Glossary
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.
- Benchmark
- None. There is no universal figure; track it against your own baseline.
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.
Where it lives, and what to read with it
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.
Straight answers.
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.