Job Despatch Window

This screen normally displays jobs which are awaiting dispatch or are in progress.. You can also use it to see completed jobs. To access the Job Despatch window from the Main Menu, click on the 'Job Despatch' button in the Smart map, or select \Operations \Despatch from the top menu.

Creating a new job

- Right click in the list of jobs and select Add, or

- make sure the list of jobs is highlighted and press the Insert key to the right of your keyboard.

If you want to enter a new alarm response, you must have the view set to ‘Responses’ or ‘All Job Types’ (see below). Similarly, if you want to enter an ‘Other Service’ you must have the view set to ‘Other Services’ or ‘All Job Types’.

Viewing an existing job

Double click on the job using the left mouse button, or

- Right click on the job and select select Change, or

- Highlight the job and press the Enter key on the keyboard.

Viewing or printing information related to the highlighted job

Press the F3 Information key. A small menu will appear on the screen. Use the mouse or the keyboard arrow keys to choose your selection. Information available includes site history, keys, and contacts. You can also print the highlighted job, create or view an operator note, or perform various other functions.

Changing the way you view the list of jobs

Press the F2 key or press the button when viewing the list of jobs to display the following window:

The settings you make here apply to the current operator and service type and will not affect the view for a different operator and/or service type.

The Service Type, Job Status, Operator, and Control Room selections determine which jobs are displayed in the list. Some of these selections are also available when right clicking in the list of jobs.

The Columns box determines which columns will be shown in the Job List. Press the space bar to select or deselect a column. Columns marked "not available" have been deselected in the Service Types Configuration window, Job Details section.

If you check Show details below job list details of the currently highlighted job will be displayed below the list of jobs.

If you check Fast Load, the list of jobs may appear more quickly if you have a large number of active ("in progress") jobs. However, you will not be able to sort the list by clicking on column headers, and last jobs will not be moved up the list automatically.

If you check Move late jobs up list, jobs which require operator attention will be moved up the list automatically (see Changing the sort order of the list, below). This setting has no effect if Fast Load is checked.

Re-sort list after determines the number of seconds to elapse after the sort order is changed (by clicking on a column header) before the list re-sorts to show late jobs at the top.

Changing the sort order of the list

You can sort the list of active jobs by Car Number, Site, Job Number, Order Number, or Docket Number (sometimes called ‘Line Number’) by clicking on the top of the column with that name.

After about 30 seconds the list will change back to its default order so that you don’t overlook any urgent jobs which may be pending.

In the default order, jobs are are sorted by priority (more urgent at the top). The basic priority levels are as follows, most urgent to least urgent: Duress, Immediate, Priority, Standard. These priorities can be set in the Job Details window (Service Details tab).

If you press F2 and choose the option move late jobs up the list in the Choose View window, jobs will be moved up the list if

the job is a response
the service person is due on site in 5 minutes or less, but the onsite time hasn't been entered
the service person is due on site but has not yet arrived.
the service person has remained on site longer than expected or planned.
the job has been allocated a higher priority. Priority levels are as follows:
1. Scheduled - Scheduled for a specified date and time which is more than 1 hour away.
2. Standard - Normal service levels apply.
3. Priority - Has preference over normal jobs. By default, alarm responses are set to this level.
4. Immediate - Must be done immediately \
5. Duress - Over-rides all other jobs (use with discretion)

Jobs with a higher priority are highlighted in red. If you select 'Move Late Jobs up List' from the Job Despatch configuration window they are moved up the list of active jobs in the dispatch window.

Sorting is available only for active jobs (to maintain performance). For jobs in the ‘complete’ or ‘history’ view, use the F4 Search facility (see below).

Searching the list of jobs

Press F4 to see the Search window. Here you can search for a single job or order number or by various other criteria.

Viewing jobs scheduled for later despatch.

The operator can select the time ahead for which scheduled but incomplete jobs are displayed by varying the spin box in the top right of the Job Despatch window (this spin box is not displayed if only Responses are being displayed).

Jobs scheduled for dispatch from 1 to 32 hours ahead may be displayed. Jobs due for dispatch more than 32 hours ahead may be displayed by using the F4:Search function.

This makes it easier to use the Other Service job type for let-ins, escorts, and other job types which are booked days in advance

Colours

Due Complete Date/Time turns red commencing 15 minutes before the job is due for completion and stays red until the job is complete.

The Received/Due time is coloured as follows

for responses which have not been despatched, amber for the first 5 minutes, then red.
for other services which have a scheduled time and have not been despatched: amber 30 minutes before the scheduled time and then red.

Column

Colour

Means

Site

Red

New (manual) site

Received

Yellow

The job is not dispatched and is either
- a response less than 5 minutes old, or
- an other service less than 30 minutes from scheduled time.

Received

Red

The job is not dispatched and is either
- a response more than 5 minutes old, or
- an other service past the scheduled time

Dispatched

Red

Received time to on site time (or current time if not on site yet) is outside the customer service standard (if set, else 30 minutes).

OnSite

Green

Deferred job

OffSite

Red

The job has been completed but is awaiting an offsite report and/or customer notification.

OffSite

Yellow

The time on site has exceeded the first charge block for the customer.

JobNumber

Green

Approved by operations

First

Checked by operations

First

Checked by accounts

First

Checked by both operations and accounts

First

Job created outside control room (by SmartNet, SmartWeb, or another program)

Second

Operational note attached

Deferred

Deferred job

Patrols

To view a list of current patrols, press the F3 key or click the Patrols button at top right (this button will flash if there are currently patrols which are due on site or are slow to leave the site).

If a patrol has been on site more than a specified period, Smart can be configured to sound a warning or display the list of jobs.

For more information about Patrols, click here.

Forcing display of the Jobs List

If you are running another program on the same PC as Smart, the Smart Job Despatch window is open, and there are undespatched jobs, the Job Despatch window will be brought to the front every minute, and a warning will be sounded.

The warning sound is selected or disabled in the Workstation Configuration window

An undespatched job is defined as

any Response without a despatched time.
any Other Service which does not have a despatched time, and is 5 minutes or less from the scheduled time.

To prevent this occurring,

Check the Don't Bring Despatch Window to front box in \Maintenance \System \Job Details, or
close the Job Despatch window, or
change the selection of jobs being displayed so that there are no undespatched jobs.

Multiple Jobs Open

Multiple jobs may be opened from the Job List at the same time. However, each time you click on the Jobs List it will cover any open jobs. To locate jobs which are hidden by other windows, click on the Window menu (on the Main Menu) to see the job windows listed there. Click on a job window in the list to open it.