In ServiceChannel, there are two types of technicians, Internal Technicians and External Technicians. Internal Technicians are employees of the client and therefore have a higher level of permissions and access. External Technicians are employed by service providers. There permissions that External Technicians have can vary between clients, as each client determines the permissions and access that their external technicians have.
Internal Technicians
Internal Technicians are employees of the client. However, they must still be set up under a separate service provider account. See your ServiceChannel Representative for assistance in setting up an internal provider account. As Internal Technicians they can be granted a higher level of technician access than external technicians. Internal Technicians can be given the ability to:
- access the Inventory Module;
- reassign Work Orders to other Internal Technicians or External Providers; and
- create Work Orders.
See FTM for more information on Internal Technicians.
External Technicians
External Technicians are employees of a service provider. Their accounts are established, managed and maintained by an external service provider. External Technicians can be assigned the necessary permissions and access to successfully service refrigerated work orders, including the ability to:
- select or modify the asset worked on, using ServiceChannel Provider;
- add parts used to the work order;
- add refrigerant usage to the work order;
- complete a Leak Rate Record; and
- create follow up work orders.
Having Credentials for Refrigerant Assets
Internal (FTM) and external technicians assigned to HVAC and refrigeration work orders will be required to have their certificates and/or licenses uploaded into both Provider and Service Automation to service those precise work orders. This protects everyone involved and ensures the assets are being worked on by someone with specific credentials. When technicians are attempting to check-in on HVAC and refrigeration work orders, they will be prompted to provide the necessary documentation before officially starting the clock. Once their certificates and/or licenses are uploaded, the check-in process will no longer prompt for certification before moving forward. Once the certification has been added, it updates Service Automation and Compliance Manager.
When creating or modifying Refrigerant Tracking Admin, there is the ability to add the e- mail address(es) for any provider(s) that would be excluded from having to provide certification and/or license to service HVAC and refrigeration work orders. If a technician attempts to work on a HVAC and/or refrigeration work order without a credentials, a system note is generated in the work order notes indicating a service was attempted without proper credentials.