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ServiceDesk Mini Guides

📄️ Printing from ServiceDesk

Any business that is today still hand-writing basicorder information onto its invoices is, well, not exactly modern. With ServiceDesk, in contrast, you're nowready to leap ahead. With a single,one-time entry of data, you can now move seamlessly from taking and documentingthe call, to initiating a job record, entering the item into your schedule, andprinting the job invoice. Obviously, thelast process requires some ancillary equipment and materials, not to mentionsome set-up work in ServiceDesk (at least if you want anything other than thedefault setup that it ships with).

📄️ Data exports

ServiceDesk has a plethora of exports, available from a variety of contexts. From day one, it’s been our practice to add exports as users request them. In result, it soon reached the point where even the main programmer (yours truly, Glade Ross) had difficulty keeping track of exactly what exports were available, and where. In fact, more than once I went to all the trouble of spending hours building a new export, only to discover later I’d already created an older version that achieved essentially the same purpose (man, I hate that).

📄️ Finished Form graphics

From an early stage, we’ve included in ServiceDesk’s Finished-Forms the ability to use graphic images as part of the “printed” output. Typically, graphic images are used for a background “form image,” as per ServiceDesk’s default up-front ticket. But they may be used for other purposes as well, including the option to place a stylized/artistic rendering of company name, address and so on at the top of forms (such as the Generic and POS) that are otherwise (and at least normally) set in the body.

📄️ Modifying your ZoneScheduler System

If you did not already know, SD's ZoneScheduler system allows you to divide your territory into multiple zones (any quantity between 1 and 30, with each zone defined as a set of zipcodes), and allocate JobCount capacities for each. ServiceDesk then keeps track of the total JobCount burden for each zone, and interdicts if a call-taker attempts to schedule above allocation. More significantly, the same setup is used to keep outside entities informed of your availability for added service in any zipcode. The provided information is based on the zone in which a potential new job falls, and on a comparison between that zone's allocation for any given day and the jobs as presently booked. The entities that Rossware software may keep informed of such availability include ServiceBench, ServicePower, LG, techs using SD-Mobile, and your own customer when using the On-Line Scheduling feature.

📄️ Interfacing with your system of Financial Accounting

As mentioned elsewhere, it is not intended that ServiceDesk will replace whatever system you have used (or, if you’re a new company, will use) for writing checks, documenting miscellaneous operating expenses, figuring depreciation, and compiling financial reports such as Income Statements and Balance Sheets. It is not designed, in other words, to fulfill the functions involved in financial accounting—at least not mostly. However, you should note that it does, nevertheless, collect and process and compile several of the items of information that will need to be inputted into whatever method of financial accounting you otherwise use (primarily it collects information that’s associated with the revenue side of accounting). In particular, it collects and compiles information on your sales, accounts receivable, funds collected, sales tax liabilities and inventory (this last being an exception from its “revenue-side” focus). This information will need to be inputted into your system of financial accounting as often as you compile financial statements (most likely once every month, but perhaps only once per year, depending on your company’s preference and policy).

📄️ Interfacing with accounting software

As mentioned elsewhere, it is not intended that ServiceDesk will replace whatever system you have used (or, if you’re a new company, will use) for writing checks, documenting miscellaneous operating expenses, figuring depreciation, and compiling financial reports such as Income Statements and Balance Sheets. It is not designed, in other words, to fulfill the functions involved in financial accounting—at least not mostly. However, you should note that it does, nevertheless, collect and process and compile several of the items of information that will need to be inputted into whatever method of financial accounting you otherwise use (primarily it collects information that’s associated with the revenue side of accounting). In particular, it collects and compiles information on your sales, accounts receivable, funds collected, sales tax liabilities and inventory (this last being an exception from its “revenue-side” focus). This information will need to be inputted into your system of financial accounting as often as you compile financial statements (most likely once every month, but perhaps only once per year, depending on your company’s preference and policy).

📄️ Shopping cart info-files

The general idea, for this feature, is you’re going to the website of a parts vendor to order parts. In ServiceDesk, you’re using the F8 PartsProcess form’s Items Needing Inquiry/Order page as the basis of seeing what you need to order. Using the vendor’s on-line interface, you identify and order each item there. Then, that same on-line interface allows you to download a “shopping cart” file that contains information regarding what you just ordered. We’re going to use that “shopping cart” file as the means of auto-inputting back into ServiceDesk info regarding what you just ordered, instead of making you enter it manually.