Appliance repair has a structural feature that shapes everything about its scheduling: a large share of jobs cannot be finished on the first visit, because the part is not on the van and could not have been. That makes the return visit ordinary rather than exceptional, and a board that treats every job as one visit will misrepresent the business to itself every single week.
Waiting for a part is a state, not a failure
The most useful thing a board can do here is separate open and not started from open and waiting on something. The second list is a chase list with an owner and a supplier attached; the first is work you can schedule. Collapsed together they look like a backlog, and a backlog is demoralising in a way a chase list is not.
The return visit is a second job, not an edit
Close the first visit with what was found and diagnosed, then raise the return visit against the same fault. That keeps the history readable, makes the diagnosis attributable, and means the time on each visit is recorded separately, which is the only way to find out what a two visit repair really costs you.
Tell the customer before they ring
The gap between diagnosis and return is where appliance repair reputations are made. A message when the part is ordered and another when it arrives costs almost nothing and removes most of the chasing calls. Automated calls and texts are regulated, so consent and an opt out belong in the setup rather than being added later.
What the two visit job is worth
On the worked example this site publishes, a job invoices $285 and a technician completes 5.2 a day. A repair that takes two visits consumes roughly two slots for one invoice, which is the arithmetic behind every conversation about diagnostic fees and van stock. The board is where you find out how often it happens.
Questions people ask about appliance repair dispatch software
Should a diagnostic fee be charged separately?
That is a commercial decision this site will not make for you. What the board can tell you is what share of jobs need a second visit, which is the input to it.
How do we stop return visits being forgotten?
Raise them as jobs with a waiting on field the moment the first visit closes. A note in a comment is a job nobody is scheduling.
Does van stock help?
Usually, for the common parts. Whether it pays depends on how often each part is the answer, which is a question your own job history can answer once it is recorded.