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Companies that have HVAC and Refrigerated assets and use their internal technicians to service those assets can use the integrated ServiceChannel Provider mobile application and a Provider Automation account to manage refrigerated and HVAC work orders. Companies wishing to set up this integrated work flow should contact their ServiceChannel representatives for assistance in setting up the necessary connections.

ServiceChannel Provider is a mobile application that is used by internal field technicians to receive, view, manage, reassign and check into and out of work orders dispatched through Provider Automation. Additionally, with the appropriate permissions, ServiceChannel Provider can be used to track technicians time on a variety of tasks, search inventory by location, add parts used to the work order record and record refrigerant usage.

Setting Up ServiceChannel Provider for Internal Technicians

Technician's ServiceChannel Provider accounts are set up using User Management in Provider Automation. The process includes:

• Establishing a Provider Automation account and having it linked to their primary Service Automation account;
• Inviting and setting up Administrators and Technicians accounts;
• Setting up Auto Assign rules for work order assignment (optional);
• Establishing a rank for their internal technicians via  Location & Provider Assignments.

Once all connections between the Service Automation account and the Provider Account are completed and technician accounts established, companies can dispatch refrigerated/HVAC work orders to their internal technicians. 

To ensure compliance, it is important to record refrigerant use as soon as possible. The easiest way to do that is from the field by using the SC Provider mobile app. We recommend that you record refrigerant usage at the time of use.

Adding Refrigerant to a Work Order via ServiceChannel Provider

When you are requested to repair or replace refrigerated or HVAC assets, you might need to add, remove, or replace the refrigerant gas. In SC Provider, you can capture refrigerant usage as part of the work order flow.

The infographic below depicts key aspects of recording refrigerant usage covered in this article.

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When Can You Record Refrigerant Usage?

There are two ways for you to record refrigerant usage:

• When you edit a work order, you can specify the refrigerant part(s) you used.

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• When you check out of a work order, the refrigerant flow gets triggered.

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Technician Certification

To service HVAC and refrigerated assets, your client may require you to have refrigeration certification. When you answer Yes to the “Did you use refrigerant?” question, the app checks whether your account is associated with a refrigeration certification. This certificate should be uploaded by your manager in Provider Directory (aka Fixxbook).

When refrigeration certification is a requirement on your client’s side, without the uploaded certificate, you will not be able to capture refrigerant usage on work orders.

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Answering the “Did You Use Refrigerant?” Question

The app will prompt you to specify whether you used any refrigerant to complete the work. There are three answer options you can choose from when responding to the “Did you use refrigerant?” question.

Where Did You Take Refrigerant Parts From?

Recording refrigerant usage against a work order implies that you, first of all, specify the location, aka the source location, where you took the required refrigerant gas from.

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• Client’s inventory: When a refrigerant part is taken from the client’s location inventory, pick the required inventory location from the locations list. Note that the app will show only those inventory locations to which you are assigned by your client.

  
  

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  Based on your client’s preferences, you may have either full or limited access to inventory locations. Thus, the app may show either all inventory locations or only the ones in the technician’s area.

  
  

• Work order location: If the work order location stores inventory, it will appear at the top of the list.

• Vendor supplied: To add non-inventory refrigerant parts, pick the Vendor Supplied option, and enter the required refrigerant data manually.

Completing a Leak Record

Taking into account the quantity of the refrigerant used and the usage reason, the app will calculate the leak rate.

Whenever the leak rate on a work order meets or exceeds the leak rate threshold and the use reason is set to Unknown, Leak, or Repair, you are asked to complete a leak record. The purpose is to collect comprehensive data on the leak and stay compliant with the local and governmental regulations.

To complete a leak record and move it to the Closed status, you are required to fill out all the fields marked with a pencil icon 🖉 on the Leak Record screen. If you complete the leak record partially or skip that step at all, the leak will stay in the Open status. You might not be able to invoice the work order until the leak record is closed.

How to Record Refrigerant Use on a Work Order in SC Provider