We've discovered a problem that can cause some errors in how your seasonal jobs are automatically scheduled. This guide explains the problem and how to work around it while we implement a permanent solution.

What's the Problem?

The issue affects how the system automatically schedules recurring jobs that change with the seasons.  Instead of scheduling these jobs based on when the last service was performed, the system incorrectly schedules them based on the start of the month. For example, imagine a seasonal job set to occur "every 3 months."

• If the last service was on October 20th, the next service should be on January 20th. 
• However, due to this issue, the system might schedule the next service based on the start of October, leading to an incorrect schedule.

Why Does this Happen?

After investigation with the vendor, we found that it's caused by a limitation in a third-party tool that Vital uses to handles the scheduling for recurrence services.

What's the Solution?

While we are working towards a permanent fix, the best way to schedule your seasonal jobs accurately is to use a temporary manual workaround.

• Create separate summer and winter jobs.
  • For example, if you have a job that runs from October to March, set up a recurring job for those months.
  • Then, create a separate recurring job for the months outside of that period.

This method gives you control over scheduling for specific seasons and helps you avoid the errors caused by the current system limitation. 

Updating Existing Seasonal Jobs

If you have seasonal jobs already set up in the system, here's how to correct them:

1. Go to Operations > Jobs > Recurrence list. 
2. Set the Status filter to "Current" and export the list. 
3. Open the exported file (e.g., in a spreadsheet program) and look for the columns labeled "Seasonal Recurrence Pattern" or "Seasonal Recurrence Frequency".
4. Filter the cells in those columns to get a list of seasonal jobs. 
5. Setup the two separate jobs
   1. Using the seasonal jobs list you just created, open each job in Vital. 
   2. Copy or make note of the details you'll need to recreate the job. 
   3. Create two separate jobs. One for the winter schedule and one for the summer schedule. For example: 
      • Winter schedule: 4-weekly frequency (Apr–Oct 2025)
      • Summer schedule: 2-weekly frequency (Nov 2025–Mar 2026)
6. Cancel the existing seasonal job - Once you've copied the details and created the new jobs, end the recurrence of the original seasonal job.
7. Tag the Contact as "Seasonal"
   1. Apply a Seasonal tag to the client's record. 
   2. This will help you track these clients, especially when checking or creating the summer job before the changeover date (if the issue is still ongoing). 

Setting up Seasonal Jobs for New Clients

For new clients who require seasonal scheduling:

1. Tag the Contact as "Seasonal" when you first create their record. This will make tracking easier. 
2. Setup the two separate jobs, one for winter and another for summer.