Introduction. It is designed to allow the user to personally tailor most tables and tag information with consistent data descriptions.

Transcription

1 Introduction Dispatch Board: Introduction Introduction Jonas easy-to-navigate Dispatch Board gives dispatchers complete command over the workflow processes. Each Work Order is displayed on board, giving the dispatcher key information like the status of a call, the technician assigned and backlog of calls. It is designed to allow the user to personally tailor most tables and tag information with consistent data descriptions. Consistent data entry methods will conform to your company processes and ensure information is collected and reported on a consistent basis. 1 Version 12.3 Copyright 2013 Gary Jonas Computing

2 Introduction Extensive Dispatch Board set up options are used to personalize the logic of how the tickets are stacked, presented and removed from the board as well as how many and what types of tickets may be displayed at any one time. Color coding can be used to easily identify the type and priority of service tickets that are displayed. It is easy to create segmentation of calls through different Views; Use the Scheduler to see daily, weekly or monthly workload. 2 Version 12.3 Copyright 2013 Gary Jonas Computing

3 Introduction Service Billing-Dispatch Board Table of Contents Page Introduction Setting Up the Dispatch Board Status Codes Priority Codes Default Customer Code Table of Technician ID s Special Button Dispatch Ticket View Dispatch View Codes Date Ranges - Today Only, this Week, this Month Examples of Views Dispatch System Profile User Options Scheduler Button Territory/Map/Zone Codes Territory Group Codes Using the Dispatch Board Editing the Dispatch Info Scheduler View Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls Version 12.3 Copyright 2013 Gary Jonas Computing

4 Setting up the Dispatch Board Service Billing -> W/Os & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board: Setting up the Dispatch Board Setting Up the Dispatch Board Set up the Board in the following order: 1. Status Codes 2. Priority Codes 3. Default Customer Code 4. Table of Technician IDs 5. Dispatch Ticket View 6. Dispatch View Code 7. Dispatch System Profile 8. Territory Codes 9. Territory Group Codes 10. View Codes Color Coding Colors have been used extensively to quickly identify the type and priority of service tickets that are displayed. The color of the top row tells you the priority of the call. The color of the bottom row tells you the type of work. The color of the body of the ticket shows completed calls and where the technician is currently located. The color on the Tech s name tells you how busy they are. Green 4 hours or less of work Yellow 4 to 7 hours of work Red Over 7 hours of work 4

5 Setting up the Dispatch Board Segmentation through Views Views are different ways to sort and filter information. The setup procedure that follows will allow both Residential and Commercial users to get started and begin to understand how the Board works. Although these two types of users have different requirements, the basic setup is the same. Where the typical setups differ, you will be given suggested setups. The Views that you use will develop over time. Keep it simple in the beginning and add complexity as you gain more understanding of the operation and as your business changes. Follow the guidelines for a basic setup. Any or all of the setups can be changed, deleted, or amended at a later date, so don t worry about getting it perfect the first time. Follow the basic setup and fine tune it later. 5

6 Status Codes Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch Statuses Status Codes Status codes are used to identify the various stages of your workflow. They are a four-character alphanumeric code, but are usually set as a 1 character code. The letter of the code is chosen carefully, because the Board will sort by the Status code. Setup these basic codes: 1 Emergency A Arrived at Site D Dispatched O Open P Preventative Maintenance Q Quotation W Waiting X Complete Z Cancelled 6

7 Status Codes The Board will sort first by date/time, then by status. Many users don t schedule a call for a specific time. Consequently, all their calls for that day will be scheduled for the default time found in the profile. This means, within that day the status of the call determines its order on the Board. You may have as many statuses as you like, but we recommend you setup the ones shown above when starting. Only add more statuses if you need to differentiate those calls. For example, in addition to a (W) Waiting for Parts you may require a (WC) Waiting for Customer code. Order of Status Codes Look at the order of the Dispatch Status codes above. When the scheduled date and time are the same, the Board will then sort by status and would be arranged in the order shown above. If you add a status code, chose a letter based on how you would like the call to be sorted on the Board. 7

8 Priority Codes Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch Call Priorities Priority Codes Priority Codes do two things: Priority Codes help you arrange the order of the calls. If two calls have the same Scheduled Date & Time and Status, it will then be the Priority Code that determines the order. The Priority Code determines the color of the top row of a ticket. There is a color assigned to each Priority Code. When the priority is assigned, the top row of the ticket will become the color designated to its priority. The colors used are your choice, but we recommend that red be reserved for emergencies. Just by looking at the Board you will be able to tell the priority of work for every call. 8

9 Priority Codes The codes used are different between Residential and Commercial contractors. If you have both types of work, select the codes used for the type of work that is predominant. The codes can be changed, deleted or amended at any time. Leave the Alarm Time blank for now. Residential Contractors: (using priority instead of a scheduled time) 1. - Emergency Red 2. - First Call of the Day Green 5. - A.M. Call Yellow 6. - First Call after Lunch Cyan 7. - P.M. Call Gold 8. - Evening Light Grey 9. - No Priority Magenta Commercial Contractors: 1. - Emergency Red 2. - Next Call to be Done Green 3. - Following Calls Yellow 4. - Low Priority (Maintenance) Cyan 5. - No Priority Magenta 9

10 Default Customer Code Service Billing -> W/Os & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board : Default Customer Code Default Customer Code New customers can be setup within the board. This becomes useful when you re trying to dispatch a call but realize that the customer hasn t been setup. Speed is the issue. If the customer is on the phone, you need to setup the Customer Code and enter the information as quickly as possible. To speed up the entry, we have a Customer template setup, with as much customer information as possible pre-filled. Territory Sales Representative, Finance Charge code, Credit Limit, Print Statements, Print Delinquency Letters, and State are fields that can be pre-filled with default information and only changed where required. Additionally, we suggest that you fill in the Customer Name and Address lines with the standard format for your data. Always have your data stored consistently. It will allow you to sort through it more efficiently in the future. For example, always have the City, State on the third line. You can sort your sites this way. 10

11 Table Of Technician ID s Service Billing -> Files -> Setup/Edit Tech ID s Table of Technician ID s The code for the technician is their Tech ID. Tech name Enter the name of the Technician or enter the name of the Technician and the type of work he/she does (e.g. Install - Bob Thompson). Crew ID? Is this a Tech ID setup for a Crew? If this flag is selected, it will allow for selecting of multiple Techs for the crew. When charg- 11

12 Table Of Technician ID s ing labour to W/O and a Tech ID is entered that is marked as a crew, it will expand and list all techs associated. Extra Msg on Dispatch Button This will appear under the Technician s name on the Dispatch Board. Sample messages: Sick, Off today, (this can also be entered from the Board itself). Address Enter the address of the technician, if you are using an able W/O ticket form (GJB14AA or GJB14AAA) and if you have the Jonas software, it could be sent to the tech via . The system would come here to retrieve the tech s address. Status Active/Inactive; changing a tech to inactive will prevent you from assigning work to that person. Inactive techs won t appear on the Board. Defaults for Charge Lab. To W/O s Charging labor hours to work orders will post labor hours into the payroll system. Therefore, you must identify the correct payroll code and employee code for each tech. Payroll Code Use the lookup to tie a tech to the payroll code where they are setup. Employee Code Use the lookup to tie a tech to their code in payroll. Occupation Code Enter the default occupation code for this tech, it will be used within labor billing rate tables to determine the rate to bill to customers. Whse/Truck Code Enter the warehouse, if any, that the tech uses. Warehouses in Service are usually his/her truck. 12

13 Special Button Service Billing -> Files -> Setup/Edit Tech ID s ~ Special Button Special Button Put on Board of Dispatcher This will be filled only if you want the technician to appear in one Sub-Ledger only. Since the View codes do a better job of controlling where the Technician appears, this will normally be left blank. Don t Put Tech on Board Once again, since the View codes control the technicians, most users do not need this. Only if this Technician should never appear on the Dispatch Board should it be checked. 13

14 Special Button Location I.D. Enter the Location code where the Technician is situated. This is strictly a memo field, not used by most Companies. Trade Enter the Trade code associated with this Technician. This is strictly a memo field, not used by most Companies. Lab. Commission % A (this is a Custom field) Enter the percentage to be used for calculating Labor Commission A. Lab. Commission % B (this is a Custom field) Enter the percentage to be used for calculating Labor Commission B. Parts Bonus % (this is a Custom field) Enter the percentage to be used for calculating Parts Bonus. Is this a Subcontractor? Should this Tech be considered a Subcontractor? YES Check the flag & link them to the appropriate A/P Subledger and Supplier Code. NO Leave this flag unchecked. If the tech is listed as a subcontractor in the 'Special' section of 'Setup/Edit Tech ID's' AND they are assigned to a WO AND I click the 'PO' button in 'Setup/Edit WO' it will default the supplier to the supplier code set up in the tech file. This makes it faster and with fewer errors to set up PO's for subs. A/P Subledger Enter the Subledger code or press F2 to select from a list of codes. Supplier Code Enter the Supplier code to be linked to this Tech or press F2 to select from the list of codes. 14

15 Dispatch Ticket View Service Billing -> Files -> Layout of Dispatch Ticket Dispatch Ticket View This is the information that will appear on the top bar, bottom bar, and in the Customer Information section of the ticket. You can have as many layouts as you like. One or two is probably all you'll ever need. 15

16 Dispatch Ticket View Suggested Setup: Residential Top Row The priority of the call will govern the color of this row: Add a description for Status, Work Order number, and Scheduled date. Customer Information Add description for Name, Job Address Line 1, and Crossroads. Bottom Row The type of work will govern the color of this row: Add Territory, Scheduled time, Sales Category (if applicable). Service Billing > Files > Layout of Dispatch Ticket Suggested setup: Commercial Top Row The priority of the call will govern the color of this row add description for Status, Work Order number, Territory Customer Information Add description for Name, Job Address 1, and Job Address 2 Bottom Row The type of work will govern the color of this row; add Purchase Order number, Alternate 1, Alternate 2, Alternate 3 16

17 Dispatch View Codes Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch View Codes Dispatch View Codes Dispatchers will be using different View codes to sort the information into manageable segments. A Dispatcher s challenge is dealing with a tremendous volume of information. Use the View codes to segment the information. 17

18 Dispatch View Codes The number of Views is limitless and can be customized to suit all situations. The variables that can be controlled are: Schedule Date Category Technician Territory Sales Category Status Priority Customer The most common view is a Daily view (you only see calls for a certain day), which contains the techs that you most often dispatch. 18

19 Dispatch View Codes Additional Views You may have as many views as you like. Additional views are created to filter the information. For example, your everyday Dispatch View code might only show calls that are available to be dispatched; therefore, only Status codes A, D, and O. This means that you don t want to see the X (Complete) or the W (Waiting for Parts, etc.) Status codes. To setup this sample view, in the Status section of the View Code, you would select A, D, and O. To delete a code, double click the code and choose the remove option. The technician section, if left blank, will show all the technicians in the order of their codes. If you only want to see some of the technicians or want them in a different order, select the ones you want to appear. If you would like to change the ordering, double click on the technician. It will offer to move/remove the technician. If you are moving the technician, simply click where you would like them to be. The Technician section can be used to create Views by skill set. For example, if only three of your technicians are Licensed Gas Fitters, you might create a Gas Fitter View. When trying to assign a Call that requires this skill set, you would select this View; you would then see all the calls for these technicians, and only these technicians. 19

20 Date Ranges -Today Only, This Week, This Month Service Billing -> W/Os & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board: Date Ranges -Today Only, This Week, This Month Date Ranges - Today Only, this Week, this Month If the Today Only selection is chosen from the Dispatch View Codes screen, then Fwd 1 Day / Back 1 Day buttons will be active on the Board. This will allow you to move ahead or back one day at a time. This selection is for contractors who schedule dates with customers. It allows them to organize and schedule their work by day. For example, the following View shows only calls that are scheduled for November 5th. 20

21 Examples of Views Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch View Codes: Examples of Views Examples of Views Territory View This will only show calls in the North area with the statuses shown. 21

22 Examples of Views Skill Set View This will only show calls for three technicians (e.g. Gas Fitters). 22

23 Dispatch System Profile Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch System Profile Dispatch System Profile This program allows you to set up the system parameters required to use the Dispatch system. Company Press ENTER to accept the default Company whose information you wish to set up or use the Small Down Arrow to select from a list of Companies. 23

24 Dispatch System Profile When a tech is dispatched, switch to status Enter the Status code to be used to indicate that a Technician has been dispatched. (The computer will record the date and time of the Dispatch.) You can also press F2 to select from the list of codes. & Colour (Tech Dispatch) Enter the Color code to be used for the body of the Ticket when the Status is changed to the "Dispatched" Status code or press F2 to select from the list of codes. When the tech arrives on site, switch to Enter the Status code to be used to indicate that the Technician is on site (or has arrived at the site) or press F2 to select from the list of codes. The Dispatch Board can be sorted by Status codes 0 to 9 and A to Z. Use Status code A (At Site) if all of your other Status codes are alphabetic codes; then this Status will sort to the top of the list. The current location of all your Technicians will be at the top of the column. Only numeric Status codes will sort higher. For this reason, we suggest you reserve code '1' for Emergencies. & Colour (Tech Arrival) Enter the Color code to be used for the body of the Ticket when the Status is changed to the "On Site" Status code or press F2 to select from the list of codes. When the call is complete, switch to Enter the Status code that you will use to declare a Call "Completed" or press F2 to select from the list of codes. If the call is cancelled, switch to Enter the Status code that you will use to declare a Call "Cancelled". Press F2 to select from the list of codes. If you don't normally cancel calls, we suggest you set this status to be the same as your "Completed" status. 24

25 Dispatch System Profile & Colour (Call Cancelled) Enter the Color code to be used for the body of the Ticket when the Status is changed to the "Cancelled" Status code or press F2 to select from the list of codes. If you don't normally cancel calls, we suggest you set this color to be the same color as your "Completed" calls (grey). Regular calls, setup as status Enter the default Status code for new Work Order Calls or press F2 to select from the list of codes. & Priority (Regular Calls) Enter the default Priority code for new Service Calls press F2 to select from the list of codes. Svc contract calls, setup as Enter the default Status code for new Service Contract tickets or press F2 to select from the list of codes. When Dispatch Tickets are created in the Service Contract module, they will enter the system using this Status. Most Companies do not want Service Contract (Maintenance) visits to display on the Dispatch Board. They assign a Status that is hidden on the Dispatch Board during a regular View. We suggest you have an alternate View that would show you the Maintenance Tickets. & Priority (Svc Contract Calls) Enter the default Priority code for Service Contracts or press F2 to select from the list of codes. When Dispatch Tickets are created in the Service Contract module, they will enter the system using this Priority. Standard Schedule Time Enter the Default Auto-Schedule Time of day desired (default is 08:00A for 8:00 a.m.). The range is from 00:00A for midnight to 23:45P for 11:45 p.m. in 15 min. increments. If you have to setup a new cust, use template cust Enter the default Customer code to be used when the "fast Customer set-up" option is selected on the Dispatch Board or press F2 to select from the list of codes. 25

26 Dispatch System Profile Note: Make sure this default Customer record contains at least. the Territory/Salesperson and. the default Finance Charge code. Screen Size From the list, select the screen size that you are using for the Dispatch Board. Make sure the screen resolution on your monitor matches the setting here, as a starting point. Different monitors/video drivers will interpret the information differently, so use the suggested resolution as a starting point. We suggest re-starting your machine after you have changed the screen resolution. Larger monitors have more capabilities than smaller ones. Here is a rule of thumb to follow: # of Tickets Minimum Monitor Size x 8 19" 7 x 7 17" 6 x 6 17" 5 x 5 17" 4 x 4 14" Remember, these are suggestions. Experiment to see the capabilities of your particular monitor. Refresh Every Enter the number of minutes to be used by the computer (i.e. how often the Dispatch Board should automatically be refreshed). The board refreshes automatically when you go in, move a call, or perform any action. This feature is for those users that have a view only board and do not perform any actions. 26

27 Dispatch System Profile Additional refreshes place a demand on the file server, so if you don't have a view only board, enter '0' to turn it off. This is a required entry if you want to use the Priority Alarm feature. Default View Code Enter the default View code to be used when you enter the Dispatch Board or press F2 to select from the list of codes. Refresh the Board Button When you press the Refresh the Board button, you will see the following message box: 27

28 User Options Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch System Profile ~ User Options User Options The Board may be configured to suit your preferences. Tickets are removed when invoices are: Tickets are optionally removed from the Dispatch Board when declared 'Complete' (in the "Status" field on the "Dispatch Options" screen of "Service Calls - Work Orders"). They are definitely removed when they are: INVOICED (check the box) in the "Print Invoices and Invoice Register" program. APPROVED (check the box) in the "Approve Billings" program. PREPARED (check the box) in the "Prepare Service Billings" program. 28

29 User Options Display Completed Tickets Some contractors like to have a View that will show them the completed tickets where the Billing has not yet been done. Removing the tickets when they are completed makes the Board faster. The completed-but-not-billed Tickets can be seen on a report. You don t need a Dispatch View to get this information. If you want to make the Board faster, leave this flag turned off. Don t allow Billing if W/O is not declared complete Do you want to disallow Billing if a Work Order is not "complete"? YES (check the box) if only Calls that have been declared Complete or Cancelled may be billed. (This helps prevent Calls from being billed before all the Costs have been posted to them.) NO (do not check the box) to be able to bill even though the Call is still open (e.g. the next step in the Work Order may involve a delay while Parts are on order). Note: Complete and Cancelled refer to the Complete and Cancel status that is entered in the Dispatch System Profile. Tech ID is required to declare call Complete Do you want the computer to force the entry of a Technician code before the Call can be declared "Complete"? YES (check the box) to make the entry mandatory NO (do not check the box) to leave the entry as optional. Priority Alarm To use the Priority Alarm, you must be changing the priority when the Technician is dispatched or on site. The alarm will sound if a Ticket is X minutes past the scheduled time and the Priority hasn't been changed. 29

30 User Options Do you want to use the Priority Alarm? YES (check the box) NO (do not check the box) Use the "Dispatch Priority Codes" program to set the number of minutes (X) for each code. Priority Code If you choose to use the Priority Alarm, press F2 to select the priority code in this box or enter it here. Give a Warning message (after # days open) If selected, an " * " will appear beside the W/O # after the selected number of days. Whenever ticket status is changed popup Dates screen This is a handy feature for those users that import time records into Charge Labor to W/O s. It allows the dispatcher to enter the time of the status change. Sometimes the status changes but the time is incorrect. This makes editing the time quicker and easier. When creating a new service call, STOP at W/O number This feature is used by those clients that setup their own work order numbers. Schedule date for new service call, use date you are on When entering new calls in the Dispatch Board, should the machine schedule the call for today or the day your View is on? YES (check the box) schedule new calls for the date that the board is on. (Daily Views only.) NO (unchecked - default) all new calls entered will be scheduled for today's date. From the Scheduler, open Dispatch Brd View for that day This flag will enable you to have your Dispatch Board View changed to a day selected on the Scheduler screen. You must have your View set to a Daily View first, then you can click on the 'Scheduler' button to select another day to see the calls for that day. When you exit out of the Scheduler, your Board View will change to the day you were examining in the Scheduler. 30

31 User Options Display open time segments when tickets are removed? Normally when tickets are removed from the board all time segments, whether they are completed or not, are hidden from the Dispatch Board. If you are using Progress Billing or wish to see incomplete time segments on current work orders on the Dispatch Board then check this option. The "Display completed tickets on the board" cannot be used in conjunction with this flag. To change Star Options, contact your Jonas consultant. 31

32 Scheduler Button Service Billing -> Files -> Dispatch System Profile ~ Scheduler Button Scheduler Button This is where you set the rules for coloring the buttons in the scheduler. The colors displayed on the scheduler are dependent on the volume of activities for the day. Activities can either be based on the # of calls or estimated hours, it s your choice. Calc Color according to Choose the basis on which your Scheduler Color Legend will be established. The display of days on the Scheduler can be color coded according to either the number of calls scheduled, or the number of estimated hours. Legend You can create 4 extra levels of color coding to be applied to the Scheduler's day buttons. The default color for the day buttons is grey - this represents from 0 to whatever threshold value you specify in the first Threshold field. This field is the description field for the first level of color coding. It will be displayed on the Scheduler in the "Legend" section of the screen. (max 12 characters) 32

33 Scheduler Button For example: Assume working on a # of calls basis. This scheme has the days color coded on the following rules: 0-4 calls - default - grey 4-10 calls - "Light 4-10" - Green calls - "Med " - Yellow calls - "Heavy 21-40" - Blue 41 calls & over - "Extreme 41+" - Red The color of the day button will indicate to the person doing the scheduling the "load" for the day. Thresh. Enter the dividing point or threshold between levels (either estimated hours or number of calls). This figure can be considered to be the upper threshold of the previous range, or the threshold minus 1 of the next range. (this value can range from 0 to 9999). From our example in the first legend cell: The default level (grey) runs from 0, up to and including the first threshold value, so in our example "Light 4-10" the threshold value should be 4. It will display that color until the next dividing point is reached. The next level in our example was a "Med " description, so the dividing point will be the top of the previous level (10). Color Press F2 or click on the lookup button to select the color to represent this level of activity. 33

34 Territory/Map/Zone Codes Service Billing -> Files -> Territory/Map/Zone Codes Territory/Map/Zone Codes Territory codes (or Map numbers) represent the area the customer is located. Typically, they are entered in the Customer or Site file. Every time a call is taken the Territory is filled in automatically. Codes can be very detailed but work best if they are more general. Start with a few codes, and add more when/if they are required. To differentiate between streets with the same name (e.g. there may be several Mill Avenues or Baker Streets in one city; the Territory code helps the Dispatcher and Technician know which one is which), and To help us assign calls by finding the technicians who already have calls in that area. Setup codes that describe the area of a city (e.g. central, or one of the quadrants). Company Press ENTER to accept the default Company whose information you wish to set up. Use the Small Down Arrow to select from a list of Companies. 34

35 Territory/Map/Zone Codes Terr/Map Code This program allows you to set up the Territory codes and their descriptions. You may use any combination of characters or numbers. e.g. codes for Perly's Map Locator, codes for regions of the State, State codes. (Max 10 characters) Some tips for setting up codes: every customer (site) file will have a code. This code will transfer to the W/O automatically on W/O setup. Don't create too many codes. Keep it simple. Add the complexity later if your business requires it. Dispatch Board Users: This is a mandatory field. It is used in conjunction with Territory Group codes to find the techs with calls in the same area. For example - you live in Orlando and have segregated your city into a central core & 4 quadrants. You would have as Territory/Map codes: ORL - CEN ORL - NE ORL - NW ORL - SE ORL - SW These Territory/Map codes would be combined into a group code ORLANDO (see Territory Group Codes). Description Enter a name/description for this Territory. Est. Trav. time to area Enter the default "estimated time" associated with this Territory (e.g. time it takes to travel to this Territory from a central Dispatch location). These hours will be added to the estimated time field on the W/O. These hours are difficult to assign as you often don't know where the tech is starting from. 35

36 Territory Group Codes Service Billing -> Files -> Territory Group Codes Territory Group Codes Groups are made up of individual Territories. Searching by Group is a secondary search. The first search might be to find a technician in the exact Territory. You would assign a call to a technician who was in that Group if you couldn t find an exact territory match. For example, if you had a call in central Rochester (code BUFF CEN) and you didn t have a call in that territory, you would want to find the technician who was closest. That would be the technician who was in the Territory Group Buffalo. It encompasses all the Buffalo Territories. Company Press ENTER to accept the default Company whose information you wish to set up. Use the Small Down Arrow to select from a list of Companies. 36

37 Territory Group Codes Group Code Enter the Territory Group code or press F2 to select from a list of codes or to create a new code. Group codes are a collection of Territory codes. Dispatchers like to assign calls to tech's that are already in the area. If the system doesn't find an exact territory match, it will offer to check the Group (adjacent territories) Description Enter a name/description for this Territory Group. Incl. Terr. Code Enter the Territory codes to be included in this Group. (Each Territory you enter/select will be shown in the box at the bottom of the screen.) Press F2 to select from the list of codes. To Remove a Selected Territory: ========================== If you select a Territory, then decide that it is not the one you want, you may remove it from the "selected" list by double clicking the one you want to remove from the box at the bottom of the screen (the computer will ask you to confirm that you want to remove it from the "selected" list). 37

38 Using the Dispatch Board Service Billing -> W/O s & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board: Using the Dispatch Board Using the Dispatch Board The Board is designed so that a Dispatcher can work within the Board and rarely go out to other modules. Setting up of new tickets and customers can be done entirely within the Board. Of course, if your company does not allow Dispatchers to setup new customers, this feature can be turned off. Moving Around the Board Tab - Moves right Shift Tab - Moves left Page Up - Moves up one page Page Down - Moves down one page Arrow Right - Moves right one Technician Arrow Left - Moves left one Technician Note: The mouse may also be used to move through the Board. 38

39 Using the Dispatch Board New Ticket/Call Clicking on a New Ticket brings up the Setup Work Order screen, where information is entered. When complete, you will return to the Dispatch Board. The ticket(s) will be under the names of the tech if you assigned it during the process of entering the ticket. If no tech was assigned, it will be in the Unassigned column. If you drill-down on the call, it will now have one schedule segment with no tech assigned. Assigning Work To assign a call, click on the Copy/Move button (bottom row, third from left) and left-click on the ticket you wish to assign. The Work Order number will attach to the cursor and say Copy/Move. You may now move through the Board to find an available technician. To move a ticket, click on the Copy/Move button on the bottom row and then left click on the ticket you wish to assign. The W/O and a Copy/Move box will now be attached to the cursor. This will allow you to move around the Board to find an available tech. Dropping the Ticket under a tech s name will assign the call to that person. The system will need to know the following: Move Give the ticket to this tech alone. Copy Include this tech on the ticket; there will be more than one tech assigned. 39

40 Using the Dispatch Board If you know the technician you want to assign but they aren t on this page, use the tab key to see the other techs in this view or use the Tech search feature. The search is invoked by clicking on the Go to Tech button. The speed search works here; entering the first letter or number of the Technician ID will speed search to him/her and turn his/her name red. If you would like to find a technician who has a call in the same area as the ticket you are trying to assign, click on the Nearest Tech button. It will find the technicians on the Board who have an exact territory match. It will stop at the first technician and highlight his name where the territories match. If this technician is not suitable, click the Technician Search again, and it will find the next technician with a territory match. If an exact territory match isn t found, the system will offer to search the Group. A Territory Group search works the same way. It will show the first technician who has a call in the Group. licking on the Technician Search again will show the next technician who has a call in that cluster. 40

41 Using the Dispatch Board Sorting the Tickets The tickets on the Board are sorted in the following order: Date and Time Status Priority Changing Views or Modifying the Existing View Any View can be modified by selecting the Chg View button on the dispatch board. This is a good way to figure out which way is best for you to look at the information. Once you have determined the View you like, give it a code and a name and fill in the parameters. After saving the View, the View can be selected within the Board by choosing the Sel View button. Selecting a pre-defined View is faster than modifying a View on the fly. Printing the Board To print what you see on the Board, click on the Printer icon in the Tool Bar. If the server is going to be shut down or there is a possible power failure, having a printed copy of the Board will be handy. 41

42 Editing the Dispatch Information Service Billing -> W/O s & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board: Editing the Dispatch Information Editing the Dispatch Info. Left click on the ticket to edit the call. Full Edit Drills down to the original ticket to change the description or see more information. and opens the Service Calls-Work Orders screen Print Prints the W/O Ticket. W/O Info 42

43 Editing the Dispatch Information Drills down to a comprehensive W/O Inquiry. Comment Allows entry of dispatch comments. These are messages that the dispatcher wants to pass along to the tech. For example, Customer called back and said to use the back door. Entering these comments flags the ticket with a red *C to let the dispatcher know that a comment was added. Tech Dates In this window, the system is storing the time stamping of all the segments. These times may be altered prior to the records being merged into Payroll (Charge Labor to W/O s). The system can be set (Dispatch Profile Options Users) to auto open this window on Status changes so the dispatcher can check/correct the times. Tech Notes These are notes that are stored on the W/O and are the Technician s candid comments about the work that was done. They do NOT print on the Customer s invoice. Entering these comments flags the ticket with a red *T to let the dispatcher know that a tech comment exists. Pager This button is used to send a pager message containing ticket information to the technician. Left click on the ticket to bring up the edit screen. Status/Priority This is the information that is most often modified. You can change the status to show that the call was dispatched or that the technician is on-site. You can change the priority so that the Board shows the calls in the order in which they are to be completed. 43

44 Scheduler View Service Billing -> W/O s & Dispatch -> Dispatch Board: Scheduler View Scheduler View Beside View Type you can choose Dispatch, which just shows tickets, or the Scheduler. The Scheduler View displays the tickets and the available time between calls rounded down to the nearest hour. The Scheduler can only be opened from the Dispatch Board in one of two ways: Dispatch Board - Click on the "Scheduler" button. Scheduling an individual W/O - Right click, then left click on a W/O to schedule that particular W/O. The advantage of using the Scheduler is that you can quickly see the volume of calls (or hours) for each day. It shows, by color, how busy you are on each day. When the Board is used on a Daily View (only calls scheduled for that day appear) then moving a ticket assigns the ticket to a tech and schedules it for that day. Alternatively, you can schedule all calls by using the Scheduler built into Jonas. 44

45 Scheduler View You will arrive in the Scheduler on the Date-of-the-Call with the Work Order number tied to the cursor. You can see all the Work Orders scheduled for that day by scrolling down. To schedule the Work Order for a specific time, click on that time. You will see the number of Work Orders scheduled for that time. Note: The last three characters (0.0) next to the Technician name, is the time (in hours) that you have to complete the call. This feature is rarely used; it can indicates that the client will only be available to have work done for a set amount of time. 45

46 Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls Service Billing -> W/O s & Dispatch -> Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls This program allows users to change the scheduled date on a selected set of Work Orders or Service Calls by Status. Roll From Select the 'From' scheduled date on the Service Calls that you wish to change. Press <F2>, click the Lookup Calendar button, or type in the date desired. 46 Version 12.3 Copyright 2012 Gary Jonas Computing

47 Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls Roll To Select the 'To' scheduled date on the Service Calls that you wish to change. Press <F2>, click the Lookup Calendar button, or type in the date desired. From Status Press <F2>, click the Lookup button, or type in the Status Code desired of Work Orders to be changed. To Status Press <F2>, click the Lookup button, or type in the Status Code desired that you wish to change the Work Orders to. Press the <Accept> button to add the status change, and it will be shown in the list window. To delete a status change, highlight it and press the <Delete> button. Priority Option The default is 'All Priorities'. Choose Selected from the drop-down list if you only want specific Priority statuses changed. Select Priority Select the desired Priority Code that you want to Roll/Forward. Press <F2>, click the Lookup button, or type in the Priority Code(s) desired.to remove a code selected in error, just double click on the code you wish to delete. Category Option The default is 'All Categories'. Choose Selected from the drop-down list if you only want specific Categories changed. Select Category Select the desired Category Code that you want to Roll/Forward. Press <F2>, click the Lookup button, or type in the Category Code(s) desired.to remove a code selected in error, just double click on the code you wish to delete. Technician Option The default is 'All Technicians'. Choose Selected from the drop-down list if you only want specific Technicians changed. Select Technician Select the desired Technician Code that you want to Roll/Forward. Press <F2>, click the Lookup button, or type in the Tech Code(s) desired.to remove a code selected in error, 47 Version 12.3 Copyright 2012 Gary Jonas Computing

48 Roll/Forward Dispatch Calls just double click on the code you wish to delete. Keep Scheduled Times If Keep Scheduled Times is selected, the scheduled time will not take the default time, but will stay the same. 48 Version 12.3 Copyright 2012 Gary Jonas Computing