Job Routing

Job routing is the automated process that matches incoming jobs to the right pros in your network. When a client submits a request through your referral link, Trusted Bench takes over—classifying the job, finding eligible pros, and sending offers until someone accepts.

This hands-off approach means you can focus on building your network while Trusted Bench handles the matching.

How Job Routing Works

When a job comes in, it flows through several stages:

1. Job Classification

First, the job is analyzed to determine:

• Trade — What type of work is needed (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.)
• Tier — The scope and complexity, which determines the referral fee
• Urgency — How quickly the client needs the work done

This classification happens automatically based on the client's description.

2. Building the Routing Plan

Next, Trusted Bench creates a routing plan by:

1. Filtering your bench — Only pros who match the job's trade are considered
2. Checking distance — Pros must be within 50 miles of the job location
3. Applying your strategy — Eligible pros are sorted based on your distribution strategy
4. Limiting to bench depth — Only the top N pros (your bench depth setting) are included

Your workflow settings are snapshotted when the routing plan is created. Changing settings mid-routing won't affect jobs already in progress.

3. Sending Offers

Offers are sent one at a time, not all at once. Each pro gets a window to respond based on your hop duration setting (default: 1 hour).

• If a pro accepts — The job is assigned and remaining pros are skipped
• If a pro declines — The next pro in line receives the offer
• If time expires — The offer moves to the next pro automatically

This sequential approach prevents multiple pros from accepting the same job.

4. Job Assignment

When a pro accepts:

1. Payment hold placed — An authorization hold is created on the pro's payment method for the job tier fee
2. Job assigned — The pro becomes the assignee and can see full job details
3. Others skipped — Any remaining pros in the routing plan are marked as skipped
4. Notifications sent — Both you and the client are notified of the match

The payment hold is captured after 7 days. See Referral Fees for details on the payment timeline.

Job Statuses

Jobs move through these statuses during their lifecycle:

Alternative outcomes:

Understanding Routing Slots

Each pro in a routing plan has a slot that tracks their offer status:

What Happens When No One Accepts

If all pros in the routing plan decline or time out, your overflow logic setting determines what happens next:

• Public (Marketplace) — The job is posted to the public marketplace where any pro can claim it
• Notify — You receive a notification to handle the job manually

Lost Job Recovery

Sometimes a pro accepts a job but it doesn't work out—the client found someone else or the job fell through. When a pro marks a job as Lost:

1. Payment hold released — The authorization is cancelled, no fee charged
2. Client check-in sent — The client receives an email asking if they still need help
3. Routing can resume — If the client says yes, routing continues with remaining scheduled pros
4. Or job expires — If the client says no or doesn't respond, the job is marked expired

This recovery flow gives jobs a second chance at finding the right pro.

Controlling Your Routing

Your routing behavior is controlled by four workflow settings:

Configure these settings in Settings > Matching Workflow to match your business needs.

Best Practices

Keep Your Bench Active

Routing only considers Active pros. Regularly review your bench and mark unavailable pros as Inactive to speed up matching.

Match Bench Depth to Your Network Size

If you have a small bench, a high bench depth means overflow happens less often. If you have many pros, a smaller bench depth keeps offers focused on your top choices.

Balance Hop Duration

Shorter durations (15-30 min) mean faster matching but may miss pros who are busy. Longer durations (4-24 hours) give pros more time but delay the client.

Use the Right Strategy

• Distance for urgent jobs that need someone nearby fast
• Rating when quality matters most
• Tenure to reward loyal pros
• Even Distribution to keep all pros engaged

FAQ

How long does routing typically take?

It depends on your settings. With a bench depth of 3 and hop duration of 1 hour, a job could take up to 3 hours to route through all pros (plus time for classification). In practice, most jobs are accepted within the first or second offer.

Can I manually assign a job to a specific pro?

Currently, jobs are routed automatically based on your settings. Manual assignment is not available.

What if a pro's payment method fails when they try to accept?

If the authorization hold can't be placed, the pro cannot accept the job. The offer moves to the next pro in the routing plan.

Can I see which pros received offers for a job?

Yes. On the job detail page, you'll see the full routing plan with each slot's status—who was contacted, when, and how they responded.

Does changing my workflow settings affect jobs already routing?

No. Settings are snapshotted when the routing plan is created. Changes only affect new jobs.

What happens if the job location doesn't have coordinates?

If location data is unavailable, distance filtering is skipped. All trade-matching pros in your bench are considered regardless of location.

Can a pro who declined an offer accept it later?

No. Once declined or expired, that slot is final. However, if the job goes through the lost recovery flow, previously scheduled (not yet contacted) pros may get another chance.

How do I know when a job is successfully routed?

You'll receive an email notification when a pro accepts. You can also check your Referrals dashboard to see job statuses in real time.