ProductChannel: 2019 R3 Release Highlights (October 2019)

Owned by Chellie Esters
Last updated: Jan 09, 2020
6 min read


2019 Release 3 (“R3”) of ServiceChannel is planned for release on October 23rd. The new capabilities are listed below and you can find additional details through the link at the end of the listing.

If you have ideas for enhancements that will help you move faster, work smarter and keep customers happier, please share them with us!

Summary:

Updates for Service Automation Essentials

  • Proposal Manager: Multi-Level Proposals
  • Verified Providers in Directory
  • Payment Manager: Provider View and Expected Date
  • Location Dashboard: Work Order History Search
  • After Hours Override
  • Configurable Work Order Status Selection
  • Work Order List Enhancements (multiple)
  • New: Map View for Work Orders (Limited Availability)
  • Asset Manager: Link Work Order to Assets via Unique ID
  • User Roles within Admin
  • Analytics Standard and Feedback
    • Custom Questions
    • Emailed Link for Feedback w/o Login

Updates for Service Automation Professional and Additional Modules

  • New: Weather-initiated Work Orders (Limited Availability)
  • ServiceChannel Provider App: Emergency WO Alert Sounds
  • Supply Manager: Edit Materials in Work Orders


Updates for Service Automation Essentials

Proposal Manager: Multi-Level Proposals

ServiceChannel Proposal Manager now can route approvals automatically through a defined hierarchy of approvers. 

  • Ensure that proposals are approved by the right managers according to approval limits
  • Approvals can be configured using templates to set different approval processes based on trade and category.

Note: To enable this functionality, please ask your ServiceChannel representative.

Verified Providers in Directory

With this release, the provider directory will allow for filtering to show only providers who have participated in the Verified Provider program. Providers sign-up for this business verification program which validates that their ServiceChannel account is associated with the actual, physical business through a third party, independent source. Providers completing verification will be designated as such on their profile and the directory. Providers with diversity statuses, such as minority-owned business, will also have their diversity statuses verified.

Payment Manager: Provider View and Expected Date

ServiceChannel Payment Manager is a new module that reduces “phone-tag” and hours spent chasing down payment inquiries from providers, simplifies the adoption of early payment discounts and improves cash flow management for your company.

With this release, Payment Managers has been enhanced to give providers gain online visibility into payment status and show the expected payment date for each pending payment.

Location Dashboard: Work Order History Search

In Dashboard 2.0, you can now search for work orders. The search bar is located under the Work Order History tab so you can quickly find a work order by:

  • Tracking Number
  • Schedule Date
  • Caller
  • Area
  • Status
  • Description



After Hours Override


Admin users now have the ability to set up operating hours, and create and set Holidays across all locations or specific locations.
 
  • Operating hours can be set up by different days of the week
  • Holidays can be set up with the desired frequency. 
  • You can utilize issue list overrides for Categories, to adjust Provider, NTE and Priority based on whether or not the service request is submitted during business hours or not. 
  • You can set up After Hours features within Admin and overrides within the Dashboard Settings.

Note: Ask your ServiceChannel representative for the exact date when the feature will be made available to you.


Configurable Work Order Status Selection

With this release, using Admin privileges, you can now select the WO statuses that will be available for manual selection by users. This provides an additional degree of control over the statuses that are used for Work Orders.

Work Order List Enhancements (multiple)

As a follow-up to the new Work Order list view, we have been continuing to roll out feature enhancements based on your feedback! This release brings the following enhancements:

  • Improved status color display
  • Larger font for Location info/address
  • Collapsible left filter
  • Copy/Paste multiple Work Orders via email
  • Prominent icon for Emergency WOs
  • Enhanced context on notes
  • Added ‘Created by’ field
  • New icon to show total time on-site
  • Moved page navigation to top of list

New: Map View for Work Orders (Limited Availability)

The Work Order Manager now offers a new visual, map-based view of your work orders. You get an instant view into the location of your hot-spots and can zoom in to investigate further. This overall view into work helps ensure no critical issues escape your attention.

Note: Map View for Work Orders is in Limited Availability. Please contact your ServiceChannel representative if you’re interested in using the feature.

Asset Manager: Link Work Order to Assets via Unique ID

With this release, we are making it easier to link assets to work orders via the issues list using a unique identifier (Equipment IF) and asset type, instead of text matching via the asset type. 

With this feature, dashboard users gain the ability to choose assets even if the asset type is not a text match. This is useful when you want to keep a consistent naming convention of asset types across users accessing the dashboard in different languages. You can also give dashboard users the ability to choose from more than one asset type. This is useful to show similar assets, components of assets, and to allow overall flexibility in asset selection.

User Roles Within Admin

Starting with this release, you will be able to use a template to define roles and the specific access privileges associated with these roles. Within the Admin page, you can then assign any of these roles to a user, providing a quick way to ensure accurate and consistent assignment of access privileges.

Analytics Standard and Feedback: Custom Questions

As part of Work Order reviews and feedback, you can now incorporate your own custom questions as part of the feedback to get richer information on evaluating providers. You can define up to 5 custom questions to ask. Responses are available for download by both corporate and location users.

Analytics Standard and Feedback: Emailed Link for Feedback Without Login

You can now configure the system to automatically send an email that prompts users to provide feedback once a Work Order is complete. This email contains a link that allows the recipient to provide feedback without logging in. By reminding users and making it easy for them to give feedback, you can increase the amount of feedback you collect. 

Updates for Service Automation Professional and Additional Modules

New: Weather-initiated Work Orders (Limited Availability)

In conjunction with the new Map View for Work Orders, the new Weather Overlay feature will allow you to view weather events (including hurricanes and snow) that could impact your locations. The feature will also enable you to create and assign work orders in a given geographical area directly from the Map View.

Note: Weather-initiated Work Orders is in Limited Availability. Please contact your ServiceChannel representative if you’re interested in using the feature.

ServiceChannel Provider App: Emergency WO Alert Sounds

Within the ServiceChannel Provider App that is used by Field Technicians as well as third-party providers, new configuration settings will allow App users to define specific sounds associated with alerts for Emergency work orders.

Supply Manager: Edit Materials in Work Orders

With this release, a new feature has been added to the View Details section of a work order that allows users with the right permissions to delete or change materials associated with a work order. Changes to materials are recorded in the work order notes.