The Dispatch module is designed to assist with the management of Delivery Tickets from the Accounting module, Blend Tickets from the Blending module, and/or Product Delivery Orders and Maintenance Work Orders from the Energy module that may need to be completed in the coming days. The program allows assigning jobs to an applicator, vehicle, or driver, and set a job order for the tickets. In addition, the program allows the dispatcher to visually plot the jobs on a map, assisting in job scheduling and communicating the job’s location to drivers and applicators.
Machine Requirements
Any machine with Dispatch activated must be running at least version 7 of Internet Explorer. Earlier versions of Internet Explorer will not allow maps within Dispatch to display properly.
The screen resolution must be run in 32 bit or 16 bit to properly display Google ® maps.
Setting Up Agronomy Dispatch Manager and Users
For a user to open the Agronomy Work Orders window in the Dispatch module, they must first be added in the Multi API Work Order Setup area which is accessed by selecting Setup on the Agronomy Work Orders window. Only scheduling managers are allowed access to this window without a password. The password for this area may be obtained by calling SSI Support.
The scheduling manager is designated by placing a checkmark in that user’s row in the Scheduling Manager column. Only users marked as scheduling manager can change critical information in the Agronomy Work Orders grid such as Scheduled Date, Time, Job Order, Priority, Applicator and Vehicle. Placing a checkmark in the Allow Sync column indicates the user should have access to the Sync Devices option on the Agronomy Work Orders window. The user’s email address may be entered in the grid. If the email address is entered, it is used to send e-mail notifications to growers when a job has been marked as completed. Otherwise, it is sent from ssidispatch@agvance.net. If a specific Salesperson or Limit to Ship Via address is selected for a user, only the tickets associated with that salesperson and/or ship via display in the Agronomy Work Order grid. Use the drop-down box on the Multi API Work Order Setup window to select the Salesperson or Limit to Ship Via for the user. If no Salesperson or Ship Via is selected, all available jobs display.
Location Preferences are set by selecting Location Preferences. Select the location at the top of the window and then complete the information for the selected location. Select to optionally Include Custom App or Include WPS when email notifications are sent to applicators. The Email Applicator(s) option sends an email to the applicator when the status is changed to Completed. The remaining information on this window pertains to printing the map on the Custom App Sheet.
On the Mobile Job Manager and Raven tabs of the Multi API Work Order Setup window, mobile devices may be added. This enables jobs to be sent to the device using the Mobile App. For more information on this option, see Agronomy Remote Device Integration.
Type of Work Classification
At the top of the Multi API Work Order Setup window, a Type of Work Classification selection is available. Select the Inventory Department Classification which contains the application service inventory departments. Once selected, Dispatch searches the Blend Ticket (or Delivery Ticket) for an item from these inventory departments and displays the departments with this Department Classification on the Agronomy Work Orders grid in the Type of Work column. For example, if an application department is selected, the type of work displayed might be Dry Spreading or Liquid Spraying. This functionality assists the scheduler in separating jobs into categories and assigning them to the appropriate vehicle or applicator.
The Type of Work might reside in several inventory departments due to multiple locations. The inventory department from one location is linked to a similar inventory department from another location by setting matching categories on the inventory department in the Accounting module. When the inventory department is chosen from one location, the appropriate inventory department from other locations is included in the Type of Work due to the category linking.
Setting Up Priorities
Priorities are communicated to the Agronomy Work Orders grid from Blend Tickets or Delivery Tickets or may be assigned at the Agronomy Work Orders grid. The priorities may be given specific names to make them more meaningful to the users. This setup is found on the Multi API Work Order Setup window. Enter text into the field that corresponds with each priority number. Select Save when finished.
Setting Up Contact Types
When a job is completed, the customers on the Blend or Delivery Ticket may be notified automatically by email or text message of the job’s completed status. The setup requires the customer’s profile to contain a contact with a valid e-mail address and a Contact Type specified. At the Multi API Work Order Setup window, check the option to Send Email and choose which Contact Type to search for in the customer’s profile. If Decision Maker is selected, the first person on a split ticket with a valid email address and contact type matching the setup receives the notification. Selecting All notifies every customer on the ticket with a valid email address and matching contact type. The Display Email Notifications option notifies the Dispatch user when an email has been sent.
Set Mobile Job Manager Options
This option determines if inventory is updated by Mobile Job Manager. When the option is set to Device the inventory status is updated based on the setting on the device. The Always setting always affects inventory for the tickets returned by the device. When Never is selected, the tickets are never loaded when returned from the Mobile Job Manager device, regardless the inventory setting on the device.
Set Sync Devices Timer
Selecting the option to Sync Devices and setting an interval causes information to be automatically synced between Dispatch and the remote devices. The setting is global and applies to users in the Multi API Work Order Setup window with the Allow Sync option selected. The timer runs when the user is logged into Dispatch.
Set Device Icons and Grid Font Size
Remote devices may be displayed as cars on maps by setting the Device Icons to Yes; selecting No displays arrows for the devices.
The font size in the Agronomy Work Orders grid may be adjusted to accommodate various sized computer monitors. On the Multi API Work Order Setup window, use the Set grid font size field to enter a numeric font size. Select Save to apply this font size to the grid.
The checkbox to Plot Locations plots the company locations on the map if the locations are geo-coded in the Agvance database.
With the option to Sync all jobs for selected applicator or vehicle marked, when one job is synced for an applicator or vehicle, all jobs are automatically synced.
Entering a number in the Live Map Interval field causes an automatic refresh to update the device locations and job locations. The number entered represents the number of seconds between the automatic refreshes.
On the Mobile Job Manager tab, the Send custom application sheet upon assignment of BT job option prompts the dispatcher with the Print Blend Documents window when the job is synced to the applicator. Selecting OK sends the custom application sheet to an Agvance Mobile Services or Mobile Job Manager device.
Setting Up Columns
The Agronomy Work Orders window may be customized to display the columns needed. Right-click on any column heading and select Choose Columns to select the columns to display.
The order of the columns may be changed by selecting the column heading then dragging and dropping within the grid to rearrange the columns. In addition, the columns may be re-sized by hovering over the column heading edge and dragging the column larger or smaller.
Setting Thresholds for Vehicles
A threshold based on the number of acres that can be applied in a day may be assigned for a vehicle. Go to Hub / Setup / Vehicles. Select the vehicle and choose Edit. Select Threshold on the Edit Vehicle Information window. At the threshold window select a date range to create a new entry. Set the default acres in the Default To field. Select Create Entries to save information. If weekend values for a vehicle are different, check the appropriate option for Saturday and/or Sunday and enter the acres into the coordinating areas. If different numbers should be entered for Saturday or Sunday, enter the acres in the appropriate field and then choose Apply. Select Save to save all newly created entries.
