740 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
A plumber finds a bigger problem on a service call. What does the dispatcher do?
Get photos and a short note from the plumber. Tell the customer's contact that a price will follow, and send it to whoever prices larger work, often an estimator or project manager. The plumber shouldn't start work beyond the ticket without written approval. That keeps a small repair from turning into a free repipe.
Who approves overtime for evening and weekend calls?
The dispatcher suggests it. The operations manager approves it, once the customer agrees to the after-hours rate. Keep a short list of plumbers who will take evening work, and take turns down the list. That way the same two people don't get every late call.
The template mentions occasional lifting. What does a dispatcher lift?
Things like a box of printed work orders, a parts return set by the door for pickup, or a case of radio batteries. Most of the shift is phone, radio and screen work. List those chores in the posting rather than a weight alone, so applicants can picture the work.
