Learning Center
Support
Company
Trial
Products
 
Implementation Process

 

Tips and Tricks

            Change The Labels

You asked, we listened.  This long awaited feature will allow you to change the service order and install order form.  You will have the option of displaying or not displaying most of the fields on either form.  You will also have the ability to re-name the labels for most of the fields on either form, including the title.  While a full-blown layout designer is not available yet, this upgrade will be a formidable enhancement.  (Expected Release Date April 2007)

Lease Customers:  This upgrade will be included in your software without any additional costs.

Purchase Customers: Upon release, you can add this feature to your software for $150.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information.

 

It must be the accountant in me, because I get excited about the future of the service management software industry.  When you combine phrases like efficiency, productivity, and automation, I am all "ears".  This section is dedicated to future innovations in the service automation field.  Below is a list with a brief description of a few of the things DeFNiC Software is working to bring to you.  We greatly value you input and opinions.  If you would like to contribute your input, I am all "ears"... Contribute

           Inventory by Truck

This feature has met with some controversy along the way, but it is coming.  You will be able to allocate all of your inventory type items from Quickbooks to your field technician's vehicles.  When items get used it will be pulled from the appropriate vehicle inventory.  One drawback is that you will have to "manually" assign purchases and re-stock of inventory to each of your field technician's vehicles.  Therefore, it will require a bit of "legwork" in keeping track of inventory purchases and allocating those to the appropriate field technician.  The benefits are obvious.  When assigning work orders, you will be able to see who has the appropriate parts and inventory items to complete the job.  (Expected Release Date June 2007)

Lease Customers:  This upgrade will be included in your software without any additional costs.

Purchase Customers: Upon release, you can add this feature to your software for $200.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information.

            Work Order Wizard

With up to 50 different information fields, the service order and install order form may seam too large for your personnel.  Ever wanted to just enter the basic information without having to tab and click all over the screen.  With the upcoming work order wizard, you are the boss.  You get to choose which fields you want to fill in.  Only those fields will be displayed on the wizard form.  That way the person entering the information never misses something.  The custom fields will also be available to use on the wizard form as well.  (Expected Release Date April 2007)

Lease Customers:  This upgrade will be included in your software without any additional costs.

Purchase Customers: Upon release, you can add this feature to your software for $75.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information.

 

 

 

 

Future Innovations
If you have a previously purchased copy of Dispatched, you can receive all of the New Features mentioned (except GPS) above for a discounted price of $500.00 for all copies within your organization.  For more information on service management software or any of the products and features listed, please visit our website at www.dispatchedsoftware.com or give us a call today at 1- .
Summary
Corrected Issues
Sponsors

 

Price Level the Playing Field

                       

 

The field of service management software is not level.  There are different types of players in our industry, just like there is in your industry.  The good ones add features like Quickbooks price levels for different customers.  For Quickbooks users, this new feature may be a long-awaited entry, or it may enlighten you as to some of the less obvious benefits to using Quickbooks.

Let's face it, we all charge different prices to different customers.  Whether it is for personal reasons, or they spend a large sums of money with our company, or because they are on a preventive maintenance agreement, each of us charge different pricing to different customers.   Quickbooks has this feature built in.  Under the lists menu in Quickbooks, you will see price level lists.  Here you can set up different prices for each of the items you sell.  (If you don't see this option, check the price levels area under sales and customers in your preferences.)  Once you have set up your different price levels, you can set which customers get which price level.  To do this, simply open up the customer.  Then click on the additional information tab.  Finally, choose the price level you wish to grant this customer.  Dispatched now recognizes these new price levels and applies them to the customer just as Quickbooks does.  Under the maintenance menu in Dispatched, there is a new option to import all items with price levels.  Be sure to import all customers as well.  Now you in the office can create work orders for price level customers.  When your field technicians add parts and items to price level customers, the software recognizes this as well, and uses the appropriate price for that customer.   Quickbooks integration.

Lease Customers:  This upgrade is included in your software without any additional costs.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information on using this upgrade.

Purchase Customers:  You can add this feature to your software for $150.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative today at 1-877-434-7724.

New Features

 

Dispatched Newsletter -- March 2007

 

From the President:

Welcome to our premiere issue of the Dispatched Newsletter.  We are pleased to bring you the enclosed information related to our products and services.  The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed about Dispatched and best practices within the service industry.  Like most of our ideas here at DeFNiC, the newsletter idea evolved from one of our customers.  Many of you probably send out newsletters as part of your marketing campaign.  It is a great way to keep your customers abreast of new and exciting things happening within your company and industry.  This newsletter is built and designed for you.  We welcome your unique strategies, ideas, and tips.  Please feel free to send me your comments on this or any other facet of Dispatched Software.  Enjoy!   -- Shane DeFoore

 

 

 

                       

 

 

text message is also sent.  The text message lets the field technician know that another work order has been added.  That way, your field workers are without an excuse.  To use this innovative and valuable feature, simply type in your technician's mobile number under the maintenance - edit employees menu.  Then choose the mobile phone provider and check the box to send text message. 

Lease Customers:  This upgrade is included in your software without any additional costs.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information on using this upgrade.

Purchase Customers:  You can add this feature to your software for $100.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative today at 1-877-434-7724.

More than SMS...

                       

 

Those of you on Dispatched Mobile, know the benefits.  But sometimes, your technicians, head back to the office without checking to see if your dispatcher has sent them another job.  Not any more...  SMS (Short message service) has been around for years.  Also known as text messaging, now included in Dispatched is this valuable feature.  Any time a work order is dispatched to a field employee, a

 

having to click anywhere on the screen, your dispatcher can see where every service vehicle is, what job they are working on, how long they have been there, where they should be, where they are going, and more.  No need to click over to some other software, or log in to a website and wait for five minutes while the GPS information may or may not actually appear.  With Dispatched GPS, you know.  The GPS option requires a data account with a mobile network provider such as Sprint, Cingular, Verizon Wireless, etc.

All Customers:  The GPS option can be added to your software by calling 1-877-434-7724.  Hardware costs....$675.00 plus Monthly fees of about $15.00

GPS - "Where My Crews At?"

                       

 

Most of you already know the value of GPS.  Being able to look at a map and know where your technicians are, is a very valuable asset.  Where DeFNiC has added value is also showing you on that same map, where your work orders are.  This visual information allows you to plainly see which technician is closest to which job.  Of course, it also has the reporting features, speed notifications, and "no go" areas.  Having all of this information in real time, lets you stay on top of your business.  Without

 

website.  The customer fills in their information.  Then the software recognizes that a customer has just requested service from your website and automatically creates a work order.  Don't get scared.  Of course this does not allow the customer to set a time or otherwise "mess" with any of your work orders.  You have full control, including specifying which folder these "internet requests" go into.  The software also displays a notification message on a designated person's computer screen alerting them that a new "internet request" was received.  As this new generation continues to become more and more reliant on computers, believe it or not, people will get upset if they actually have to pick up the phone and call somebody!

Website Link

                       

 

We all get tired of answering the phone and constantly talking to customers.  Ever wish they could just click a form on your website, fill in their information, and you could get back to them when you were ready?  Now you can.  Dispatched now allows for a link to be placed on your

 

Sales Tax Group Item.  I am only going to touch on a few of these, to illustrate my point.  Service items would contain your labor charges.  For example, if you have a residential labor rate and commercial labor rate, you would set up a service item for each of those.  But don't stop there.  If you use flat rate pricing, set up your labor amounts for each of these as well.  The best part about doing this is the ability to use these service items in group items.  Allow me to demonstrate.  Let's suppose you sell a product (Widget) with labor and parts for $400.00.  Now this Widget is actually made up of 3 different individual items.  Two of the items are part 1 and part 2, and the third item is labor.  So, you would set up three individual items as follows:

First Item

Second Item

Third Item

Now let's set up the Group item:

When you set up your group item, you have a choice to print out the items in the group, or not to.  If you choose not to, the invoice will simply show the item name (Widget), price ($400), and the group item description.  For some of you, light bulbs may be going off.  For others, this may seem like a lot of work.  Trust me, it is worth every minute.  Because now, all you have to do to add a widget to an invoice is type in the item name and it automatically pulls all the appropriate individual items that make up the widget. 
For those of you with light bulbs going off, imagine what Quickbooks group items could do for your flat rate price books...

If you have not taken a look at Quickbooks lately, click on any of our sponsored links to the top right.

 

Know your Quickbook's Items

 

                       

 

After practicing as a CPA for several years, I have seen all types of accounting packages, and all types of users.  Quickbooks has been the best product to hit the market.  However, just like anything else, if it is not used correctly, you will hate it.  Investing the time to get to know your software, will make accounting go a lot smoother.  At the heart of Quickbooks is the item list.  Now, some of you may be thinking, "oh, but I don't use Quickbooks for my inventory".  The item list is not just inventory.  The item list includes all aspects of your company.  Allow me to demonstrate.  When you create a new item in Quickbooks, the first field you choose is what type of item you are creating.  This list includes Service, Inventory Part, Inventory Assembly, Non Inventory Part, Other Charge, Subtotal, Group, Discount, Payment, Sales Tax Item, and

 

 Then click and hold the title bar of that window while dragging it over to the other monitor.  Double clicking the title bar will then maximize that window in the new monitor.  You can then drag and drop from the Dispatched map to the schedule or dispatch board.  Since all windows in Dispatched are made to interact with each other, dual monitors adds increased functionality. 

To Dual or not to Dual?

                       

 

Whether you like it or you don't, Dispatched work order software contains lots and lots of information.  With the ability to have multiple windows open at one time, switching between these windows sometimes gives the brain "screen-lash".  If your computer is only a few years old, chances are, you can use dual monitors.  All you need is an extra monitor.  Once you have another monitor set up, you can drag any open window over to it including other programs.  To do this, simply click the middle button              in the upper right hand corner of any open window.

 

information and even add new equipment from in the field!  To use this new feature, simply click the customer icon in Dispatched.  Choose the customer you want, then click the equipment button.  To add equipment, simply click the drop down arrow and select add new.  Take a look at the advanced options to choose how you want the 11 description fields.  Six of those fields can even be a drop down box.

Lease Customers:  This upgrade is included in your software without any additional costs.  Contact a DeFNiC representative for more information on using this upgrade.

Purchase Customers:  You can add this feature to your software for $250.00.  Contact a DeFNiC representative today at 1-877-434-7724.

Customer Equipment

                       

 

Perhaps too long in the making, customer equipment is finally here.  There is no limit to the amount of equipment you can add to each customer.  And with up to 11 different fields that are fully customizable, there is virtually no limit to the amount of information you can add about each piece of equipment, either.  Plus your field technicians even get access to customer equipment from their mobile devices.  Field technicians can update