Can a field agent be scheduled for other jobs while a previous appointment remains open? Can I schedule overlapping Service Appointments for the same field agent in Zoho FSM?

Can a field agent be scheduled for other jobs while a previous appointment remains open? Can I schedule overlapping Service Appointments for the same field agent in Zoho FSM?

By default, Zoho FSM does not allow field agents to be scheduled for new appointments if they have an ongoing (open) Service Appointment, even if the delay is due to pending parts or other uncontrollable factors. The system considers the field agent as occupied until the Actual End Date/Time is recorded for the ongoing appointment.
This means:
  1. If a field agents has started an appointment but hasn't completed it (e.g., due to part unavailability), they remain unavailable for new scheduling.
  2. Any attempt to assign them to a new Service Appointment during this period will result in a scheduling conflict or a "conflict with ongoing appointment" error.
However, if your operations require assigning field agents to multiple appointments in such scenarios (e.g., multitasking or servicing other customers while waiting for parts), you can enable overlapping appointments.
​To enable overlapping appointments in Zoho FSM:
  1. Go to Setup > Field Service Settings > Transaction Settings.
  2. Scroll to the Appointment Scheduling Preferences.
  3. Enable the toggle for Allow Overlapping Appointments.
  4. Choose one of the following options based on your preference:
    1. Allow Overlapping without Warning: Appointments can be scheduled without any warning, even if they overlap.
    2. Allow Overlapping with Warning: The system shows a warning with the list of conflicting appointments, but still allows the scheduling.

Once  Allow Overlapping Appointment is turned on,
  1. Zoho FSM will no longer prevent dispatching or scheduling a Service Appointment that overlaps with another ongoing or scheduled appointment for the same field agent or crew.
  2. Field agents can handle multiple appointments in parallel or when earlier appointments are left open due to pending items or delays.
  3. Without this setting enabled, the system blocks scheduling overlapping appointments, showing an "Appointment Conflict with Ongoing Appointment" error if there's an active job without an Actual End Date/Time.