Entering a Service Request

□	Working with the Service Request Form to create, update and/or complete a Work Order:

•	Creating a Service Request (which is also referred to as a Work Order) is actually a multi-stage process where certain information is entered initially, then additional information is added later, and when the work is completed, the Service Request is finalized and Invoiced.

•	The Service Tracking System offers three ways to create Work Order:

1.	On the Main Menu Select Maintenance, Choose the Service Tracking Items sub-menu, then Click Quick Work Order.

2.	On the Service Tracking Menu Click Quick WO.

3.	On the Subscribers Form's Service Quick Access menu, Click the Service Request Icon (which opens the Service Request Form explained below).

•	The steps required to create, schedule, update, track, and ultimately complete a Work Order are outlined below:

a.	Enter the initial Service Request to create the Work Order.

b.	If appropriate, identify specific Technician Skills that will be required for this Work Order.

c.	If this Work Order is for an Installation, create an Installation List of the Inventory Items that will be required.

d.	Assign a Technician to the Work Order .

e.	Schedule the Service Request.

f.	Track the Service Request Details (update the Technician's Status).

g.	Record the Labor, and the Inventory and Materials that were used to complete the Work Order.

h.	Complete and Invoice the Work Order.

□	Entering the Service Request:

•	When accessing the Service Request Form using the Subscribers Form's Service Quick Access menu, and Clicking Service Request (if you have not already done so, read the Starting a New Service Request chapter before proceeding.)

•	Click Add ("+") to enter a new request for Service.

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Entering a new Service Request

•	Request box on the Service Request tab at the top of the Service Request Form

HelpFilesServiceRequestEntryFields

•	Work Order # - Automatically assigned by the system.

•	CSID - By default, if defined, the Primary CSID for the selected Subscriber will be inserted.

▪	If the Subscriber has multiple CSIDs defined, and the Primary CSID is not the Subscriber Panel that requires service, use the Drop-Down Selection List provided to Choose the appropriate CSID for this Service Request.

•	Requested On - By default, Today is inserted.

▪	Use the Drop-Down Date Selection Box to change the Date, if appropriate.

•	Requested By - Enter the name of the person requesting the service.

▪	If there is a special contact number for her/him (i.e., Cell or a direct internal Phone line) you may also include that information in this field.

•	Work Order Type - There is no default.

▪	Using the Drop-Down Selection List provided, Choose the Type of Work Order this will be.

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Work Order Types

1)	Standard Work Order - Most Service Requests will be of this kind.

2)	Fire Alarm Test - For periodic Fire Alarm Testing.

3)	Fire Extinguisher Inspection - For required Fire Extinguisher Inspections.

4)	Installation Order - For documenting the Inventory requirements of a New Installation.

•	Conditions Reported - Enter a description of the service problem.

▪	You may enter up 150 characters (this is not an Edit Rich Text field).

▪	Upper & Lower case letters, all numbers and most punctuation marks are permitted.

•	Comment - Enter any comments that may help the Technician better understand this service issue.

▪	An entry of up to 500 characters is permitted (this is not an Edit Rich Text field).

▪	Upper & Lower case letters, all numbers, spaces and most punctuation marks may be used.

▪	If there is a special contact number for them (i.e., Cell or a direct internal Phone line) and it was not able to be entered above, include that information in this field, also.

•	Service Type - This will better categorize the type of Installation or Service Call that is required for this Work Order.

▪	Use the Drop-Down Selection List provided to Choose the appropriate Service Type.

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Sample Service Types Drop-Down Selections

▪	By assigning a Service Type to this Service Request before assigning a Technician (see Tech below), the Technician Skill(s) generally associated to that Service Type will be inserted into the Technicians Skills tab of this Work Order, automatically.

▪	When a Service Type is assigned to this Service Request, the default Priority Number (3) is reset to the Priority Number established for that Service Type.

•	Service Category - Optionally, a sub-category of the Selected Type of Service may also be chosen.

▪	Use the Drop-Down Selection List provided in the field to the right of the Service Type field to Choose the appropriate Service Category.

HelpFilesServiceRequestServiceCategory

Sample Category - Drop-Down Selections

•	Tech - Before assigning a Technician to this Service Request, review the "Verify Skills" section below as well as the Technician Skills tab chapter!

▪	If you are ready to assign this Work Order to a Technician, use the Drop-Down Selection List - which lists both the Employee Code and each Technician's Name - to Choose the desired Technician.

▪	The list of Technicians can be sorted by either the Employee Code or by their Name.

▪	To do so, Right-Click the Tech field to display the Search by... option.

▪	Then Click the right arrow „ to display the Search by options.

HelpFilesSearchByOptionSelections

▪	This allow you to sort the list of choices by the chosen field name.

▪	Click on the selection type you prefer.

▪	This will be the Users default order of the selection list for this field unless a different field name is selected later.

•	Salesman - The Salesman assigned to the Subscriber, for whom this Service Request is being created, will be inserted.

▪	But a different Salesperson may also be identified, if appropriate.

▪	To do so, use the Drop-Down Selection List provided.

o	When assigning a Salesperson to a Service Request, only those Employees whose Employee Type is identified as either Sales or All will be available (in the Drop-Down Selection List list) for populating the Salesman field.

▪	The list of Salespersons can be sorted by either the Employee Code or by their Name.

▪	To do so, Right-Click the Tech field to display the Search by... option.

▪	Then Click the right arrow „ to display the Search by options.

HelpFilesSearchByOptionSelections

▪	This allow you to sort the list of choices by the chosen field name.

▪	Click on the selection type you prefer.

▪	This will be the Users default order of the selection list for this field unless a different field name is selected later.

•	Time Slot - The general time position the Subscriber has requested, if applicable.

▪	Time Slots are numbers from 1 (the earliest) to whatever number of time slots you offer in a day (the latest).

▪	Enter the time slot preferred by the Subscriber.

•	Priority - A Priority Number of 3 will be inserted if no other number is entered.

▪	Although typically, it is set to 3, it may be changed as needed to indicate more and less critical situations.

▪	When a Service Type is assigned to this Service Request, the Priority Number is reset to the Priority Number established for that Service Type.

o	That Service Type Priority Number may be changed as needed to indicate more and less critical situations.

▪	The Priority Number is included in the Pending Work Orders Listing on the Technician Scheduling Form.

▪	If not scheduled initially Using the Schedule Button, the Service Manager (or other User) that is scheduling this Work Order using the Technician Scheduling Form, may use this Priority Number value to help in that process.

•	Click the Save button ("ü") to record this Work Order before moving to the Service Request Detail or Technician Skills tab(s).

•

Created By - Once a Service Request is saved, as the Form is closed, the User Name (as defined in the Database User Name field on the Security tab of the Employee Form) of the person who entered the original Service Request is recorded automatically and will be displayed at the top of the Service Request Form thereafter.

▪	This current User Name becomes the Created By name and cannot be changed.

▪	Whenever this Service Request Form is viewed in the future, the Created By information will appear at the top of the Form.

•	System supplied Information

•	Job ID - If this Work Order was created as a Job Task within the Job Costing system, the appropriate Job ID will be inserted automatically at that time, otherwise it will be blank.

•	Service Address - The Service Address of the Subscriber is displayed.

▪	However, if you may want to mail this Work Order to the Subscriber once it has been completed and the preferred Mailing Address is different from the displayed Service Address:

►	Note: Be sure the Technician has completed the required service before you make the change described below.

Once the address in this Service Address field is changed to the Billing Address, it cannot be changed back!

o	Click the Select Billing Address button (illustrated above) to the right of the Service Address field. to open the Search Billing Addresses dialog shown below.

HelpFilesSearchBillingAddresses

o	Select the Billing Address and Click the OK ü button.

•	Google Maps® - Click the Icon to open a Digital Map Display showing the exact location of this Subscriber.

•	Technicians having a Coverage Area Zip Code that matches that of the Subscriber, will also be identified on the map.

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Google Maps showing location of Subscriber's Service Request (in Blue) and Technicians assigned to that Coverage Area (in Orange)

□	Verify Skills - Often specialized type of skill(s) will be required for a Service Request:

•	If this Work Order might require one or more specialized Technician Skills, be sure that a Service Type code has been assigned which has those (required) Technician Skills defined.

•	By doing so, those Technician Skills will automatically be inserted into the Technician Skills tab of this Service Request.

•	Thereafter, when a Technician is Selected, that Technician's Skill Sets will be compared (automatically) with the required Skill Set, and if they do not match, a Warning Message will be displayed.

•	To assure that the Lead Technician has the necessary Technical Skills that will be required for this Work Order:

•	The first Technician assigned to a Work Order should be (and by default is) the Lead Technician.

HelpFilesServiceRequestTechnicianSkills

Service Request Form - Required Technician Skills tab

•	Identify those Skills using the Technician Skills tab before assigning any Technician to this Work Order, and/or Schedule the Work Order.

•	By doing so, when the Lead Technician is assigned to the Work Order, or Schedule the Work Order, the system will verify that he/she has the required Technician Skills assigned on them on the Skills tab of their Employee Form.

•	Tech - If you are ready to assign this Work Order to a Technician, use the Drop-Down Selection List provided to Choose that Technician.

•	The first Technician assigned to a Work Order should be (and by default is) the Lead Technician.

□	Working within the Scheduling section, and Using the Schedule button:

•	Click the Scheduling option (at the bottom of the Service Request Form) to view the Scheduling section.

HelpFilesServiceRequestWorkOrderNotScheduled

Work Order Not Scheduled

•	If no Scheduling Information is shown (as illustrated above), one of two cases exist:

1.	It has not been scheduled (be sure to do so!).

2.	You are not yet using the Technician Scheduling feature (why not?).

•	See Using the Schedule Button for information on how to assign a Technician and Schedule the Service Request.

►	Note: For information about the adjacent Labor and Inventory\Materials options, see Completing a Service Request.

□	Tracking the Technician's Time - See Service Request Detail tab for important information about tracking your Technician's Time.

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Service Request Detail tab with Technician Status entries

□	Creating an Installation List - See Installation List tab for important information about Creating and Using an Installation List.

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Installation List tab on the Service Request Form