Blog

Can Annual System Fees be Locked In?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 17:19:21 +0000

Perfit, the team behind the EMDECS system, works very carefully with each EMDECS customer to setup a system that will best serve a shop's needs. Every shop is different - work capacity, number of employees, equipment setup needs, etc - and it's important that we work together to ensure that all concerns are addressed. It may even be necessary for a shop to enter into an agreement for a new software system where fees are locked for a limited amount of time. This would typically be found in larger shops with a strict budget and high operating costs where fluctuation, although a normal part of business, may need to be tightly controlled for a specific period.

Discuss this with your Perfit sales representative and allow us to tailer a system and a fee structure that makes sense for your shop.

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Can EMDECS Accept Voice Commands and Hand Writing?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 21:15:04 +0000

This was asked of us recently - it is a really good indication that people who use systems like this are accepting the technology and looking for new levels of efficiency. Although a great idea, neither of these features currently exist in EMDECS.

The voice command request is to be able to add notes to a repair order through dictation. We could imagine even more voice command functions such as indicating what job to clock onto in Tech RO, or what part to research and/or issue to a repair order. The possibilities are many.

The hand writing request follows interesting inroads being made with regards to how people interface with mobile devices. Certain iPad applications for example allow you to 'write' on the screen using a stylus and the app will 'read' the handwriting and convert it to text. EMDECS cannot fulfill this request as such at the time that this article is being written, but our integrated PM inspection forms in the 2nd generation of EMDECS will capture a technician's signature to certify that inspection defects have been repaired. This can be done using a mouse when on a PC. A stylus or a finger can be used to sign the certification when on a device with a touch screen.

A couple of great ideas that might eventually be brought to EMDECS if they are deemed trustworthy, able to improve efficiency and able to reduce the time spent on computers.

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Do the Mobile RO (EMDECS gen.2) Screens Cost Extra?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 16:25:57 +0000

No - Mobile RO are screens (EMDECS generation 2) that allow a technician to select from a list of work locations, lending itself to technicians who work at more than one physical shop location, as well as being useful for those that operate a mobile repair unit. Other than that, the Mobile RO screens work the same as the Tech RO screens - they allow technicians to indicated maintenance progress in real time while utilizing a clean, process driven screen design.

After the annual system and support costs have been established for your shop's access to EMDECS, usage costs are based on the number of technicians licensed for the software, rather than what interface screens they might use. So, regardless of whether Tech RO or Mobile RO screens are used, licensing fees are charged per technician, not the choice of screens.

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

What’s the best computer setup in a shop for EMDECS Gen 2?

sales@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:18:41 +0000

After using the 2nd generation of EMDECS for a while, shops typically come to the conclusion that the best computer setup is to have one desktop computer in the shop’s office for the service manager to use and one notebook computer or tablet (preferably an iPad) for each technician. The shop devices should be ruggedized, put into a protective housing so that they will survive the shop environment. Techs might drop them. The desktop computer can be attached to the internet in any way, while the tablets should be connected using a wireless setup. See here to read more about shop computer needs.

It’s also optimal to have a couple of other pieces of equipment - click either of the these items to learn more:

• A Zebra G4K420d label printer or equivalent

• An Intermec SR30 hand-held barcode scanner or equivalent

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 204-8817

How Do I Setup Equipment for Rent?

sales@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:33:05 +0000

Not everyone knows that EMDECS has equipment rental and lease functions. If this is an area that your business is getting involved with, contact Customer Experience to make sure you have access to the necessary EMDECS screens for these functions.

An important first step to renting equipment is to properly establish a unit as one that can be rented using EMDECS. Please follow these steps to do this:

Go to Repairs> Customer Equipment> Equipment Detail.

Enter who the equipment Belongs To. Select a customer using the square grey button.
Select a Unit Number, enter a Description and complete any other necessary fields.
Select an Equipment Type under the Rental Parameters section. If the equipment type is not listed, you can add it by going to Admin> Rental and Leasing Codes> Equipment Type.
Select a Rental Type under the Rental Parameters section. If the rental type is not listed, you can add it by going to Admin> Rental and Leasing Codes> Rental/Lease Equipment Types.
Hit F10, or click the yellow diskette on the system toolbar to save.
At the bottom of the window, click Location History. This will open a new window.
While on the Location tab, select the correct Facility and click Update to save your selection.

On the Divisions tab, select the correct Division and click Update to save your selection.

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Can Daily Equipment Readings be Limited?

sales@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 22:58:48 +0000

Yes! EMDECS allows you to set limits on how much a reading can increase per day. Setting this up can prevent data entry errors.

Go to Admin> Standard Equipment Codes> Maintenance Trigger Class and setup a Maximum Per Day value for any Class Code that you'd like to limit.

Customer Experience (CX) (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Can Work Orders be Copied?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:25:12 +0000

Yes - work orders in the 1st generation version of EMDECS can be copied using the Copy WO button on the Retail Work Order screen. This is a handy feature for work that is often repeated - including estimates. Click the button to produce a new WO with identical details, then you can make any necessary changes before completing and invoicing.

Customer Experience Team (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Can EMDECS Indicate When Parts Haven't Been Counted?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 18:09:01 +0000

Yes - run the Parts Not Counted Report in EMDECS generation 1 to indicate what parts, if any, were not included in a physical count. This can help ensure that inventory counts have been thorough and accurate.

Customer Experience Team (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Can Rental Revenue be Split?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:35:40 +0000

Yes, EMDECS can easily split revenue values from rental units to multiple GL accounts. This can be setup as an automatic process to avoid having to perform manual journal entries after-the-fact. Contact the Customer Experience team for help with setting up GL accounts and rental revenue splitting.

Customer Experience Team (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817

Is There a Limit to Number of Photo Attachments?

Michael.Wood@perfitcomputer.com (Michael Wood) — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:17:03 +0000

Not per se, but many large attachments to repairs or estimates (EMDECS generation 2) can potentially slow down the performance of the system when viewing the record. This is most important if repairs and/or estimates are submitted to a head office or controlling body for review/approval - too many large sized attachments might slow down this process. The best advice, just like when attaching files to an email, is to only attach one or two larger files, or a greater number of much smaller sized files.

Customer Experience Team (click)

Sales (click)

905 501-0911

888 205-8817