Validating Assets
Validation Types
To make sure you are going to service the right asset, you need to validate it. Note that there are two validation types:
- Forced Validation: Technicians must validate assets to get down to work on assigned service requests.
- Required Validation: Technicians are required to validate the asset. If they cannot, the validation process can be skipped. In this case, technicians should specify the reason for being unable to validate the asset. The work order will contain a record saying that the asset isn’t validated. Read more about Skipping the Asset Validation.
Your client sets the preferred validation method in Service Automation. When the validation process is activated by your client, you will see the corresponding record on your work order in SC Provider.
Validating an Asset
The following scheme shows how an in-house technician clocks into a work order — provided that the asset validation is enabled.
The technician locates the work order and sees that the asset validation is required.
The technician taps Log Time and selects the activity type.
The technician is clocked in and should validate the asset to proceed.
- Scan the asset that you are supposed to service or search for it manually.
- Once the app finds the match, review the asset details, and tap Validate Asset.
Switch between the two tabs below to learn what scenarios are possible after you tap Validate Asset.
Validating an Asset with the Forced Validation Enabled
When it comes to the asset validation process, several scenarios are possible based on the configured asset validation rules. The following instruction describes the situation when the Forced Validation type is enabled, and an in-house technician has just checked into a work order with an associated asset.
Tap Scan on the Validate Asset screen, and scan either the barcode or the NFC code. The scanning method depends on the subscriber’s preference configured on the Asset Rules page.
If you cannot scan an asset tag, tap Tell us why, and select a reason for being unable to scan, for example, there is a problem with your scanner, then tap Save. Now, you can manually search for the required asset.
When no match is found, the process stops here. No changes can be made to this work order.
In case the matching asset is found, review the asset details, and tap Validate Asset.
If the asset is successfully validated, a record will be added to the WO list view stating that the asset is validated. You can edit and update this service request now.
If the asset validation fails, read about Troubleshooting Validation Errors to resolve the issue.
Troubleshooting Validation Errors
To validate that the asset serviced by the technician corresponds to the asset linked to the service request, the app checks the following two things:
- Does the asset tag match the asset associated with the work order?
- Does the location of the asset correspond to the location of the asset on the work order?
Should the answer be “No” to either of these questions, the validation fails, and technicians receive a corresponding error message.
Error: The scanned asset doesn’t match the asset on the work order
Tap Update Work Order. The asset on the work order updates to the asset you’ve just scanned.
You can validate the asset now.
The option to change assets on work orders is enabled for providers on the Asset Rules page in Asset Manager. Should this option be turned off, no asset change is possible. The asset cannot be validated in this case.
Error: The location of the scanned asset doesn’t match the work order location
A situation when you face this error may be as follows: you clock into a work order, try to add an asset by scanning the asset tag on the asset that is broken. The app finds the asset and prompts you to validate it. Upon validation, it turns out the location of this asset in the database doesn’t match the location on the work order.
Tap Update Asset Location. The location of the asset in the database updates to the asset location on the work order.
You can validate the asset now.
The ability to update the asset location is enabled by the subscriber on the Asset Rules page in Asset Manager. Should this option be turned off, no asset location change is possible. The asset cannot be validated in this case.
Skipping the Asset Validation
You may be required to validate assets on work orders but still have an option to skip the validation process if the validation isn’t possible for some reason. The reasons may be that you cannot scan the asset tag, nor can you manually find the asset.
The ability to work on the service request without validating the asset when it’s required depends on your client’s preference set on the Asset Rules page of Asset Manager — the Required Validation type should be enabled.
- Tap Tell us why to specify why you are unable to scan an asset.
- Select a reason, for example, there is a problem with your scanner, then tap Save.Now, you can manually search for the required asset.
Tap the search icon 🔍 in the upper-right corner, and search for the asset by asset tag ID, type, brand, or serial number.
If no matching results are found, tap Unable to Validate, and select a reason.
Hit Save. The Asset Not Validated overlay pops up informing you that the asset validation is required.
In the overlay, tap Exit Validation to skip the validation process. A record is added to the work order stating that the asset cannot be validated.
You can continue working on this service request via SC Provider.
