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Creating Service Calls with One Appointment

See Symbols, Buttons, and Indicators for examples of the buttons described below.

To create a service call with one appointment:

  1. Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager.
  2. Select the Customer ID.
    If the customer is on hold, inactive, and/or a temporary customer, the respective checkboxes to the right of the Customer ID field are marked.

  3. Accept the Location Address ID that auto-populates or select a different location.
    If the location is inactive, the Inactive checkbox is marked. 

    If the Customer or Location is inactive, service calls cannot be created. However, MC and MCC calls can still be created.

  4. Select the New Call button.
  5. Complete the following fields, as necessary.
    • Description
      Enter a brief description of the reason for the call. Use the notepad button to enter multiple pages of notes for the service call. These notes appear on Workorder 1 and Workorder 3.

    • Attachment
      Select the paperclip icon to add an attachment to the service call. See Setting Up and Using Document Management or Advanced Document Management. 

      When selecting the file to attach to the appointment, in the Source Documentation section select Copy To Database.

    • Problem Type, Division
      Use the lookup windows to select a problem type and division for the service call. See Setting Up Problem Types and Setting Up Divisions. 

    • Salesperson ID
      This entry defaults from the location record.
    • Bill Customer, Bill Address
      If you are billing somewhere other than the service location for this call, specify the billing customer and address. This information may default from the service location, or if no third-party billing information is specified for the location, from the customer master. When a service call invoice is created, the values from these fields default on the invoice. If the Call Type is changed, the Bill To information updates.
    • Job Number
      Enter or select a job number to reference.
    • Originating Call ID
      If you are creating a new call that is based on an existing call, enter or select the service call ID. Once the ID has been entered, you can use the zoom to view the original service call in the Service Call Inquiry window.
    • Call Type
      Select the Call Type for the service call. If you update the Call Type on a service call you are creating, the Bill To information also updates. For example, if an existing call type is changed from MC to another call type like T&M, the Bill To values are updated to reflect the default Bill To values from the Location (if this exists).  If those are empty, the Bill To information on the Customer record is used.  If that is empty, then the Customer/Location values default to those on the Service Call.

      The MCC call type is not available in the lookup window because MCC calls are generated by the system. Similarly, if you are completing an MCC call, do not delete MCC from the Call Type field since you are not able to select MCC from the lookup list. If you do delete MCC, close the Service Call window without saving your changes. To add data to the lookup window, see Setting Up Call Types.
    • Priority
      This field is restricted to a single alphanumeric character. 1 is the highest priority; None, the lowest.
    • Customer P.O. Number
      The purchase order appears on the customer's invoice. If you don't enter the P.O. number in the Service Call window, you can enter it in the Service Invoice window. This information is maintained between the Service Call window and the Service Invoice window.
    • Contract Number
      You can assign contract numbers to all types of service calls. Service calls with a call type other than MC and MCC open the Service Invoice window after choosing Invoice, even if a contract number is assigned, and the costs will not update the Revenue/Costs window. When a contract number is entered, the contract type description defaults into the field next to the contract number. You can zoom on the contract type description to open the Contract Types Inquiry window.

    • Equipment ID
      You can add equipment to the service call. See Assigning an Equipment Record to a Service Call for more information. 

      If you need to add more than one piece of equipment, you can do so via tasking. See Assigning More than One Equipment Record to a Service Call for more information.

    • Task Code
      Select a task to be performed as part of this service call. When a task code is entered, the default hours assigned to the task appear in the Estimated Hours and Total Task Hours fields. For more information on assigning task codes to service calls, see Assigning Tasks to a Service Call.

      Inactive task codes and task lists are filtered out from displaying in any lookup and cannot be assigned to any new contract, equipment, or service call. If a task list has any inactive task codes, only the active task codes will be assigned.

    • Technician ID
      The Primary Technician from the Location window defaults. You can change the default technician. Unassigned defaults if the Primary Technician field in the Location window is blank. The lookup button opens the Technicians window, where, if you are using global filtering, you will only see technicians who are assigned to the same affiliate, region, and branch as the service call location. If you are using Advanced Scheduling, the Primary Technician from the Service Area window defaults if the Primary Technician field in the Location window is blank. Unassigned defaults if there is no primary technician in the Service Area window or Service Area in the Location window. 
      • Use the Best Technician button if you want the system to select the next available, qualified technician. If you want the system to select the next available, qualified technician for a service appointment, select the best technician button attached to the Technician ID field. This function allows you to schedule someone as soon as possible. 
        • For each appointment on the service call, the system finds a technician assigned to the service area for the call, with the required skill level for the service call task. The system finds the first technician available who can complete the task within the regular work schedule. The technician's name is listed in the Technician ID field and a start time is displayed in the Starting Time field. 
        • If a technician name is listed in the Technician ID field when you select the best technician button, a message is displayed asking if you want to replace the existing technician. If the schedules for all qualified technicians assigned to the service area are filled for the specified date, the next date is used. 
        • The system makes 100 attempts to find an available, qualified technician. The Best Technician button is part of the Advanced Scheduling features.
      • Use the Technician Schedules button to view technicians' availability. If the schedules for all qualified technicians assigned to the service area are filled for the specified date, the next date is used. The system makes 100 attempts to find an available, qualified technician. The best technician button is part of the Advanced Scheduling features.
    • Date
      The date of the service call. The system date defaults and can be changed. If you're using the Advanced Scheduling features, you can select the next available button to have the system determine a specific technician's next available time slot for the appointment.
    • Date/Time Lock
      When marked, this prevents the call from being rolled forward when Auto-Roll Calls Forward is used. A Date/Time Lock icon is displayed on the service appointment in Schedule when this is turned on. This option is available when the service call has only 1 appointment.

    • Estimated Hours
      The amount of time it takes to complete the service appointment. The task hours default if a task is entered in the Task Code field, but the default can be overridden. The number of hours entered updates the Total Appointment Hours field at the bottom of the Service Call window and the available and allocated hours in the Technician Schedules window. 

      Both a starting time and estimated hours must be entered for the appointment to display in the Technician Board – Daily View window.

    • Starting Time
      The time the appointment is scheduled to be performed. The time entered determines where the appointment displays in the Technician Board – Daily View window. 

      The call status defaults as Open when you create a new call. Service Management has three default call statuses: Open, Complete, and Closed. These call statuses cannot be deleted, and you cannot add data to the list.

    • Completion Date
      Once a service call is completed, you may wish to update your records by changing its status to Complete. A complete call must have a completion date. Marking a call as Complete also enables you to filter its appointments from appearing on the Dispatch Board and post invoices that were created for the call.
    • Resolution
      This field can contain up to three alphanumeric characters to describe the status/resolution of the service call problem.
    • User-Defined
      You may have labeled these fields during setup. See Labeling User-Defined Fields. If you chose to validate the first and second user-defined fields in the Location window during setup, lookup windows will be attached to the fields and users will be prompted before adding to the lookup data. See Choosing Service Options.
    • Caller Name/Email/Phone 
      Enter the caller name, email address, and/or phone number. 
      • If you are not using Contact Management, the caller information is saved only for this service call. For more information, see Using Contact Management.
      • If you are using Contact Management, enter the Caller Name or use the lookup to select an existing contact.
        • If you have entered an existing local contact, the telephone number and email address will populate once you tab off the Contact Name field.
        • If you've entered a contact name that is not in the master contact table, as soon as you tab off the Contact Name field, the Service Contact Management window opens. Double-click the contact in the list that displays or select New Contact to open the Location Contact Setup - Local window to add a new contact.  Complete the fields as needed and then select Save to return to the Service Call window. The contact will be saved as a master contact. For field information, see Creating a contact from Contact Management.
  6. Select Save to schedule the service call.

If the skill level of the task does not match the skill level of the technician assigned to the call, you receive a message. If you password-protected this function, you must enter a password to allow the technician ID to be entered.

Buttons on This Window

  • Vendor Quotation
    Opens the Vendor Quote window where you can create a Quotation Request based on the tasks that are assigned to the service call. The Vendor Quotation Request information is not stored in the system. See Creating a Vendor Quotation Request.
  • Vehicle Readings
    Opens the Vehicle Readings Entry window. While most vehicle readings will be entered in MobileTech, vehicle wear readings can be manually entered on inbound and outbound call types from Service Call or Rental Agreement Line Entry. The Vehicle Readings Entry window displays the previous readings in addition to the new vehicle readings. See Vehicle Readings.
  • Refrigerant Tracking
    Opens the Refrigerant Tracking window. Refrigerant tracking data is entered and tracked for equipment included on a service call. You can also print a report that can be submitted to the appropriate agency for approval.  See Refrigerant Tracking.
  • Tasks
    Opens the Service Call Tasks window. Adding tasks to a service call is a way to assign tasks to equipment in addition to what is already assigned to the equipment itself. See Assigning Tasks and Task Lists to Records.
  • Appointments
    Opens the Appointments window where you can add service appointments to the call. See Adding Service Appointments to Calls and Assigning Appointments to the Service Call.
  • Time Stamp
    Opens the Time Stamp window, where you can record the time and date appointments reach a status. See Timestamping Calls.
  • Invoice
    Opens the Service Invoice window. Once you've created and saved a service call, you will want to create an invoice and record the costs incurred by the service work performed. See Creating Invoices.
  • Purchase Order
    Opens the Purchase Order Entry window. You can create a purchase order using the service call ID to link the purchase order and the call. See Using Purchase Order Processing.
  • Cost Audit Report
    Prints the Cost Audit Report. The Cost Audit report prints all invoices that have been posted against a service call, and includes all costs and billable totals. See Printing the Cost Audit Report.
  • Transfer to Job
    Opens the Transfer Service Costs to Job window. You can transfer costs and billing from a service call to a job. See Transferring Costs and Billing from a Service Call to a Job.
  • Print
    Prints the work order. See Printing a Workorder.
  • New Call
    Select to create a new service call.
  • Find
    Select to open the Find window.
  • Additional
    Select to display a menu of additional options. The Additional option displays if you've installed Signature Audit Add-In and enabled Service Call Auditing in Service Options. See Installing Service Call Auditing.
  • Go To
    Select to go to the:
    • Branch
    • Contracts Status window
    • Warranty
    • Quote
    • Location Contacts
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