How to Use the Calendar Feature in iTrade

This video is the first in the iTrade training series and introduces the foundations of using iTrade effectively, setting up your calendar and managing jobs. Getting these basics right ensures smoother scheduling, better visibility across your team, and fewer admin headaches from day one.

Customising Your iTrade Calendar View

iTrade gives you the flexibility to choose a calendar layout that suits how your business operates

Choose Your Calendar Layout

From the calendar view, you can:

• Select from five different daily and weekly layouts.

• Switch views using the dropdown menu to find what works best for your workflow.

Select Which Workers Appear

Using the Custom Format option, you can choose exactly which workers are displayed in your calendar. This option is especially useful for larger teams or supervisors who don’t need to see everyone at once.

Setting Your Working Hours & Calendar Preferences

To fine-tune your calendar, head to Calendar Settings. Here you can:

• Set your working day hours.

• Define the length of your working week.

These settings act as guides only. You can still book jobs outside of these hours, and iTrade will automatically expand the calendar to show them, so nothing ever disappears.

Control What Job Details Are Displayed

You can also choose:

• Whether the bottom line of a job shows just the area or the area plus street address.

• For short jobs, decide whether to display the area or the customer’s name.

• Whether long-term projects appear in your main calendar view.

iTrade supports both time-specific job visits and ongoing project work, giving you flexibility for different job types.

Navigating the Calendar Efficiently

Once your settings are saved, you can move around your calendar easily:

• Step forward or backwards using the navigation arrows.

• Jump to a specific date using the monthly dropdown.

Use the Calendar Sidebar

Click Show on the left-hand side to open a sidebar that includes:

• A mini calendar.

• Direct access to all jobs in one place.

Click Hide to return to the full calendar view at any time.

Assigning & Managing Jobs on the Calendar

Jobs that have been given a date but haven’t yet been assigned to a field worker appear in the Unassigned section of the calendar. This function makes it easy to see what still needs allocating without losing track of upcoming work.

To assign a job, simply:

• Click and hold the job from the Unassigned list.

• Drag it onto the correct date, time, and worker in the calendar.

Once dropped, iTrade automatically updates the booking details, including the assigned worker, start time, and date, removing the need for manual edits.

Unassigned jobs can also be dragged directly from the calendar sidebar onto the main calendar, giving you multiple ways to organise work depending on how you prefer to plan your day or week.

Adding New Jobs Directly from the Calendar

One of the quickest ways to create a new job in iTrade is directly from the calendar view.

To do this:

1. Click on an available space in the calendar.

2. Select Job from the Add Job / Task pop-up.

iTrade will automatically create a new job using the information from where you clicked, including:

• Visit date

• Start time

• Assigned field worker

This automation saves time during scheduling and reduces double-handling, especially when booking jobs on the fly.

Adjusting Job Durations

If a job needs more or less time than originally scheduled, adjusting it is quick and simple.

Just click and drag the end bar of the job in the calendar to extend or shorten its duration. The calendar will update instantly, helping you manage availability without opening the job itself or re-entering details.

Using Tasks to Block Out Time

Tasks are designed to block out time for non-job activities while keeping your calendar accurate and visible to the team.

Common uses for tasks include:

• Training sessions

• Early finishes

• Medical or personal appointments

• Internal meetings or admin time

  
  

Tasks also support internal communication. Each worker can add comments to a task, and any new comments trigger a red notification icon, making it easy for everyone to stay informed without separate messages or emails.

Need Extra Support?

Here we have covered the basics of calendar setups and job scheduling in iTrade, but it’s just the beginning of what this feature can accomplish. If you ever need help, iTrade’s free support team is always available at support@itrade.net. Every new trial is entitled to a free 1-hour screen-sharing training session. If you haven't already taken advantage of this, please email us to arrange a suitable day and time.

We can also provide paid, in-depth training for you and your team. Please email training@itrade.net with your preferred date & time (give us a few days' warning) and your contact number, and we’ll call you back.