Recording Incomplete Service Calls

An incomplete call can occur in e-automate when you have sent a technician to a service call and the technician cannot complete the call. The call can be marked incomplete for any reason you choose; you create your own incomplete reason codes. Typically, calls are incomplete because the technician needs assistance on the call, or did not have the parts to correct the problem. To mark a service call incomplete, you identify an incomplete code on the Miscellaneous tab of the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window. You cannot access the incomplete code from the Invoice Call – Quick Entry window.

When you use an incomplete code in the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window, e-automate either attempts to create a rescheduled call or asks if you want to reschedule the call. Whether e-automate asks or just creates a rescheduled call depends on how the incomplete code you selected is configured. If, on the incomplete code, you identify a hold status for the rescheduled call, e-automate assumes you are creating a rescheduled call and displays the Rescheduled Call window. If you have not configured the incomplete code with an on-hold code, e-automate does not know whether you want to reschedule or not. The system then asks if you want to reschedule the call. If you choose to reschedule a call, e-automate places a new call for the same equipment on the work order and stamps it as a rescheduled call. For more information on incomplete codes, see the Creating Incomplete Codes topic.

When you have two calls on one work order, you can view information about each call by selecting the call in the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window. When you select a call in the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window, e-automate queries and displays the information for the selected call. To see information for other calls on the work order, simply select the call of interest and the information in the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window will be updated with the selected call’s information.

A common reason for a call being incomplete is that the technician did not have the parts (items) to complete the call. In order for the technician to complete the call, you must provide the technician with the items necessary. The Rescheduled Call window is designed to identify the items needed to complete the call, and to provide a mechanism for communicating those item needs to the inventory personnel. The Inventory Logistics Console in e-automate and the Inventory Management Task in e-agent are tools that your inventory personnel can use to identify items that are needed on service calls. For more information on these tools, see the Inventory Logistics Console and Using the Inventory Management Task topics.

Once the items necessary to complete the rescheduled call have been provided, you can release the rescheduled call from hold and dispatch the technician to the rescheduled call. If you are running the Inventory Management Task, the call status will automatically change to Parts Available.

You have several choices for invoicing the original and rescheduled calls. One choice is to invoice the original call immediately when you are rescheduling the second call. This is a good choice if both calls are covered under contract and you will not be generating a chargeable invoice even after the rescheduled call is complete. When you invoice one call on a work order with multiple calls, the call you invoice is simply removed from the work order, leaving the other calls on the work order.

If the call is chargeable, consider adding all the information necessary to invoice the original call and then leaving it on the work order with a Cleared or OK to Invoice status awaiting the completion of the rescheduled call. Depending on your company’s business practices, when you are required to make multiple visits to the customer’s site for a call, you might only charge for one of the trips. Leaving the original call on the work order allows you to override the travel charges on either the original call or the rescheduled call.

Getting to the TransactionGetting to the Transaction

On the e-automate toolbar, click [Dispatch] to open the Dispatch Console window.

In the Technicians region, click on the technician whose call you want to mark incomplete. Calls assigned to this technician display in the Service calls for - XX region.

In the Service calls for – XX region, select the dispatched call to be marked incomplete.

Click [Invoice] to open the Invoice Call – Standard Entry window.

Note: Verify the name of the window. If the window is titled Invoice Call – Quick Entry, click [Standard Entry] in the lower left corner of the window.

Basic InformationBasic Information

This section highlights steps used to incomplete a service call. For more detailed information on recording service calls, see the Invoicing, Clearing, and Okaying Service Calls topic.

On the Labor tab, add labor information as appropriate.

On the Materials tab, add materials used during the first call.

Note: Items displayed on this tab without an asterisk (*) identify materials already used to complete this service call. Items displayed with an asterisk (*) identify materials that are needed or are pending for completing the service call.

On the Problems/Repairs tab, add codes as appropriate.

On the Meters tab, enter meters.

Note: The Meters tab only displays on metered equipment.

Information on the Service Report tab is not pertinent to recording an incomplete call.

Click the Miscellaneous tab to bring it forward.

In the Reason for incomplete region, in the Code field, use the lookup to select the reason the call was not completed.

If the incomplete code you selected is configured to place the rescheduled call on hold, e-automate displays the Rescheduled Call window. If the Rescheduled Call window displays, skip to the "Rescheduling a Call" section of this topic.

If e-automate displays the Attention Required window and asks if you want to reschedule this call, do one of the following:

If you want to create a second call for this equipment, click [Yes]. E-automate creates a second call for this equipment and places it on this work order with the rescheduled stamp. Use the second call as necessary.

If you do not want to create a second call for this equipment, click [No].

Note: You can use the same call and record two labor entries so you do not have to record two calls.

Click [Save] to save your changes.

Rescheduling a CallRescheduling a Call

In the Rescheduled Call window, in the Items due by field, check the checkbox and use the drop-down calendar to select the date the specified materials will be required.

In the Delivery Method field, use the lookup to select the delivery method.

In the Duration - est. field, enter the estimated time for the rescheduled call.

In the Items field, use the lookup icon to select an item for this call.

In the Status field, use the lookup icon to classify the item selected.

Note: Items flagged as Needed are displayed in the Inventory Logistics Console or are automatically ordered through a purchase order if you have enabled the Inventory Management Task in e-agent (see the topic, Using the Inventory Management Task).

In the Quantity field, enter the quantity of the item for this call.

Click [QuickAdd] to add the item to the Materials list.

Repeat Steps 4 through 7 to add items.

To remove an item(s), select the item(s) and click [Remove].

Click [OK] to add the items with their associated status to the rescheduled call’s Materials tab.

Note: Materials added are available to the inventory personnel using the Inventory Logistics Console. All materials added to calls and flagged as Needed can be placed on a purchase order or a transfer order using the Inventory Logistics Console, or can be automatically ordered through a purchase order or transferred using the Inventory Management Task in e-agent. See the topics, Using the Inventory Logistics Console and Using the Inventory Management Task. To manually access or print these materials, you can use the Service Calls Waiting for Parts report found in the Reports Console under Service Reports.

When the call status is On hold (Waiting for parts), you await the receipt of the parts or the transfer of parts. When parts are received on a purchase order, inventory personnel can print the receiving report. The receiving report outlines the items received. If the items are for a specific transaction such as a service call, the employee can assure that the parts are available for the technician, and can then release the call from hold so the dispatcher can dispatch the call. If the parts are to be transferred, you can ensure the parts are transferred. Once the technician has the parts, the call can be released and dispatched. If the Inventory Management task is enabled, the task automatically changes the service call status associated with the parts from On hold (Waiting for parts) to On hold (Parts available).

Completing the Second CallCompleting the Second Call

Once the second call has been dispatched and is complete, finish the call as you normally would. For more information, see the Invoicing, Clearing, and Okaying Service Calls topic.

Note: If you are invoicing both calls on one invoice, be sure that both calls have been flagged OK to Invoice so they will both be on the invoice. (You can set the call status to OK to Invoice by checking the Cleared checkbox located to the left of each equipment record or by checking the Ready to review (cleared) checkbox in the Invoice Call window.)

If you do not have a second call, you can dispatch a technician to the call and then record a second labor entry on the Labor tab.

Note: All secondary labor entries are treated as assists.