Hi! Thanks so much for your question! I'm anxious to see other's thoughts on this particular question.
We just added plumbing to our HVAC business a few months ago. I plan to have all my CSRs trained to answer and book calls for both trades. I think it's important to empower my CSRs to feel comfortable answering the phone regardless of the call type. It also gives them the flexibility to take time off, knowing that phones will always be covered by a competent CSR.
As far as dispatch, I have found that one dispatcher should be able to dispatch around service 10 trucks at a time (I know other companies may have a different number in mind). When we got to 15 service trucks we put a second dispatcher in place, so they could both keep a close eye on the board and manage more carefully. Each dispatcher was in charge of a "team" or two teams (depending on number of techs on teams). However, they both work closely together in case jobs need to be moved around.
In your position with 2 CSR/DSRs and 6 trucks, I would suggest that you cross train both to be a CSR for both plumbing and HVAC, and also know how to dispatch for both. However, I would assign one to be the main CSR, and first to answer phones, and assign the other to be the main DSR in charge of the board. However, they both could back each other up. Once you get more trucks on the road, you can start to increase those numbers and split the roles up a little more.
I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any questions, and what you decide to do!
