A CMMS-compliant asset management software helps organizations plan and schedule equipment and manage employees to enhance asset efficiency and reduce downtime.
This blog explains how to use the Advanced Service and Maintenance setting in AssetSonar using features like Recurring Services and Service Triage. You can use these features to add value to the basic Services and Maintenance workflow.
1. Enable Recurring Services
You can set recurring services on groups and subgroups using EZRentOut, defining how often you want services to repeat, and establishing start and end dates for effortless maintenance management.
To enable this feature, go to Settings → Add Ons → Advanced Service and Maintenance, and enable Recurring Services.
1.1. Associate Items to a Group or Subgroup
The prerequisite for adding a recurring service includes having a group defined consisting of a list of assets that require recurring maintenance.
Define a set of items that require recurring maintenance tracking, e.g. Computers as a group and Mac computers as a subgroup. Go to Groups, and add ‘Computers’ as a group.
You can do the same when adding a subgroup to a group; go to Groups → Select a Group → Click ‘Add Subgroup’.
1.2. Creating Recurring Services
Go to More → Recurring Services → Click ‘Add new recurring service’.
You’ll be directed to a page to fill in a title, component, repetition starting and ending date, and recurring cycle e.g. repeat every ‘6 months’.
1.3. Adding a component
This is a group or subgroup of assets that need regular servicing. You can add recurrence to unlimited groups or subgroups. A recurring service can only be created for components that are associated with either a group or a subgroup.
- Adding components associated with a group:
You can select available groups that require service. For example, we have added HP computers and computer groups as components.
- Adding components associated with a subgroup:
You can select available subgroups that require service. For example, we have added Apple devices Macbooks, and Apple devices iPads groups as components.
1.4. Defining repetition criteria
Decide how often the maintenance event will be repeated, and add a start and end date.
1.5. Selecting a recurring service
Set a recurring service that will be created based on two different use cases:
- New work order creation upon completion of the previous work order
This applies when a recurring service is created. Say, either an HP computer in Group ‘Computers’ or Apple iPad in Subgroup ‘Apple devices’ is in a maintenance state. To start the next recurring service sequence smoothly, the excavator or forklift must be available again.
This means if a service starts on 5th June and ends on 10th June, then the next service (which is supposed to recur every 6 months) will take place on 10th June, 6 months from now instead of 5th June. So you will only be able to see information about the next service on 10th June, and not before that.
However, if you want to be able to view information about the next service immediately, then you can select the checkbox ‘Make the next service visible immediately after the completion of the previous service’.
Note: You’ll have to wait an hour for the next service to become visible.
- New work order creation upon repetition interval
The next recurring service will be created based on the repetition interval set i.e. after 6 months.
Note: You can always add new components to an existing recurring service. However, if the service has already begun, the change will come into effect during the next cycle.
1.6. Creating recurring service tickets on Zendesk
You can save time and effort by creating recurring services and selecting the checkbox ‘Create a ticket on Zendesk as well’ in AssetSonar to create the same service ticket in Zendesk. By automating service tickets, IT teams can address them promptly and potentially reduce downtime.
Click ‘Done’ after adding all details on the Create New Recurring Services page.
1.7. States of Recurring Services
When a recurring service is created, components added to it go into the ‘Pending’ state. The state changes to ‘Active’ when the service event is initiated and is marked ‘Completed’ when it ends. These actions must be taken manually by the user.
Pending: In this state, assets associated with the component(s) defined in the recurring service are automatically sent to a Pending Service state.
Active: This means the service has started and the asset is now unavailable.
Completed: Clicking ‘End Service’ will stop recurring service on the groups you have configured under a recurring service.
1.8. Actions on recurring service
To send a recurring service into the ‘Active’ state, you have two options:
- Asset Details page
Go to the Asset Detail Page → Service → Start Service
- Notification bell on the Dashboard
Click the Notification bell and choose Service Request. You will be directed to the Services Listing page. Select Recurring from the filters option and ‘Start service’ on any recurring service you’d like.
This section is also a great place to get an overview of service events that are active, scheduled, completed, and pending:
Active: Assets that are in maintenance
Completed: Assets with complete maintenance cycle and service records
Pending: Recurring maintenance events
If the Expected Availability Date is highlighted in red, then it means that the asset is unavailable due to overdue asset maintenance.
Account Owners and Admins can also enable ‘Service Edit and Deletion’ from Company Settings. Please note that you can only edit the service date and description of the ‘active’ service, whereas a ‘completed’ service can both be edited and deleted.
However, if deleted, any linked inventory consumed in that service will be replenished.
2. Service Triage
You can also set your account to automatically send assets into maintenance after an item is checked in. This will ensure that the asset is always in the best state before it is checked out again. To enable this, go to Settings → Add Ons → Service Triage.
You can set the service period here. This can either be enabled for all groups or for a specific group from its detail page.
Let’s say you’ve enabled and selected Triage Assets of selective groups and subgroups. Go to → Groups. For our example, we have selected the group “Computers”. On the group details page, click on Triage.
An overlay appears to set the duration of maintenance for the group.
This will ensure that the Asset group – computers– will be automatically sent into maintenance for 24 hours each time it is checked in. After 24 hours, the Asset status stays in maintenance until changed to available manually. You can also disable Service Triage on a certain group of assets from the group’s details page.
By following these simple steps, you can easily set up recurring services and keep assets in optimal condition!
Read more: Service and Maintenance Management – AssetSonar
