At PRO Software, we’re proud to say our system is super reliable—with 99.99% uptime. That means it almost never goes down. But just like with any technology, there's always a small chance something could go wrong.
Even a short outage can cause delays, especially for busy service teams. That’s why it’s smart to have a backup plan in place—just in case.
In this article, we’ll walk you through simple steps to follow if PRO ever has an unexpected issue. You’ll learn how to keep dispatching, routing, and field work moving while we work to get everything back online.
The better prepared you are, the smoother things will go. Let’s make sure your team knows what to do—before you ever need to.
What to Do Right Away If PRO Goes Down
If you think PRO is down, don’t panic—just follow these quick steps to keep things running:
1. Make Sure It’s Really Down
Before jumping into backup mode, double check that the problem isn’t just on your end. Try these things first:
- See if your internet is working
- Try opening PRO on another device or Wi-Fi network
- Ask someone on your team if it’s down for them too
If others are having the same issue, it’s probably a real outage—not just a glitch on your computer.
2. Let Your Team Know
Once you’re sure PRO is down, tell your whole team right away. Use whatever you normally use to stay in touch—group text, email, or a quick phone call chain.
Let dispatchers, drivers, and managers know that PRO is offline for now, and it’s time to switch to downtime procedures (we’ll go over that next). Telling everyone early helps avoid confusion and keeps things moving while we work to get PRO back up and running.
Downtime Procedures by Function: How to Keep Things Moving While PRO is Down
If PRO goes offline, your team will need to go "old school" for a bit. Here's how each part of your team can keep working without the system:
📞 Sales Teams
Keep a sticky note or printed list at your desk with all the info you usually collect when someone calls to place an order—like name, phone number, location, and service type.
That way, you can write it down by hand and enter it into PRO once it’s back online. Easy!
📋 Dispatchers
Make sure you have your drivers’ phone numbers saved somewhere you can get to quickly. If PRO is down, you’ll need to text or call them directly.
It’s also smart to take a screenshot of each day’s routes or print the route sheets ahead of time. If there’s an outage, you can just text each driver their schedule and updates—no guessing, no chaos.
🗺️ Route Tracking
If your drivers use the offline driver dashboard, good news—nothing changes for them! They’ll still see their route and directions.
If they don’t use the offline dashboard, they’ll need to switch to a regular GPS app like Google Maps or Apple Maps. To keep track of where your drivers are, have them check in by text or phone every so often.
For example:
“Finished Job 3, heading to Job 4 near Main Street.”
This helps dispatch stay in the loop and adjust routes if needed. It’s not as fancy as PRO’s live tracking, but it works in a pinch!
📱 Driver Dashboard Access
If your drivers are already using PRO’s offline dashboard, they’re good to go during an outage.
If they usually use the regular dashboard, you’ll need to give them their job info another way. Here’s what you can do:
- Print out route sheets in the morning, if possible
- If you didn’t print ahead of time, send each driver a quick group text or email with their stops, addresses, and job details
- Don’t forget to include special notes like gate codes, service instructions, or time windows
The goal is to make sure your drivers have everything they need to keep working, even without the app.
🗣️ Communication Plan: Keeping Everyone in the Loop
When PRO is down, good communication is everything. It helps keep your team calm and your customers informed. Here’s how to handle it:
📢 Talk to Your Team
Make sure your staff knows what’s going on. Dispatchers and managers should keep everyone updated during the outage.
Use group texts, a team chat app, or quick calls—whatever works best for your crew. If it looks like the outage might last a while, let people know. Maybe they take a short break or work on other tasks that don’t need PRO.
Check in with your team often and encourage them to ask questions or report anything that’s not working. Switching to manual processes can be stressful, so a little reassurance goes a long way!
📞 Talk to Your Customers
If the outage might slow things down or cause delays, let your customers know early. It’s way better than leaving them wondering.
Pick someone from your team (like your office manager or customer service rep) to send out a quick notice. You can:
- Send a text to that day’s clients
- Write a quick email blast
- Call high-priority customers directly
Keep it short and polite:
“We’re having a technical issue with our scheduling system. Your service will still happen, but there may be slight delays. Thanks for your patience!”
📝 Catching Up on Data After an Outage
Once PRO is back up and running, it’s time to get all the job info from the outage into the system. Here’s how to do it without the stress:
During the Outage – Write Everything Down
While PRO is offline, everyone should keep track of what’s happening—by hand.
- Dispatchers: Write down what jobs were done, who did them, and what time.
- Drivers: Jot down anything you’d normally enter in the app—start and end times, what you did, any problems, customer notes, or even a quick sketch if needed.
You can use printed work orders, notebooks, or even scrap paper. If you need a customer signature, grab it on paper. Don’t count on memory later—write it down while it’s fresh!
After the Outage – Enter Everything into PRO
Once PRO is back online, get the team together and start entering the info from your notes.
- Mark jobs as complete
- Add times, service notes, photos (if drivers took any on their phones), and anything else you wrote down
- Start with time-sensitive stuff first—like anything that affects billing or customer updates
To make sure you don’t miss anything, you can have one person read off the notes while another types it into PRO. Double-check as you go so you don’t miss or duplicate a job.
Once everything is in, your system will be fully up to date and ready to roll again.
🛠️ How to Be Ready Next Time (Just in Case)
Whether you’ve already dealt with a PRO outage or just want to be prepared, having a plan ahead of time can make all the difference. Here’s how to get ready before anything goes wrong:
🗂️ Keep Backup Route Sheets and Schedules
Don’t rely only on live data in PRO. At the start of each day (or week), print or save a copy of your routes and job list.
- Print route sheets each morning, or save them as a PDF or spreadsheet on your computer
- If printing everything isn’t possible, at least have a list of the most important jobs and addresses
- You could even use a whiteboard or keep a binder with the day’s work
- Have blank forms ready for notes, driver check-ins, or job logs—this can be part of your “Outage Toolkit”
Even if the list is a little outdated, it gives you something to work with while PRO is offline.
👥 Train Your Team for Downtime
Make sure your staff knows what to do if PRO ever goes down. Everyone should know the backup plan!
- Create a simple Downtime Protocol—a step-by-step cheat sheet
- Talk about it in team meetings so it’s not a surprise
- Try a quick “drill” once in a while. For example: “Pretend PRO just went down—what’s next?”
You can also assign a “Downtime Captain”—someone in charge of keeping communication flowing and helping the team stay on track.
The more you practice, the easier it will be to handle a real outage without stress or confusion.
Click here for a downloadable "Downtime Checklist"