Van stock, parts issue and returns
Each technician's van is a stock location of its own. Parts used on a ticket come from the van, else the team's store, else the warehouse. They leave the stock on approval. Unused parts go back, vans are refilled from the warehouse, and technicians see their van in the app.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- Nobody knows what is in each van, so parts are bought again while they sit in a technician's van.
- Parts leave the store against a slip and are never matched to a job or a bill.
- Unused parts come back in a bag and are never counted in again.
- A technician drives to the store for a part that was in their van all along.
How it works
- Under Helpdesk > Vans > Technicians' Vans, press Create Van on a technician's line. A stock location named Van and the technician's name is made under the Entity's warehouse.
- Press Replenish Van to open a transfer from the warehouse to the van. Add the parts and quantities and confirm it as usual.
- Give a team its own Store if it keeps one. Stock parts are taken from the van of the person who adds the line, else the store, else the warehouse. The line shows Taken From.
- If the place is short, a note on the ticket says how many are there. The parts leave the stock for the customer when a team lead approves the line, and the line shows Issued.
- Unused parts go back with Action > Return Unused Parts on the Materials list, or the return button in the app. The stock comes back and the line is reduced, or removed when all of it goes back.
- Helpdesk > Vans > Van Stock shows what every van holds.
Everything it does
Vans and stores
- One van per technician, marked Technician Van
- Filters With a Van and Without a Van on Technicians' Vans
- Replenish Van: an internal transfer from the warehouse's stock to the van, a van is made first if there was none
- Store per team, used when the technician has no van
- The Vans menu is shown to team leads and above
Issue and return
- Only storable products move stock; services and the customer's own parts do not
- Issued on approval: the quantity not yet issued moves to the customer's location
- Back to Draft returns the issued parts
- Return Unused Parts: a quantity up to the line's; invoiced lines need a credit note instead
- Parts bought for a ticket are issued from where they were received
- Shortage gives a note, not a stop: the parts are still issued on approval
In the app
- My van: everything in the van with quantities, search by part, code or barcode
- Adding a part shows In your van with the quantity, or Not in your van
- The return button on an approved line takes back unused parts
- Parts can be added without signal and sent later (Scale)
Who uses it
Store keeper or Team LeadCreates vans, refills them and approves the parts used.
TechnicianSees their van, adds parts on tickets and returns what was not used.
Service ManagerReads van stock and the value of parts used per customer.
Where you use it
- Web: Helpdesk > Vans (Technicians' Vans, Van Stock), the ticket's Materials tab, Helpdesk > Tickets > Materials
- The SmartMy Desk app: My van in the Menu, In your van on parts, the return button. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Inventory: the transfers and stock moves, as for any stock
- Not a van-to-van screen: move stock between vans with an ordinary stock transfer
What you control
Settings
- Van per technician; Store per team
- The Entity's warehouse, used as the last place to take parts from
Approvals
- Ticket material: the team leads approve the line, which issues the parts; costly lines can go to the service managers (Growth chain)
Notifications
- Short stock: a note on the ticket for the team
- Time / Materials to Approve: to the approvers of a level when it is not the person who pressed Approve, in the app's Inbox
Questions
When does a part leave the van?
When a team lead approves the material line. Until then the line can be changed or deleted, and the stock is not touched.What if the van is short?
A note on the ticket says how many are in that place. The part is still issued on approval, so count the van and refill it.How does a technician return a part?
In the app, the return button on the approved line, or Return Unused Parts on the web. The parts go back to where they came from.Which plan has vans?
Scale.Related features
WORKING A TICKETMaterials used on a ticketRecord every part used on a ticket and where it came from. It can be your stock, bought for the job, bought by the customer or supplied by them. Each source is priced its own way, and a team lead approves the lines before they are billed.QUOTES, BILLING AND PURCHASEPurchase of parts for a ticketWhen a job needs parts you do not stock, a team lead orders them from the ticket: one request for quotation per vendor. The ticket waits for parts with its clock paused. It takes the agreed price as the cost and resumes when everything is received.PHONE APPThe technician appYour technicians work their tickets on the phone. They get a queue with the time left on each target, the ticket with directions and a call button, and the timer. They wait, resume and solve with the customer's closing code or signature.PHONE APPSite work without signalIn basements, plant rooms and remote sites the technician keeps working in the app. Check-in and check-out, the checklist, photos, the signature, the timer, time, parts and notes are saved on the phone. They are sent later with the time they really happened.REPORTSProfit by customer, contract and kind of issueSee what each job, customer, contract and kind of issue earned against what it cost you in labour and parts. For an AMC, see the fees invoiced plus the work billed on its tickets, less the cost to serve it.
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