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Configuring Call Backs and Alerts

You use call backs to warn you that you have performed more than one corrective maintenance call on a piece of equipment within a certain number of days. Call backs can only be flagged on calls that have a Corrective Maintenance call type category. See the Creating Call Types topic. When you create a new service call in e-automate and assign a call type that has the category of Corrective Maintenance, e-automate flags the call as a call back. You determine in e-automate how many days in the range before a call is considered a call back. There are occasions that a service call occurs within the call back number of days but the usage of the machine is excessive and the call should not be considered a call back due the excessive usage. You use the Call back number of clicks to determine a click quantity since the last call that if exceeded would render the call not a call back. Generally the logic would first consider the number of days and if the second call occurs within the call back number of days, then e-automate would be looking for a meter reading in the Service Invoice window to determine if the call should or should not be a call back. If the number of clicks since the last call was below the Call back number of clicks, then the call would be considered a call back. If the equipment has exceeded the Call back number of clicks, then the call would not be considered a call back.

If the last service call had a meter reading, that makes the calculation simple, because e-automate knows the meter reading associated with the last corrective maintenance call. If however there was not a meter reading, then e-automate has to determine a meter reading to use in the calculation when determining if the Call back number of clicks has been exceeded or not. If there is not a meter associated with the prior call, e-automate queries the meter history to see if there is a meter reading entered from an other module on the prior service call date. If there was not a meter on the prior call and the system cannot locate a meter in the history, then e-automate estimates the meter to use on the prior call in the Call back number of click calculation. To calculate the estimate, e-automate queries the closest meter before to the prior service call date and the closest meter after the prior service call date. e-automate then calculates an average daily clicks between the two meters. With the average daily click between the two meters, e-automate multiplies the average daily clicks by the number of days between the prior meter reading and the prior service call date. With a total number of average daily clicks between the prior service call date and the current service call date, e-automate then adds the sum to the prior meter reading to generate an estimate usable in the Call back number of clicks calculation.

Call alerts provide a way of measuring call frequency on your equipment in e-automate. Call alerts must also be in the Corrective Maintenance category. For call alerts, you specify the number of calls, the number of days, and the Within number of clicks. If you have the number of corrective maintenance calls within the number of days and it is also within the specified number of clicks, e-automate considers the call a call alert. For example, your setting may be three calls in 45 days. When you are logging the third corrective maintenance call within the 45-day limit, e-automate will automatically display the call alert flag if the number of clicks is below the Within number of clicks. The call alert uses the same process when there are not meters as identified for call back number of days above.

You can choose to just use days, just use clicks or both. If you specify both days and clicks, e-automate will check both parameters. If you only specify days, then e-automate only uses days in the calculation, If you specify only clicks, then e-automate only uses clicks.

You can specify the call back number of days, as well as the call alert parameters, in three places in e-automate. The first place e-automate looks for call back number of days and call alert parameters is on the equipment record. If e-automate finds parameters, it will stop looking and use the parameters specified on the equipment. You can also direct e-automate to look at the equipment’s model instead of the equipment record. If you direct e-automate to look to the model, then e-automate will look on the model for call back number of days and call alert parameters. If e-automate finds the parameters on the model, it will use them. You can also direct the model to look in e-automate’s system options for global call back number of days and call alert settings. If the model directs, e-automate will look at your global system options.

If the system flags a call as a call back or a call alert you can override as necessary. e-automate keeps records on who overrides call alerts and call backs. e-automate also stores call back and call alert information in the database so you can query for it later. To view information about call backs, you can use the e-views Service Calls (Invoiced) view and the Service Activity Report By Technician report. Typically call backs are not determined until you have a meter so the override functionality is found in the Invoice Call window.

You can configure the Dispatch Console to display call back calls with a different background color than white. The same is true for call alerts. If you have a call that is both a call back and a call alert, you can configure the console to show it with another background color.

Tip: Best practice recommendation is that you choose light colors for your background colors, especially if you are using colors for priority. See the Setting Service Call Options topic.

Setting Call Back and Call Alert ParametersSetting Call Back and Call Alert Parameters

On the Tools menu, select Options to open the Options window.

In the left pane, double click on Service Calls. The Dispatch Console option displays below the Service Calls option. Click on Dispatch Console to display Dispatch Console options.

In the Call Back number of days field, enter your system-wide call back number of days setting.

In the Call alert parameters field, specify the number of calls and the number of days for your system-wide call alert parameters.

If you want the Dispatch Console to display the call backs, call alerts, or both with a background color, check the appropriate checkbox and specify your colors.

Click [OK] to save the options. If the Dispatch Console is open, close and re-open the console.

Overriding Call Back Number of Days and Alerts at the Equipment LevelOverriding Call Back Number of Days and Alerts at the Equipment Level

To override the system-wide call back number of days or call alerts for a specific piece of equipment, do the following:

From the e-automate toolbar, click [Equipment] to open the Equipment list window.

From the Equipment list, select the equipment for which you want to override the call back and call alert settings and click [Edit] to open the Edit equipment window.

Click on the Sales/Service tab to bring it forward.

Uncheck the Use model call back and call alert parameters checkbox.

In the Call Back number of days field, enter your call back number of days setting for this equipment.

In the Call alert parameters field, specify the number of calls and the number of days for this equipment.

Click [OK] to save the equipment record.

Overriding Call Back Number of Days and Alerts at the Model LevelOverriding Call Back Number of Days and Alerts at the Model Level

To override the system-wide call back number of days or call alerts for a specific model and all equipment that share that model, follow the steps below. Only equipment that do not have specific call back number of days and call alert parameters will use the model settings.

From the Inventory menu, select Models to open the Models window.

From the list of models, select the model for which you want to override the system call back number of days and call alerts.

Click [Edit] to open the Edit Model window.

Uncheck the Use system call back and call alert parameters checkbox.

In the Call Back number of days field, enter your call back number of days setting for equipment that share this model.

Note: E-automate will use these setting if the equipment settings do not override.

In the Call alert parameters fields, specify the number of calls and the number of days for equipment that share this model.

Note: E-automate will use these setting if the equipment settings do not override.

Click [OK] to save the model.