On-time arrival rate
On-time arrival rate is the percentage of scheduled visits where the technician arrives within the promised arrival window, calculated against all scheduled visits in a period — the customer-facing measure of whether the shop turns up when it said it would.
The inputs.
- Visits starting on timeVisits that start inside their scheduled arrival window against the dispatched schedule.
- Total scheduled visitsAll visits scheduled in the period — the denominator the rate is measured against.
- Related toSchedule adherence, a broader measure that can also cover on-time completion, not just arrival.
What to know.
How to calculate on-time arrival rate
On-time arrival rate equals visits that start inside their scheduled arrival window divided by total scheduled visits in the period. The window itself is a policy choice — a fixed clock-in time, a two-hour band, or same-day for lower-priority work — set per agreement or SLA tier. It's the arrival-focused slice of schedule adherence, which is a broader measure that can also cover on-time completion against the promised duration.
Why on-time arrival rate matters for commercial contractors
Arrival is the first thing a customer's facilities team notices — it sets the tone for the visit and, over time, for the account. On SLA-covered commercial books, arrival windows are often contractual, and the shop's scorecard with a customer is weighted heavily by whether techs show up when promised. It's also a leading indicator: an account with a pattern of late arrivals is the one most likely to churn at renewal, even when the work itself is good.
What drives on-time arrival rate down
The usual drivers are unrealistic drive-time estimates, first-job-of-the-morning overruns that cascade through the rest of the day, and dispatching without live technician location so there's no chance to re-sequence. Windshield time and on-time arrival are two views of the same problem — if the day isn't sequenced by geography and actual position, arrival windows slip.
How Thermal tracks on-time arrival rate automatically
Every work order status change — dispatched, traveling, on site — is timestamped as the technician works, so arrival time compares against the promised window automatically rather than through a manual log. Agreement-level windows are tied to the work order, and dispatch sees at-risk visits flagged before the window closes, so the day can be re-sequenced while there's still time to hit the commitment.
Questions attached to this term.
How is on-time arrival rate different from schedule adherence?
On-time arrival rate is the narrower measure — did the technician arrive within the window. Schedule adherence can also include on-time completion, so it's a broader score. Many shops use the terms loosely; the window definition is what matters.
What counts as the arrival window?
It's a policy you set per agreement or SLA tier — a fixed time, a two-hour band, or same-day for lower-priority work. The definition should match what you promise the customer, not what's convenient to report.
Does on-time arrival matter for emergency calls?
Yes, but emergency tiers run on tight windows, so the bar is harder — which is exactly why emergency response needs its own routing and staffing instead of riding along with the routine schedule.
How do you improve on-time arrival without more technicians?
Realistic drive-time buffers and proactive re-sequencing when the first job of the day runs long. Most late arrivals are visible early enough to fix with dispatch, not headcount.
These numbers, on your own book.
If you want to see them calculated from real work orders and agreements rather than a spreadsheet, that's a demo.