Your Bench
Your Bench is your trusted network of subcontractors and service providers. It's the foundation of how Trusted Bench routes work to the right people—professionals you know, trust, and want to work with.
When jobs come in through your referral link, they're automatically offered to pros in your bench based on your workflow settings. Building a strong bench means faster job placement, higher-quality matches, and more revenue from referrals.
Key Concepts
Before diving in, here are the core concepts that power your bench:
Active vs. Inactive Status
Every pro in your bench has a status:
- Active — This pro will receive job offers based on your workflow settings
- Inactive — This pro is on your bench but won't receive new job offers
Use inactive status when a pro is on vacation, at capacity, or you temporarily want to pause sending them work. They stay in your network and can be reactivated anytime.
Mutual Connections
When you view a pro, you'll see their mutual connections count. This shows how many other users in your network also have this pro in their bench.
High mutual connections indicate a well-trusted professional in your community. It's social proof that helps you discover reliable pros.
Adding Pros to Your Bench
There are two main ways to add pros to your bench:
From Find Pros
- Go to Find Pros in your dashboard
- Browse or search for professionals by trade, location, or rating
- Click Add to Bench on any pro you want to add
- Confirm the addition in the modal
The pro is immediately added as Active and will start receiving job offers based on your workflow settings.
By Invitation
You can invite pros who aren't yet on Trusted Bench:
- Click Invite Pros from your Bench or Find Pros page
- Enter their email addresses, or
- Copy your unique invite link to share directly
When someone signs up using your invite link, they're automatically added to your bench.
Managing Your Bench
Your bench dashboard gives you full control over your network.
Searching and Filtering
Use the controls at the top of your bench to find specific pros:
- Search — Find pros by name or company
- Status filter — Show All, Active only, or Inactive only
- Sort — Order by Recently Added, Name (A-Z), or Highest Rated
Toggling Status
Click the status badge on any pro card to toggle between Active and Inactive. Changes take effect immediately for new job routing.
Removing Pros
Click the trash icon to remove a pro from your bench. They won't receive future job offers, but you can always add them back later from Find Pros.
How Bench Powers Job Routing
Your bench is directly connected to your workflow settings. When a job comes in:
- Matching — Trusted Bench filters your bench to find pros who match the job's trade and are within 50 miles
- Prioritization — Eligible pros are ranked based on your distribution strategy
- Selection — The top pros (up to your bench depth) are selected
- Offers — Each pro receives the job offer sequentially, with time between offers based on your hop duration
- Overflow — If no one accepts, your overflow logic takes over
Only Active pros are considered for job routing. Inactive pros are skipped entirely.
Best Practices
Build a Diverse Bench
Include pros across different trades and locations. A well-rounded bench means more jobs get matched to your network instead of going to overflow.
Keep Statuses Current
Regularly review your bench and mark pros as Inactive when they're unavailable. This prevents jobs from being offered to pros who can't take them, speeding up the matching process.
Use Mutual Connections
When browsing Find Pros, pay attention to mutual connections. Pros trusted by others in your network are often reliable choices.
Invite Your Existing Network
Use the invite feature to bring contractors you already work with onto Trusted Bench. Your existing relationships become part of your digital network.
Related Settings
Your bench works together with your workflow configuration:
- Distribution Strategy — How pros are prioritized when multiple match a job
- Bench Depth — How many pros from your bench receive offers before overflow
- Hop Duration — How long each pro has to respond before the next one is contacted
- Overflow Logic — What happens when no one in your bench accepts
FAQ
Can a pro be on multiple users' benches?
Yes. Pros can be on as many benches as users want to add them to. This is how mutual connections work—when you both have the same pro, that's a mutual connection.
What happens when I remove a pro from my bench?
They stop receiving job offers from your network immediately. Any jobs they've already accepted continue normally. You can re-add them anytime from Find Pros.
Does changing a pro's status affect jobs in progress?
No. Status only affects new job routing. Jobs already assigned to a pro continue regardless of status changes.
How do I know if a pro is available to take work?
Status in your bench (Active/Inactive) is set by you, not the pro. If a pro is consistently declining jobs, consider marking them Inactive and reaching out to check their availability.
Can pros see they're on my bench?
Pros can see which networks they belong to, but they don't receive notifications when added. They'll know they're in your network when they start receiving job offers.
What's the difference between Bench and Find Pros?
Find Pros shows all professionals on Trusted Bench that match your search criteria. Your Bench shows only the pros you've specifically added to your trusted network. Jobs are routed through your Bench, not all of Find Pros.
How many pros can I have on my bench?
There's no limit. Add as many pros as you trust. Your bench depth setting controls how many are contacted per job, not how many you can have total.
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