MKMS Help

Service Types

This Help File Page was last Modified on 05/17/2013

Service Types

This Help File Page was last Modified on 05/17/2013

Previous topic Next topic  

Service Types

This Help File Page was last Modified on 05/17/2013

Previous topic Next topic  
The Service Types Form provides these special features and functions:
A Service Type represents a general classification of a type of Work Order.
Sub-categories may be defined for each Service Type (any number of which may be added for each Service Type) and are named Service Categories.
Identification of the Technician Skills that would normally be required to successfully complete any Service Request (Work Order) which has been assigned this Service Type.
When a Service Request is assigned a Service Type that has one or more required Technician Skills identified, those Technician Skills are automatically inserted in the Required Technician Skills tab of that Service Request Form.
When a Service Type is assigned to a Service Request, the preset Priority Level of that Service Type is automatically inserted into the Priority field of that Service Request Form.
The Schedule Color assigned to a Service Type determines the background color of a Work Order assigned that Service Type when it is displayed on the Technicians Scheduling Form.

 

Therefore, this Service Types Form is used to define the following five (service related) data items:
Service Types - A general description of the various types of Installation and Service Call Tasks that are performed by your Company on Service Request.
These Service Types might include such things as:
Annual Inspection,
Fire Alarm Inspection,
Existing System Add On,
New Installation,
Return Call for Re-Repair,
Warranty Call,
etc.
One of these Service Types must be assigned when:
Entering a Work Order using the Service Request Form
Entering a Work Order using the Quick Work Order Form
Making an entry in the New Appointment Editor accessed through the Technicians Scheduling Form
Using the Auto Service Form to define the automatic creation of Work Orders for your Recurring Service Requirements
Service Categories - Each Service Type may also be sub-categorized (see the "Defining Service Categories" section below).
One of the Service Categories defined here may also be entered when a Work Order is created and/or completed in the Service Request Form, or when a Work Order is created using the Quick Work Order Form.
Technician Skills - The Technician Skills that are generally required to properly complete each Service Type defined above, should also be identified:
This is because:
a)Each Service Request has a Service Type assigned to it.
b)The Technician Skills identified for each Service Type are required because when this Service Type is assigned to a Service Request its Technician Skills tab is populated based on this Technician Skills information.
c)The Technician Skills tab information is used to confirm that the Technician who is assigned to a Work Order is qualified to properly complete that Work Order.
Therefore, when scheduling a Technician for a Service Request (Work Order) in the Technicians Scheduling Form, the Work Orders to be scheduled for the selected Technician may be limited (filtered) to include only a Technician Skill which the currently selected Technician possesses.
Priority - The preset Priority Level for a Work Order assigned this Service Type.
Schedule Color - The background color of a Work Order when displayed on the Technician Schedules section of the Technicians Scheduling Form

 

Once you have determined what Service Types will be defined, use this Service Types Form to define these and assign each of them a Description and a Code.
From the Main Menu Select the Maintenance Menu and Choose Service Tracking Items.
Click Service Types to display the Service Types Form.

HelpFilesServiceTypesForm

Service Types Form

 

This Service Types Form may be Re-sized by Dragging the Top and/or Bottom up or down, and/or the Right side in or out.
Navigation Menu - The Navigation Menu is located at the top of the Service Types Form.

 

HelpFilesNavigationBar-Generic

This Navigation Menu provides the normal Record Movement, New, Edit, Delete, Cancel, Save, and Refresh options; as well as a Print and Search function.

 

Record Editing section - The details of the currently selected record are displayed below the Navigation Menu at the center (Main Body) of the Service Types Form.

 

Table View tab - A tabular (spreadsheet style) Table View of the currently defined Service Type records is accessible by Clicking the Table View tab at the bottom of the Service Types Form.

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesTableViewButton

To display a specific Service Types record in the Record Editing section, Click on that record within the Table View section, or use the Search Icon (see the "Using the Special Functions" section later in this chapter).
This Table View information may be Pinned in Place by Clicking the Pin Icon on the right.

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesTableView

Service Types Form - with Table View tab Pinned Open

 

You may Un-Pin this Table View by Clicking the Pin Icon again.
Click on any listed record to display that information in the center (Main Body) of the Form.
Each data column's Header Name describes the data contained in that column.
Clicking on a Header Name will set the order in which the (Service Types) data will be listed.
Clicking on the same Header Name will set the order in the opposite direction (ascending vs. descending).

 

HelpFilesSortedOrderArrow

The Header Name that is determining the Order of the (Service Types) data, will have an Icon - indicating the Order in which it is displayed - to the  right of that Header Name.

 

HelpFiesHorizontalSlideButton

Use the Slide Bar at the bottom of the Service Types list to see the data listed in all of the columns.
There are five columns of data in this Service Types listing:
1)Service Type - A Code representing one of the various types of Installation and Service Call Tasks that are performed by your Company
2)Description - A general description of the Installation or Service Call Task
3)Schedule Color - The digital code for a selected Color which will be the background of a Work Order that is displayed on the Technicians Scheduling Form
4)Inactive - If a Check is entered in the Inactive box it makes Inactive - True ("T") - and so indicates that this Service Type has been retired and is no longer available for  assignment to a Work Order, or if no Check is entered - False ("F") - it indicates that this is still an Actively used Service Type.
5)Priority - The Priority value entered for this Service Type.

 

To define Service Types which are a general description of the various types of Installation and Service Call Tasks that are performed by your Company on Service Request, Click the New (/) Icon to start the Service Type entry.
Service Type - Enter up to 4 alphanumeric characters (0-9, a-z or A-Z and normal punctuation) as your Service Type.
Priority - Enter the usual Priority Level for this Service Type.
This will become the default Priority Level on a Service Request when this Service Type is assigned to that Work Order.
Schedule Color - You may select - using the Drop-Down Color Selection List - the color that this Service Type will be displayed in on the Technician Scheduling Form.
Description - Enter a general Description (up to 140 characters including upper & lower case letters, numbers and standard punctuation) of this type of service.
Inactive - From time to time, as the Company's business direction and market emphasis changes, certain previously defined Service Types may no longer be required.
Because these Service Type Codes have previously been used as part of a Service Request record's history, they cannot be deleted.
However, a Service Type may be identified as Inactive, when it is no longer needed.
Check the Inactive box to retire a Service Type.
Inactive Service Types will not be included in the Drop-Down Selection List when a Service Type is required for data entry purposes.
Click the Save (<) Icon to record this entry.
Repeat as needed.

 

Defining Service Categories:
Each Service Type record may have any number of Service Categories identified, one of which may be assigned to a Service Request after the Service Type Code has been selected and assigned.
To identify the Service Categories for a specific Service Type:
Select the Service Type record for which a new Service Category is to be defined..

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesServiceCategoriesButton

Click the square Service Categories button at the bottom of the Service Types Form.

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesServiceCategories

Service Type Form - Service Categories section

 

Click the Add ("+") Icon within the Service Categories section of the Service Type Form.
Description - Enter a Description of this service sub-category for the Service Type.
Click theSave ("ü") Icon within the Service Categories section to record the entry.
Repeat as needed.
The Service Categories section in the Service Types Form may be repositioned immediately below the Service Types tabular listing, if desired, by Clicking the Pin Pointer Icon (see the mouse pointer in the Service Categories illustration above) and may be closed by Clicking the Pin Pointer Icon again.
An example of both the Service Categories and the Technician Skills sections pinned open is shown below.

HelpFilesServiceTypesServiceCategoriesTechnicianSkills

 

Defining Technician Skills:
Technician Skills are initially predefined in the Technician Skills Form and subsequently one or more of these are assigned to each Technician in the Skills tab of the Employees Form.
Each Service Type record may have any number of required Technician Skills identified.
These Technician Skill requirement(s) will be automatically inserted into the Technician Skills tab of the Service Request Form when that Service Request is assigned a Service Type which has one or more Technician Skills identified.
To identify the Technician Skills that would generally be required for a specific Service Type:
Select the Service Type record for which a new Technician Skill is to be assigned.

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesTechnicianSkillsButton

Click the square Technician Skills button to open the Technician Skills section at the bottom of the Service Types Form.

 

HelpFilesServiceTypesTechnicianSkills

Service Type Form - Technician Skills section

 

Click the Add ("+") Icon within the Technician Skills section of the Service Types Form.
Skills - Using the Drop-Down Selection List provided, Choose the required Technician Skill for the selected Service Type.
Click the Save ("ü") Icon within the Technician Skills section to record the entry.
Repeat as needed.
The Technician Skills section in the Service Types Form may be repositioned immediately below the Service Types tabular listing, if desired, by Clicking the Pin Pointer Icon (see the mouse pointer in the Technician Skills illustration above) and may be closed by Clicking the Pin Pointer Icon again.
An example of both the Service Categories and the Technician Skills sections pinned open is shown above.

 

Using the Special Functions on the Navigation Menu at the top of the Service Types Form:
Print - Click the Print Icon to View and/or Print a list of the Service Types.

HelpFilesDoYouWishToPreviewTheReportFirst

 

Yes - Click the Yes button to View a copy of the report.
For a Service Type Description greater than approximately 80 characters, the remainder of the Description beyond those first 80 characters will be wrapped on to the next line.

HelpFilesServiceTypesPrintPreview

 

No - Click the No button to open the Windows® Print dialog where a copy of the report may be sent to a selected Printer, or Printed to a File.

HelpFilesPrintDialog

Cancel - Click the Cancel button to close this Print question and return to the Form.

 

Search - Click the Search Icon to open the Search Service Types dialog.

HelpFilesServiceTypesSearchDialog

Search dialog

 

See the "Using the Generic Search dialog" section in the Advanced Search Dialog chapter for more information about this Search dialog.