What is Maintenance?
The Maintenance section allows Users to create reminders regarding preventive maintenance for the vehicle. For example that an oil change is due or that the registration renewal is late. Reminders will go out when the service is coming up, when it is currently due and if necessary, if the item becomes past due. To access the Maintenance feature, click the Maintenance tab on the left hand menu.
Why is Maintenance Important?
Well maintained vehicles are the backbone of effective fleet management. Regular maintenance increases fuel efficiency (and decreases fuel costs) along helping to prevent expensive repairs and time off the road for company vehicles.
Effective use of the Maintenance feature will require some input and set up, ensuring that each user can customize their usage to meet their unique needs.
Consider Service Items
The first step is actually an optional one. Maintenance works by creating and assigning Services to the vehicles. When the Services come due, alerts are triggered to inform the relevant people that work needs to be done. Within each Service is an optional element called a Service Item. If Service Items are going to be used, they’ll need to be created prior to the creation of the Services.
Service Items represent action items within an overall Service. For example: A Service is created to ensure that an Oil Change is carried out on time. However the company creating the Oil Change always uses this downtime to also inspect/replace the air filter, check/refill the wiper fluid, replace the windshield wiper blades and review the tire condition. Rather than creating five separate Services to cover each item, the additional action items are input as Service Items and attached to the overall Oil Change service.
When maintenance is conducted on the vehicle, these Service Items can be printed out to provide a checklist for whomever is performing the work.
Service Items can also be used to log the parts (tires, wiper blades, filters, hoses, etc…) used on the vehicle as maintenance is carried out. In this scenario the service items will be logged in when the work is marked as ‘completed’ rather than as it’s scheduled.
Service Items are unlimited and completely optional. Feel free to use or not as needed.
To create a Service Item, click the clipboard icon in the upper left corner.
Click the blue New button in the lower right corner of the page, type out the item and Save. These Service Items can be edited and deleted as needed.
Build the Services
Maintenance works by creating individual Services. These Services represent the tasks needed, such as oil changes, tire rotations, registration renewal, etc. Once created the Services are then attached to the relevant vehicles. As many Services as needed can be created, depending on the needs of the fleet. Each entry should be unique. Click on the + button in the upper left corner.
Each Service will need a Unique name. This name goes in the Service Name field. The Estimated Cost of the Service is optional. If there is no estimated cost, please fill in a 0.
The interval between services can be set by miles, days or engine hours. More than one interval can be set at one time. For example, the service interval could be 3000 miles traveled OR 90 days, whichever milestone is reached first. Click on the Interval Type drop-down menu to choose an interval type.
First choose an Interval for the Service. For example, every 3000 miles. Next set the Reminder that the service is coming up. Let’s set that reminder for 2500 miles. Finally, define when to consider the Service late, say 3500 miles. Click Add New Interval to save. To add another interval to the Service, click Interval Type again and repeat the steps above.
When triggered, the Alerts will go to the Subscribers selected in the next field. Click on Subscribers to open. Listed here are any Contacts previously created in the Account tab. Each Contact can potentially receive three Alerts: a Reminder that the Service is coming up, a notice that the Service is now due and if necessary, a reminder that the Service is now Past Due.
If desired, attachments such as receipts or invoices can be uploaded to the Service using the Attachments field.
Below Attachment is the addition of the optional Service Items discussed previously. Choose as many Service Items as needed. Once chosen additional fields will appear where the cost of the Service Item can be broken down by Parts and Labor. The GPS Trackit software will automatically total up the costs. Once the work has been performed these costs can be edited if the initial estimates need adjustment.
Additional notes and instructions can be added in the Notes field. Click Add to save.
After Services have been created, they can be edited or deleted whenever changes are needed. To do so, hover the mouse over the Service to see and click on a 3-dot button.
Attaching Services
After creating the Services and Service Items, go to Vehicles. The Services now need to be attached to the appropriate units. The vehicle list will display items that are Scheduled, meaning that the Service has been attached but require no action at this time, Due Soon meaning the Service is coming up, Due meaning due to be done now and Past Due meaning the service is late.
To the right hand side is the filter, accessed through the arrow at the top of the page. This allows filtering by Tag and Maintenance Status, along with searching for particular Vehicles and Services.
Use the 3-dot button to schedule Services to the vehicle. This button will also provide access to previously scheduled services and if the unit plugs into the vehicle diagnostic port, the diagnostic history.
Select the service desired and then the last known date it was performed. The time field is required, however it’s fine to approximate.
The Odometer and Engine Hours fields refer to the best known odometer and engine hours at the time that last service of this type was performed. This information is needed to ensure that the alerts are triggered at the correct interval. If Engine Hours are not being tracked, please enter a 1 into this field.
Subscribers will show the recipients selected to receive the alerts for this Service. If adjustments are needed regarding Alerts for this specific vehicle, those changes can be made here. Make any notes needed in the Notes field. Press Schedule to save the service.
When is Maintenance Due?
Once Services have been attached, their statuses are easily visible from the Vehicles section. This is the ‘Next Service’ column.
As Services reach the Upcoming, Due and Past Due stages the relevant alerts will be automatically triggered, going to the Subscribers listed on the Service.
The export option in the upper left corner can be used to access a list of upcoming services. This list can be sorted by both when the services are due and what type of interval they’re based on (Days, Miles, Engine Hours). This list is easily exported and/or printed as needed.
If using the optional Service Items, a list of these can be printed out for distribution to whomever will perform the work. This is an excellent option when utilizing the Service Items as action items within a Service. To do so, click Export Task Overview.
Maintenance Is Complete - Now What?
As Services are completed, the software will need to be updated to not only reflect that the work is complete but to also reset the reminder for the next time. The first step is to locate the unit in question on the Vehicles list. Hover the mouse to produce a 3-dot quick menu button, click the quick menu and select Complete Maintenance.
A Drawer will appear on the right hand side of the screen. If the Unit has multiple services attached, a list will appear from which a selection can be made. If only one service is attached, that service will automatically open for completion.
If necessary, select the Service in question from the list.
In the first field, fill in the date the Service was performed. Next, fill in the Odometer reading and Engine Hours at the time of Service. If Engine Hours are not being tracked, fill in a ‘1’.
Service Items are addressed next. If any have been pre-attached, their cost totals can be adjusted if needed. Unaddressed Service Items can also be removed if they weren’t completed during the Service.
Additional Service Items can also be attached at this time to reflect any additional work that was carried out or parts that were used.
Below the Total Cost field is a check box called Reschedule Next Maintenance. If the Service being completed is something recurring (such as an oil change), check this box to re-set the reminder for the next time it will be needed. The software will look at the parameters of the service, when it was last performed and automatically calculate the next Due Date/Odometer/Engine hours for the next service.
If needed, make any notes and upload any attachments needed. Be sure to Save.
As a shortcut, the Service most currently due/overdue can be marked ‘complete’ by clicking directly from the Vehicle list by clicking the pill icon seen in the Next Service column.
Once clicked, the drawer will appear to the right allowing the Service that is the most due or overdue to open by default. To mark complete, follow the previously outlined steps.
Locate Maintenance History
As Maintenance is performed and then logged into the GPS Trackit software, an electronic history is being built. This maintenance history can be accessed and exported at any time.
From the Vehicles section, select the unit in question.
Use the Scheduled button to view the upcoming Services (this is the default view.)
The Completed button displays the finished Services that now comprise the vehicle’s maintenance history.
Both of these items can be exported at time via the icon in the upper left hand corner.