Preparing service calls dispatch prior to using maestro*MOBILE

Objective

This How to provides an overview of the configuration steps that users must follow before they can use the service dispatch feature with maestro*MOBILE. Certain dispatching options must first be configured and related information entered in the main platform and passed on to maestro*MOBILE.

The steps that are covered in this document to use the maestro*MOBILE application may not reflect the work environment of all users. Depending on the particular needs of the client, users may have to define more parameters or configure them in a different order. Certain properties may already have been done.

Prerequisite

Call Dispatch

Summary

Configuring EMPLOYEES, AUTHORIZATIONS and ACCESS control
Configuring Professional CERTIFICATES
1. Define certification
2. Link certificates to employees
Configuring BONUSES
1. Define bonuses
2. Link bonuses to employees
Configuring the SERVICE CALL DISPATCH
Configuring EQUIPMENT
Configuring the NON-AVAILABILITIES
1. Define non-availability types
2. Link non-availability information and work schedules to employees
Configuring the OTHER OPTIONS
1. Define recommendation types
2. Configure additional fields
ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATIONS

Steps

1. Configuring EMPLOYEES, AUTHORIZATIONS and ACCESS control

Within the context of maestro*, the following three terms mean:

Term	Description
Contact	Any individual who is recorded in maestro* must first be entered as a contact. In maestro*, contacts can be employees, suppliers, customers, subcontractors, and so on.
Employee	An employee, in maestro*, refers to a salaried worker employed by the company.
User	Employees who use or who enter information in maestro* or *maestroMOBILE** must be configured in the system as users.

Therefore, before users can dispatch service calls, they must enter employees as contacts as well as employees. If said employees are to be called upon to act as dispatchers, or to use maestro*MOBILE in any way, they will also need to be defined as users.

Subcontractors, and anyone else, who are to be involved on the work site must also be recorded as contacts.

a. Create a contact

maestro* > Maintenance > General Maintenance > Contacts > Contact Management

When contacts are to become users of the service call dispatch feature, fill out the field Dispatch Communication Mode in section Phone Number. Enter also a cell phone number.
For contacts who are to become employees, activate the check box Create a new record; you will be asked to create the employee’s record when saving the information in the contact management window. Maestro* will ask whether the new employee is to be linked to the Canadian payroll or the American one, and automatically open the Employee Management window.

b. Create a user ID number and associated access type

In maestro* main menu, click the Configuration icon and select Security Management to create a user ID for the contact.

Make sure you indicate the Type of Access (maestro*, Web Service/Mobile or maestro* and Web Service /Mobile) in section User Information in tab Description.
In the Description tab, select, if needed, a digital signature in section User’s signature.

To ensure that information is protected and that only the employee information that is required for the job is displayed in maestro*MOBILE, access to employee information must be restricted. In tab Access to Employees, in the Security Management window, the radio button User will have access to some groups of employees must be activated. At a later stage, it will be possible to select, in section Access by Groups of Employees, the groups of employees that are to be displayed in maestro*MOBILE.

Note that only maestro* users who have system administrator permissions can modify this security setting.

c. Add an employee

maestro* > Time Management > Payroll > Employees > Employee Management

Pay attention to section Dispatch in tab Other Modules.

2. Configuring professional CERTIFICATES

a. Define certification

maestro* > Time Management > Human Resources > Crew Management > Define Certificates

b. Link certificates to employees

maestro* > Time Management > Human Resources > Crew Management > Human Resources File

Required certificates are stated in any given construction project. In order for employees to be assigned to such a construction project, certification must be recorded in the employees’ file.

3. Configuring BONUSES

a. Define bonuses

maestro* > Time Management > Maintenance > Payroll > Define Earning/Deduction Codes

In window Define Earning/Deduction Codes, make sure to select Bonus in field Type.
Activate the check-box options Available in transaction entries and Available in Mobile for each bonus that is created.

b. Link bonuses to employees

maestro* > Time Management > Payroll > Employees > Employee Management

In window Employee Management, click the Bonuses and Deductions to record those bonuses that apply to the given employee.

4. Configuring the SERVICE CALL DISPATCH

A construction project is a high-level element referred to as a “master project” that may include one or several sub-projects. Similarly, sub-projects themselves can include as many even lower-level sub-projects as are necessary to accomplish the job. Service contracts may be associated to projects as well as to sub-projects.

a. Define the construction project

maestro* > Projects > Maintenance > Projects > Project Management

In window Project Management, users must provide all the required information in tab Project Desc.
Tab Activities and budgets is where users define the activities that are to be carried out for the construction project; activities that will trickle down to all the associated sub-projects and project dispatches. To add a new activity, click the Insert a new activity (F6) icon. Also, in the Activities and budgets tab, in section Available in Mobile users can check options Labour, Equipment, Material and Progress Percentage.
The tab Certificates is where users record the certifications that are to be associated to the construction project and that are likely to be required for the employees who are to work on the project.

b. Define sub-projects

maestro* > Projects > Maintenance > Projects > Project Management

Create as many sub-projects as are needed. Users must enter information in the field Master Project to state to which parent project the given construction sub-project is linked.

c. Create a contract

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Contract > Contract Management

Enter, as needed, the relevant information in tabs Equipment, Skills and Certificates.

d. Define progress statuses for service calls

maestro* > Service Management > Maintenance > Configuration > Define Call Status Codes

e. Create folders and dispatch statuses

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > View Management by Dispatch Status

In the context of service calls “dispatch status” and “progress status” do not have the same meaning. Service calls can only have one progress status (for example, ongoing); but on the other hand, several dispatch instances may be linked to one service call and thereby attaching several dispatch statuses to the given call. Consequently, dispatch statuses and progress statuses must be configured separately.

f. Create dispatch templates and link actions to status changes

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Dispatch Model Management

Dispatch templates are used to customize and adapt the displaying of the dispatch grid based on tasks, needs and viewing preferences.

g. Link a default progress status to service calls

To link a default progress status to calls, click the Configuration icon in page maestro* home page.
Select option General Settings from the list.
In the tree view, left-hand side panel, select Service Calls.
Expand the menu and click General; the configuration view Service Calls – General will display on the right-hand side.

h. Configure the view filters

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Call Dispatch

Users can click the Filter Configuration icon to view only that information that is relevant to them.

i. Configure the dispatch grid

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Call Dispatch

Click the Configuration icon to finish defining how the dispatch grid is to be displayed.

j. Create a service call

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Contract > Enter a Service Call

Unlike project dispatch that is managed through maestro*MOBILE, the concept of team leader does not apply to service calls. Therefore, work teams are not associated to service calls.

However, a service call can still be assigned to several employees whose individual work can then be gathered into a single group which in turn is assigned a lead. To do so, select each dispatch on the grid while holding down the Ctrl key. Right-click to group the employees and assigning a lead. Such manager becomes the person in charge of entering work hours, closing the call and, if needed, getting the customer’s signature.

An assistant, who accompanies technicians in their daily work, does not need to be recorded in a dispatch assignment in maestro* nor in maestro*MOBILE.

5. Configuring EQUIPEMENT

a. Define the equipment types

maestro* > Time Management > Maintenance > Time Management > Define Equipment Types

Start by creating the categories of equipment as needed; for example, heavy machinery, semi-trailers, and so on.

b. Define the equipment

maestro* > Equipements > Preventive Maintencance > Maintenance > Equipment Management

To define the default location of the equipment and to link an activity code to the given equipment, use the tab Equipment in window Equipment Management.

c. Link equipment to employees

maestro* > Time Management > Payroll > Employees > Employee Management

In window Employee Management, click the tab Other Modules to indicate, when needed, the equipment that is to be linked by default to the given employee.

Equipment must be linked by default to employees when the association equipment–employee is to be permanent, or when said equipment is essential to the employee’s specialisation or expertise.

d. Add customers' equipment to the contract

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Contract > Contract Management

The customer’s equipment that is likely to be called upon in the service call must be entered in the service contract.

It is good practice to list in the service call the equipment that is to be used to carry out the work.

e. Select the equipment to be displayed

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Call Dispatch

The icon Filter Configuration is used to select the types of equipment, default equipment or special equipment that is to be displayed on the dispatch grid when the Dispatch viewing option is set to Equipment.

6. Configuring the NON-AVAILABILITIES

a. Define non-availability types

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Define Non-Availability Types

By defining non-availability types users can create various types of time-off or non-available-for-work type of time accounting; for example, holidays, sickness, and so on.

b. Link non-availability information and work schedules to employees

maestro* > Service Management > Service Management > Dispatch > Define Work Schedule

Define Work Schedules is used to link types of non-availability to employees. Defining default work schedules and availability for employees is also done in that window.

Clicking the Addition of non-availability periods by batch icon allows to record non-available information in a batch for several employees at once.

7. Configuring the OTHER TAB

a. Define recommendation types

maestro* > Projects > Maintenance > Projects > Define Types of Recommendation

In order to categorize recommendations, the types of recommendations must first be configured.

b. Configure additional fields

maestro* > Projects > Project Costing > Daily Entry > Daily Entry

In maestro*MOBILE, the option Additional fields can be used to enter any additional information or questions to be answered that is deemed appropriate. Clients can used this space as they see fit. The fields that are to be filled out in the mobile device must first be configured in maestro*.

In window Daily Entry, click the tab Additional Fields in section Identification and click the Configuration button that is displayed on the panel’s top right-hand panel. The window Definition of additional fields will open.

8. ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATIONS

a. Configure predefined sentences

maestro* > Maintenance > General Maintenance > Mobile > Predefined Sentences

In an effort to standardize communication, to simplify and speed the process of managing projects through maestro*MOBILE, users can set up stock phrases in maestro*. These sentences can be used to provide additional information, about various topics, and be used in various pages of the dispatch of the service calls.

b. Configure catalogue items

maestro* > Time Management > Payroll > Employees > Employee Management

Maestro*MOBILE can be used to requisition items and to indicate how they are to be used, whether catalogue items or not. However, the Inventory module from maestro* must be first installed and configured. Items can be added to the catalogue at any time.

To view which items have be requisitioned buyers must display the requisitions in maestro*:

maestro* > Purchasing > Purchasing > Procurement > Enter a Requisition

c. Enforcing customer signatures

maestro* > Invoicing > Maintenance > Customers > Customer Management

When service calls processed through maestro*MOBILE are completed, a form summarizing the work done can be sent automatically when users press Complete. Obtaining a signature from customers can be made mandatory at that stage.

In tab Mobility, field Signature is used to set one of the following three options:

Optional (default setting) – The buttons Signature and Complete are displayed in maestro*MOBILE;
Required – Only the button Signature is displayed in maestro*MOBILE;
No required – Only the button Complete is displayed in maestro*MOBILE.

For detailed instructions, refer to online How to help Mailing and Saving a PDF Document.

d. Configure forms transmission

maestro* > Maintenance > General Maintenance > Processing > Mailing Configuration

In order to join a copy of the call return form to the invoice, signed or not by the customer, it is necessary to configure maestro* Mailing Configuration.

Last modification: September 19, 2024