Ask the business, watch metrics and forecast demand

Overview#

Insights is the owner's page. You can ask about the business in plain English and get numbers from the metric dictionary, each with its definition and the records behind it. Needs doing lists actions with the dollars at stake. Your own watchlist sends alerts when a metric crosses your line. The demand-versus-capacity forecast shows which weeks ahead look thin or full, and can turn those weeks into requests for your marketing system.

Before you start#

• Ask the business and the Watchlist: owners, admins, dispatchers and accounting.

• Demand vs capacity and Demand requests: those roles and viewers (read only). Only owners, admins and dispatchers can send, cancel or tune requests.

• Questions use AI when it's connected and on. Without AI, a keyword matcher picks the metrics and says so on the answer. Either way, every number is computed by TradesWork, never written by the AI.

• Job costing and pay metrics only appear for people allowed to see them.

• Email alerts need outbound email set up on the server. Text alerts need texting connected.

• Find it under Reports › Insights.

Steps#

Ask a question#

1. Go to Reports › Insights.

2. In Ask the business, type a question, for example "How did Service do last month vs the month before?" Click Ask.

3. Read the answer:

   • The first line repeats your question and says whether the metrics were "picked by AI" or "matched by keyword".

   • Yellow notes explain anything left out, such as a metric you don't have access to.

   • Each card shows the metric, period and filters, the value, the previous period, a Definition with the formula, the top rows, and a link to all the records behind it.

   • If no metric matched, a short reply and Try: suggestions appear.

4. Click a question under Recent to see its answer again.

Act on what needs doing#

The Needs doing card lists items such as estimates untouched for days (with the amount at risk), overdue invoices, failed membership charges, and thin or full weeks. Click the link on each row (for example Send reminders) to go where you fix it. If nothing is urgent, it says "Nothing urgent right now."

Watch a metric#

1. In Watchlist, open Watch a metric.

2. Choose the Metric, the Period (Today, This week, This month) and Alert when it (Goes above, Drops below, Changes by more than, Looks unusual).

3. Enter a Threshold ($, a count, or % for rates and changes). Leave it blank for Looks unusual.

4. Optionally pick a Business unit, and tick Email or Text under Also send by. Alerts always show in the app.

5. Click Watch.

6. Each watch shows its current value and a Triggered badge when it crosses your line. Use Pause, Resume or Remove.

Read alerts and set your morning brief#

1. The Alerts card lists recent alerts, newest first. Click Mark all read to clear the count.

2. If an email or text couldn't go out, the alert says why.

3. Open Alert settings and morning brief to set your Mobile number for texts, Morning brief (Off, Every day, Mondays), At (hour, 0–23), and Quiet from / Quiet until hours. Click Save.

Read the demand forecast#

1. Demand vs capacity shows the next few weeks for each business unit: hours booked, hours forecast, and technician capacity. The method is described in the card.

2. Each week has a badge: Thin (below your goal), On track, Full (over your full line) or No capacity. Hover a week to see how it was worked out.

3. The forecast adds the work that usually books between now and that week to what's already booked, adjusted by the same week last year when there's history.

4. Click Refresh (owners, admins, dispatchers) to recalculate now.

Send demand requests#

1. Demand requests lists thin weeks (Fill so many hours, with estimated revenue) and full weeks (Throttle ads). Open Why to see the reasoning, confidence, suggested channels and audience.

2. If a request is Waiting for you, click Send to marketing, or Cancel it.

3. Statuses update as marketing responds: Sent to marketing, Campaign drafted, Campaign live, Gap closed, Marketing passed, Canceled, Week started.

Settings that change this#

Open Capacity goal and sharing at the bottom of Demand requests (owners, admins, dispatchers): Goal (% booked), Full at (%), Ignore gaps under (h), Weeks ahead (2 to 4), and Requests go (Straight to marketing or To me first). Click Save.

Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences turns AI on or off for the company. Technician capacity comes from Settings › People › Technicians.

Tips#

• Name a business unit, a period and a comparison in your question ("Install revenue this month vs last month").

• Use Looks unusual for metrics with no obvious line, like call volume.

• Set Requests go to To me first until you trust the forecast.

Troubleshooting#

• The answer says "matched by keyword". Cause: AI isn't connected, is off, or isn't in your role. Fix: rephrase using metric names, or ask an owner to turn on AI.

• A card shows "—". Cause: no data for that metric and period. TradesWork never shows a made-up 0. Fix: try a longer period.

• Email alerts say "not sent". Cause: email isn't set up on this server. Fix: use in-app alerts, or ask your administrator.

• Every week shows No capacity. Cause: no technician availability is set. Fix: set it in Settings › People › Technicians.

• Requests sit at "Sent to marketing". Cause: requests are read by a connected marketing system (TradesForce). If none is connected, nothing acts on them. Fix: connect it, or run the campaign yourself.

FAQ#

Does the AI see my customers' data? No. It only picks metrics, periods and filters from a list. It never sees rows or writes numbers.

Is my watchlist shared? No. Watches and alerts are personal and never change company data.

Is there a limit on questions? Yes, 60 questions per person per hour.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

ServiceTitan spreads this across reports, dashboards and Capacity Reporting under Schedule. TradesWork puts it on one page: plain-English questions answered from defined metrics, a personal watchlist, and a forward demand-versus-capacity forecast per business unit. A per-2-hour-block capacity table with download isn't available yet.