ServiceDesk 4.5.58 Update 01/02/12

At Rossware, we hate to move backward.   Some five years ago, we introduced the truly modern and (in our opinion) correct method for reminding your customers of their upcoming appointments, and soliciting their confirmations.  The function is part of our CyberOffice suite of options, and works with incredibly efficient, super-silky smoothness.  Quite simply, ServiceDesk sends an email the afternoon prior to each appointment.  This email reminds of appointment details, and invites the customer to click on a hyperlink to confirm.  That link, in turn, takes your customer to an interface on your website (we provide as a plug-in) where he/she can either click to confirm, or re-schedule if need be.  Full results feed automatically back into ServiceDesk.  This is, quite simply (and, again, in our opinion) "the way" your reminder-and-confirmation process should work. 

However, we've encountered a bit of push-back from some of our users.  The refrain insists that there remain a significant percentage of jobs where it's impossible to effectively communicate with the customer via email, and so more old-fashioned communication modes must be retained.  In particular, the desire is pressed for a system that, instead of using automation via email, would use automation via telephone calls instead (aka "robo-calling"). 

You wish; we deliver!

Again, we've been somewhat reluctant, because we feel it's a step back in technology, but we now nevertheless offer robo-calling as a method for auto-reminding appointments with your customers, plus to allow their automated confirmation. 

Prior to this release, if you picked DispatchOptions from SD's F5 DispatchMap (either by clicking on a tech's name at the top of his list or by keying Alt-P then picking the "Invoke for All Techs" option), down near the bottom of the resulting list of options, you'd see this:

The option as shown highlighted above invoked our long-standing CyberOffice/Email/Hyperlink mode of reminding on applicable appointments (plus triggering for confirmation, etc., as described above).  Within the same set of options from this release forward, you'll see the following instead:

As you can see, the option wording is changed to encompass a broader purpose.  It's not just emails now that can be used as the method.  The option can be used, as well, to trigger robo-calls.  When the option is picked, the differences continue.  This is what you saw before:

What you'll see now is very different:

As you can see, you can still choose to use what we consider the modern method (emailing).  Or you can choose robo-calls.  Or you can choose to prefer emailing on jobs where an email address is present, with the system primed to robo-calling otherwise.  Finally, you can choose to both email and robo-call in each case where appropriate targets (email address and/or telephone number) exist in the underlying JobRecord. 

You may notice that the old options gave you a couple of different parameters from which to pick in regard to emailing (customer confirms via email versus hyperlink, and with emails user-reviewed first versus not).  Those email-method options still exist, but have been moved out of the every-time dialog into more of a set-once-and-forget context.  Specifically, if you right-click in the DispatchMap to bring up its CheatSheet, there's a new menu option there:

Clicking on it will produce this:

As you can see, it's a micro-settings form -- a place where you can set once what would have been the particulars of your choice within the old email-appointment-reminder/confirmation-request dialog (with the choice thus separated, it does not have to be offered to you each time). 

When you choose to robo-call a reminder/confirmation request to your customers, within 15 minutes a telephone call will be made to whatever telephone number is in the first telephone number position for the consumer (e.g., CustomerTel1 if it's a COD job, LocationTel1 if it's a third-party-payer job).  If there is no pickup of the call, the effort will repeat at 15 minute intervals thereafter -- until one of three conditions arise: (1) a person or device on the other end finally picks up; (2) the appointment is otherwise confirmed within SD; or (3) the date/time of the appointment moves into the past.  Outgoing calls will go into wait mode during any period outside of reasonable calling hours (specifically, they are allowed only between 7:30 am and 8:30 pm, local time). 

When/if the call is answered by a human, an electronic voice will remind of the appointment (with appropriate details), and ask the consumer to press 1 to confirm.  If the call is instead answered by a voice-mail type of device, the electronic voice will leave a message with appropriate details, and ask the recipient to call an 800 number to confirm. 

Regardless of how confirmation is produced, within minutes of its occurrence you'll see the appointment reference in SD's DispatchMap change to the appropriate symbol showing confirmation (it should happen within the next-cycled update of the SD-CyberLink program), plus there will be a notation in the JobRecord's narrative history describing the confirmation (very similar to if it was an email/hyperlink-based confirmation, but with text modified accordingly).

This is considered an extension of our CyberOffice suite of functions, and requires a CyberOffice subscription to enable.  In fact, it's very important that you update to the latest SD-CyberLink release (Ver. 4.5.5) before using this new feature.  There is a fee of 10 cents for each robo-call that is completed (i.e., if/when picked up on the other end; there is no fee for outgoing calls that are not picked up).  We are paying the service that does the actual calling, and must be reimbursed the expense.  We will charge the amount as part of your standard monthly billing.   

A new client in Canada does a lot of work for Sears.  Sears pays the client 15 percent less than the amount invoiced.  In other words, Sears expects the invoice to show one amount, while what they actually pay is 15 percent less than that.  How to accommodate? 

What we've done is, when you're using amounts as populated in a FinishedForm to auto-insert to a SalesJournal entry, the underlying code will now look for some key phrases and amounts in the underlying JobRecord.   

Specifically, in the CustomerAddress box, it will look for the phrase "Materials Adjust".  If it sees that phrase, it looks to see if there is a numeric expression following it.  If there is, it will apply that numeric value, as an adjustment ratio, to the two materials figures as involved in the sale (merchandise and parts), when doing the auto-fill to a SalesJournal entry. 

Similarly, in the CustomerCity box, it will look for the phrase "Labor Adjust".  If it sees that phrase, it looks to see if there is a numeric express following it.  If there is, it will apply that numeric value, as an adjustment ratio, to the two labor figures as involved in the sale (scall and labor), when doing the auto-fill to a SalesJournal entry. 

Based on the above, this Canadian client should setup his Sears QuickEntry template in a pattern something like this:

Based on the QuickEntry template being setup in this fashion, those key phrases will be inserted to any applicable JobRecords as created with Sears as such a client.  Thus, when it's time to do the SalesJournal entry, the phrases will be in the applicable JobRecord.  You'll assemble total/face amounts of the sale (as per usual) within the FinishedForm.  Then, when you click on the ExecuteSale button, ServiceDesk will see the adjustment amounts, and  adjust accordingly when inserting figures to the SalesEnter form.