These product enhancements will be available from October 22–24, 2024, unless noted.
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Try out new providers, simplify planned maintenance, and track asset transfers or repairs with ease
We’re excited to announce powerful new tools to help you build and maintain a strong provider network, streamline your planned maintenance, and get more from your assets at every location.
Learn about all of the updates and best practices directly from our experts in the Product Release Webinar.
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Highlights
Try out new providers with built-in pilots. Find out how prospective providers perform at your locations before you decide to assign them long-term.
Simplify your planned maintenance. See all your recurring services on a new overview page and create services with fewer clicks.
Easily transfer assets between locations. Create work orders for providers to transfer assets between locations with Asset Validation.
Create asset work orders more easily. When creating a work order, it’s easier than ever to link to the correct asset.
Additional updates
See provider profiles, reports, and templates adapted for your region
Multi-level sorting of work order, invoice, and proposal lists
Quickly see if a provider is using ServiceChannel with Provider Search
Try out new providers with built-in pilots
Continuously testing new providers is a key component of the Framework for a Strong Provider Network, which ensures business continuity by helping you achieve the right mix of the highest quality and most cost-effective providers in the market.
A powerful new “pilot” feature in Locations & Assignments automates the trial process. Easily add new providers temporarily, without changing your existing assignments. This allows you to ensure they deliver better service and meet your performance standards before you decide to rank them as your primary provider.
Just set the number of work orders the new provider should receive during the pilot (we recommend a minimum of 10 work orders within 3 months). They’ll be automatically assigned during that period, so you don’t need to manually change your assignments before and after each test.
Find out how much you can improve. Everyone wants to find cost savings opportunities. At the same time, new providers need to learn your business, deliver better results, and meet all your expectations. With pilots, you can prove that a new provider gives you better service before giving them the job longer-term.
Flexibly test out new providers. If a pilot provider meets or exceeds your expectations, you can rank them as your new primary. If not, your assignments automatically return to your existing primary provider when the pilot ends. You can easily continue to test until you find the right fit.
Adapt quickly to changing business needs or market conditions. Pilots make it easy to test multiple providers continuously and adjust your mix without impacting your ongoing operations.
How to test a new provider with a pilot (available November 7, 2024):
Go to Menu > Location & Assignments > Pilot > Create Pilot to set up a provider pilot.
Select the provider, trades, number of work orders, and locations included in the pilot.
Enter any email addresses that should receive a notification when the pilot is completed.
Analyze the provider’s performance during the pilot period and decide whether to permanently assign the provider.
Click the Assign button to rank the provider at your locations.
This feature is coming soon on November 7, 2024.
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Simplify your planned maintenance
From pest control to fire and life safety, an effective planned maintenance (PM) program is critical to deliver on your customer expectations. To make this easier than ever, we released the new Planned Maintenance module in July 2024. You can start using the new module upon request or wait until it is enabled for all customers in early 2025.
See all your PM services on one page. The redesigned Planned Maintenance module gives you a simpler and more intuitive experience, starting with a holistic view of your entire PM program on the new overview page.
Create services with fewer clicks. The streamlined workflow for creating and editing planned maintenance services ensures that nothing stands in the way of your proactive facilities strategy.
Reuse past upload templates to save time. We refreshed the templates page to make it easier to bulk upload work orders and reuse previous templates.
To get started, ask your Customer Success Manager or Support to enable the new module. Then go to Menu > Planned Maintenance to see the new look and feel.
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Easily transfer assets between locations
The Asset Validation module helps you capture any missing information and verify the quality of your data on a regular basis across all your locations, so you can make proactive replacement decisions.
Now with Asset Validation you can create a work order to transfer assets between locations with the help of your providers, then track all the transfers on the asset summary report.
Maintain an accurate asset register. Use Asset Validation to capture the service history, condition, and cost insights you need for capital planning to maximize your ROI.
Get help from your providers. Technicians collect asset information with every work order so you avoid stagnant data or repeated audits. Now you can also create work orders to transfer assets between locations, so you can always track their movements.
Justify your investments. With validated data on all your assets, you can proactively replace those at the end of their useful life to reduce downtime, revenue loss, and wasted expenses.
To get started:
Go to Menu > Assets Manager > Summary > Transfer
Click the Schedule button to schedule an asset transfer
You can also schedule an asset transfer from the location dashboard
If you’re not using the Asset Validation module, contact your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager to learn more.
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Create asset work orders more easily
For work orders related to a specific asset, attaching the correct asset record ensures accurate data, gives you faster resolution times, and enables proactive repair vs. replace decisions. With new logic for creating asset work orders, that’s easier than ever.
You can now select from all the assets with an assigned trade that matches the work order trade. To filter the list of assets, you can select the desired asset type from a menu.
You can also enable an “Asset Not Listed” option, giving you the flexibility to create work orders without linking an asset in situations where the correct asset cannot be identified.
To get started, please work with your Customer Success Manager.
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See provider profiles, reports, and templates adapted for your region
We continue to enhance the Platform to meet the unique needs of users around the world.
To simplify the onboarding process for international providers, we have updated the registration flow and profile format. Fields like phone number, taxation information, and address fields will adapt to country-specific needs, providing a more seamless experience for our international customers and their providers.
Also, reports and templates will now automatically adjust to use currency and decimal formats specific to your region, making them easier for you to use and more accurate.
See up-to-date information on upcoming planned maintenance
The PM Upcoming report now refreshes your future planned maintenance work orders every four hours rather than weekly, so you're always working with the latest information.
To get started, go to Menu > Analytics to review the PM Upcoming report.
Review invoice line-item amounts from the list view
Rather than opening every invoice, you can now simply hover over the invoice total amount in list view to see all the line item amounts, so you can review and take action faster.
To get started, hover over the total amount on an invoice in list view.
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Multi-level sorting of work order, invoice, and proposal lists
You can now layer multiple levels of sorting when viewing work order, invoice, and proposal lists, making it easier than ever to find the items you need and prioritize your tasks. For example, you could sort first by the provider and then by the invoice date.
To get started, click on the sort menu at the top of a list and select Custom Sort.
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Track and bulk update projected completion dates
When creating work orders in bulk, you can now include projected completion dates in the Planned Maintenance template. This helps manage expectations around work order completion dates, which is helpful for project management, stakeholder communication, and internal auditing.
You can report on the current projected completion date using the All Calls (Long Format) Report from the work orders list, and with Analytics and Data Direct, you can also report on the history of the projected completion date field.
To get started, go to Menu > Planned Maintenance > Templates, then create a new template file and include the Projected Completion Date field.
Quickly see if a provider is using ServiceChannel with Provider Search
Now when you search for a provider by name, you can quickly verify they’re on the ServiceChannel Platform and invite them into your network without viewing their performance history.
You can still choose to view the provider’s performance history to see if they fit your needs before inviting them into your network. Providers agree to pay a small growth fee on invoices, if they accept your invitation after you’ve reviewed their performance history.
To get started, click on Provider Search in the top navigation menu. If the link is not visible, contact your ServiceChannel administrator for access.
This feature is coming soon on November 7, 2024.
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Control material markup on proposal line items
Previously, material markup rates could be automatically populated from Compliance Manager when a provider was creating a proposal. Now you can take more control over your proposal pricing with new flexibility for how these default markup rates are applied. You can enable your providers to remove the default markup rates or edit them as needed, giving you more accurate quotes.
Contact your Customer Success Manager to enable this feature.
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Add multi-select questions to checklists
You can now configure checklist questions to accept multiple answers, allowing for more nuanced data collection in cases where one answer may not be sufficient. For example, a technician performing maintenance on an asset could select multiple issues that need to be addressed in future visits. This ensures that no detail gets missed and gives you a more complete understanding of onsite conditions.
To get started, navigate to Admin > Checklists to edit existing checklists or add multi-select options to a new checklist.
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Pin work order notes to the top of the list
You and your providers can now “pin” important work order notes so they appear at the top of the list for easy reference. For example, you can pin a status update so that others don’t have to read through all the notes to find out what’s happening. You can pin a note while creating it or after it’s been created. Your providers can see your pinned notes, but they cannot pin notes themselves.
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Add a note when resolving a required action
When you click Resolve & Add Note on a work order note with the Action Required status, you are now prompted to add another note with your resolution. The original note’s status is updated to Action Resolved.
To get started, click on My Action Required Notes from your landing page.
Improved email formatting
Previously, it was easy for providers to miss your invitation or compliance emails because they blended in with all the work order emails sent from ServiceChannel. Now emails sent through Fixxbook workflows for invitation, registration, and compliance management will show the sender as your company name, making them easier to recognize. This leads to faster provider onboarding and easier compliance management for you and your providers.
Define provider overrides with reserved rank labels
Now you can define provider overrides to route work orders based on reserved rank labels rather than rank numbers, giving you more flexibility to adjust your assignments without disrupting overrides.
On the location dashboard override settings, you can now select a rank label rather than a number. In the issue list, you can now enter a rank label rather than a number in the "ProviderRankOverrides" column of the Fields tab.
You can reserve ranks by specifying the label for each rank number, with options including: Warranty, Landlord, Internal, Parts Order, CapEx, Government, Deferred Service, and Planned Maintenance.
To assign rank labels, go to menu > Locations & Provider Assignments > and click on Reserved Ranks.
* Provider Search and network opportunities are available in the U.S. only and will be visible if the Provider Search feature is enabled in your accountThese product enhancements will be available from March 25–27, 2025, unless noted.
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Accelerate provider upgrades, onboarding, and payments – while getting more done on the go
Announcing powerful new tools to accelerate your provider upgrades, onboarding, and payments – while getting more done on the go.
Learn about all of the exciting updates coming to ServiceChannel March 25–27, 2025 in the release webinar on March 18 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.
Highlights
Coming soon! Pay all your providers with one easy payment. With EasyPay, your Accounts Payable team can pay hundreds of provider invoices with a single payment.
New! Monitor, upgrade, and onboard providers faster than ever. Keep an eye on performance, customize your recommendations, and put new providers to work in record time.
Improved! Work faster on the go with the ServiceChannel Mobile app. Stay on top of all your work from your phone with new filters and homepage design.
Additional updates: Increase the accuracy of your budget forecasts, save money and improve compliance with refrigerant tracking, complete site audits more quickly, track equipment inventory with help from your providers, and more…
Coming soon! Pay all your providers with one easy payment
With EasyPay, your Accounts Payable team can pay hundreds of provider invoices with a single payment.
Reduce the workload for your Accounts Payable team. Save countless hours when you avoid collecting provider payment information, cutting checks, and responding to inquiries.
Work with as many self-performing providers as you need. Add more providers to your network without overwhelming your Accounts Payable team.
Reduce your financial security risks. By relying on a trusted partner to send payments, you no longer need to store provider banking information or share yours.
Providers can choose how to get paid. They have the flexibility to choose their preferred payment method, including electronic payment or check.
How EasyPay works
Your approved invoices automatically sync from ServiceChannel to your ERP system, as usual.
Your Accounts Payable team makes a single, consolidated payment each period to an FDIC-insured bank account for the amount of your approved invoices.
Our EasyPay technology partner, Viewpost, sends individual payments to each provider without delay for their approved invoices using their chosen payment method.
Viewpost keeps track of the provider’s payment information for you. Providers that have not enrolled in electronic payments receive checks by mail.
Get started
EasyPay will be available for all customers in May 2025. To learn more and get started with setup, contact your Account Manager.
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New! Monitor, upgrade, and onboard providers faster than ever
We’re making it easier for you to keep an eye on performance and put new providers to work in record time. These key components of the Framework for a Strong Provider Network ensure you get the highest quality, most cost-effective service possible.
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Everyone can use Contractor Scorecard to measure performance
When everyone on your team can find insights, it’s easier to monitor service quality at every step – and continuously improve. Now your whole team can see your provider performance insights right in the ServiceChannel Platform. Every user in your account can access the Contractor Scorecard without needing an Analytics license.
Get started
Go to menu > Contractor Scorecard. For access, users need the new Contractor Scorecard user permission enabled.
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Caption: All users with permission can now view your Contractor Scorecard from the main menu
Monitor performance of new providers
Testing new providers is an important best practice as part of your everyday operations. Now you can easily track how your newly ranked providers are performing compared to your expectations using a new dashboard in Analytics called New Provider Performance.
If they’re doing well, you can give them more work. Or you can coach them where they need to improve. Either way, it’s vital to reinforce the right behaviors early on for better long-term relationships.
How it works
Filter providers based on how recently they were ranked in a new location or trade using the Rank Date, like the last 6 months.
You can also filter by the provider’s name or other criteria like work order completion date, trade, priority, location, or region.
See each provider’s ranking date and number of assigned locations, along with their work order volume and invoice amount to date.
Review a range of KPIs from Contractor Scorecard that are early indicators of their performance, including: on-time arrival, one-time visit, check-in, completion time, median invoice amount, proposal submission time, and declines.
Benchmark the filtered providers against your overall network and against all providers on the ServiceChannel Platform to see how their performance compares on each KPI.
Get started
Go to menu > Analytics > in the navigation menu on the left, select Boards > SC Dashboards > New Provider Performance > and then select the dashboard named Repair KPIs - New Provider Performance.
To benchmark filtered providers, select Boards > SC Dashboards > New Provider Performance > Benchmarking - New Provider Performance.
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Get provider replacement recommendations on-demand
You can now request recommendations to replace a specific existing provider in your network with a different provider that has a proven history of better performance or lower costs, or who may be a better fit for your needs.
This feature expands on the existing network opportunities in Provider Search, which already gives you proactive recommendations for strengthening your network where you have the most room to elevate service or reduce prices.
How it works
Find alternatives to any provider currently ranked first (primary) for one of your locations.
Select specific trades and locations where you want to focus, if your incumbent is under-performing in certain areas.
Select up to two improvement priorities for the optimization — whether it’s faster repair speed, lower costs, higher-quality service, or better engagement.
Get a list of potential upgrades along with the estimated cost savings or score improvements in around 24 hours after you submit your request.
Get started
Go to Provider Search and select Request Opportunity.
Select the provider that you want to analyze for upgrade opportunities.
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Identify your highest priority network opportunities
With new filters, it’s easier to focus on opportunities to replace a specific provider or optimize coverage at a specific location, so you can improve service where you need the most help.
How it works
Narrow down your opportunities with new filter options to select the location, region, trade, or provider that’s the highest priority for you.
Review recommendations and find out exactly how much you could save or improve.
Invite new providers into your network quickly and easily right from the opportunity.
Get started
Go to Provider Search and click View All to see all of your current opportunities, then apply your high-priority filters.
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Put providers to work faster with clear onboarding status
Now you can see where providers are in the onboarding process, then act quickly to move them forward with the new provider onboarding status page.
How it works
See where providers are and accelerate each stage of the process:
Invited. View invitations for providers that have not yet accepted.
Pending Compliance. Review providers that have not yet completed your compliance requirements.
Ready to Accept. Accept providers that have met compliance requirements.
Ready to Rank. Rank providers so they can start receiving work.
Pilot Testing. Review the results of provider trial periods to ensure they meet your performance expectations.
Fully Onboarded. Review the performance of providers in Contractor Scorecard.
Eliminate delays by tracking incomplete documents, pending approvals, unanswered invitations, and pilot tests in one place.
The nextstep is just one button away, so you always know what to do next.
Get started
Go to menu > Compliance (Private Network), and then click the new Onboarding link to go to the provider onboarding status page.
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Quickly review provider rates
You can now filter providers in Compliance Manager based on the status of their client rates. This filter helps you quickly find providers that need to enter rates or have them reviewed. You can filter by the following status options:
Compliant: You have accepted the client rates.
Noncompliant: The client rates have not been entered or have been rejected.
Review: The client rates need your review.
Get started
Go to menu > Compliance (Private Network). You will see the Client Rates filter in the Compliance Overview table if you have enabled the Client Rates requirement.
To enable the Client Rates requirement in Compliance Manager, go to the Requirements tab and select the box next to Client Rates in the Basic Requirements section.
Fill key trade gaps in provider coverage
Now it’s easy to find gaps in your provider coverage so you can prevent downtime and protect your brand. The Platform checks to ensure you have providers assigned to key trades, so you can quickly get a provider onsite when you need them — especially for emergency repairs.
How it works
Easily identify locations with missing or insufficient provider coverage.
Use Provider Searchto find a proven top-performing provider, then invite them into your network and assign them to the locations with gaps.
Get started
Go to menu > Locations & Provider Assignments and click on the filter for assignment gaps.
Improved! Work faster on the go in ServiceChannel Mobile
With new filters and an updated homepage design, we’re making it easier for you to stay on top of all your work with the ServiceChannel app.
Get quick access to your favorite tools. Jump straight to creating a work order and customize the homepage so your most frequently used items are on top.
See what needs your attention across multiple locations. Now you can filter for all the work orders in your district or region at once.
Get more done on the go without returning to your desk. Use the same powerful filters on mobile that you use on desktop and save filters for quick access next time.
How it works
Tap one button from the refreshed homepage to start creating a work order.
Personalize your homepage by showing, hiding, and reordering menu items.
Use new filters to quickly find the work orders that need your attention:
Filter by region, district, state, or multiple locations.
Filter by extended status, like waiting for parts or pending approval.
Save filters to your personalized homepage for rapid access.
Get started
Contact your Customer Success Manager to get early access to the improved ServiceChannel Mobile today!
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Additional updates
Increase the accuracy of your budget forecasts
The Budget Insights tool now gives you more accurate budget forecasts by changing when costs are accrued for work that is not yet completed. The projected cost of any open work orders with a past scheduled date will be forecasted in the current fiscal period, rather than a past period. The projected cost is based on the average invoice amount of similar completed work orders.
If you’re not already using Budget Insights, contact your Account Manager to learn more.
Save money and improve compliance with refrigerant tracking
The Refrigerant Tracking tool now performs more rigorous validation of the required dates on refrigerant leak records, so you can strengthen compliance, reduce risks, and significantly save on costs.
It ensures that key dates for repair, initial verification, and follow-up verification are entered by users before leak events can be completed. It also checks that the leak repair date is after the call date and before the work order completion date.
If you’re not already using Refrigerant Tracking, contact your Account Manager to learn more.
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Complete site audits more quickly
You can now complete site audits without answering all the questions, while flagging the unanswered items as Not Audited. The unanswered questions are not included in the overall audit score, are clearly marked in reports, and you can always edit them later. This ensures your audits have accurate scores, while giving auditors more flexibility to answer items when the time is right.
To try it out, submit a site audit and check the box to confirm you want to flag the unanswered questions as Not Audited.
Also, when you are completing a site audit on desktop, you can now see how each item was scored in the past, including the audit date, just like on mobile. This way you can quickly understand how conditions are changing or calibrate your scores.
If you’re not already using Site Planning, contact your Account Manager to learn more.
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Track equipment inventory with help from your providers
Providers can now perform cycle counts at your locations, making it easier to manage your inventory of shopping carts and other equipment — and avoid the need to buy a separate solution.
You can schedule planned maintenance work orders that will dispatch providers to service your equipment and report on the number of functional units. Then, when inventory drops below your threshold level, the Platform can automatically generate a purchase request to replenish your stock.
To enable this feature in Inventory Manager, contact your Customer Success Manager.
If you’re not already using Inventory Manager, contact your Account Manager to learn more.
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Projects
Keep projects on track with improved filters
You can now filter by multiple values in the Projects, Programs, Tasks, Approval Required, and Budget tabs of the Projects Module. With more powerful filtering options, you can quickly find the projects you’re looking for and keep them on schedule.
To get started, go to menu > Projects, and then select filter values on each of the tabs as needed.
If you’re not already using Projects, contact your Account Manager to learn more.
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Work order management
Benchmark your proposal costs against your peers
The supporting intelligence you see when reviewing proposals now includes benchmarking data from all proposals on the ServiceChannel Platform, so you know how your pricing compares to similar work orders in the market. When your proposal costs more than the benchmark, you may want to investigate for opportunities to get the work done for a more competitive price.
To get started, go to Proposals in the top navigation menu, then review the updated Proposal Supporting Intelligence section for each proposal. Use these new benchmarking insights along with the AI-powered Proposal Recommendation to guide your approval decisions.
Drag and drop file attachments on work orders
You can now attach files to work orders by simply dragging and dropping them into the attachments area when editing the work order details or adding a note. You can save even more time by selecting multiple files and dropping them all at once.
To try it out, open the work order details or add a note, drag and drop files into the attachment area, enter file descriptions, and then click Save.
New options for filtering by relative date
To help you find the right work orders, proposals, or invoices more quickly, you now have more ways to filter lists by the relative date. New filtering options include: yesterday, past week, past year, and your desired number of past hours.
To get started, go to the work orders, invoices, or proposals list, select the date field you want to filter by from the menu in the left filter panel, and thenselect the desired relative date range.
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Track the projected completion date for work orders
To help you keep track of when providers plan to finish the job, you can now record the projected completion date for work orders.
You or your providers can set the projected completion date while editing any work order. The Platform will ensure that the projected completion date is later than the scheduled date.
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Filter for proposals related to the same work order
To help you manage proposals more easily, you can now filter to see all proposals that are related to the same work order, so you can process them all at once.
To get started, go to Proposals in the top navigation menu. Select whether you want to include or exclude related proposals, add any additional filters, and then click Apply.
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Organize your work orders with multiple labels
You can now add as many labels to a work order as you need, so you can organize them in multiple groups at the same time. Try using labels for programs, initiatives, weather events, insurance claims, and more. Then you can report on and analyze your work order data by filtering for one or more labels.
To add labels, edit a work order or proposal, then select one or more label names from the Labels menu. You can also add labels from the location dashboard.
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Get more relevant feedback with custom questions
You can now create custom feedback questions that are tailored to work order criteria including: location, trade, category, priority, and provider. By customizing the questions for different types of work orders, you can collect feedback that is more relevant and actionable, leading to improved service delivery.
To create custom feedback questions, go to menu > Admin > Survey, click Add Question, enter the question text, and then specify the criteria for which the question applies.
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Filter by work order status in the proposal list
A new filter allows you to see proposals based on the status of the work order, such as open work orders with an approved proposal.
Clarify next steps by pinning notes from work order overrides
When a provider assignment override is applied by your location dashboard, you can now have the corresponding work order note be pinned to the top of the list, so your team or provider can quickly identify what they need to do next. For example, if a new location is under warranty and an override assigns the work order to an internal provider for review, then you can pin a note for them asking whether the warranty applies to this repair.
Asset management
Create separate checklists for each asset on a work order
For more effective maintenance and inspections, you can now track separate checklists for each asset on a work order, with checklist questions tailored for each asset type. You get more complete data, because technicians can be required to answer all the checklist questions for each asset before checking out.
To create tailored checklists, go to menu > Admin > Checklists, and check the box to display checklists for each asset. Then, for each checklist question you add, select the asset types where it applies from the dropdown menu.
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Platform
Save time by copying location notes
You can now copy location notes from one location to another, saving you time and improving consistency.
To get started, open the location notes for the location to which you want to copy notes, by going to menu > Locations & Provider Assignments > select the location > open the Location Notes tab.
Select one or more checkboxes next to location notes, then click the Copy Location Notes button. Select the location you want to copy location notes from in the dropdown menu, and check the box for Override Location Notes if you want to replace existing note values with the copied notes.
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Learn more from the experts
These are just the highlights, so be sure to check out all the innovations in the Spring 2025 Product Release News.
Then register for the release webinar on March 18 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. We’ll send you the replay, in case you cannot attend live.