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Engineer Connect
Training
Manual
February 2014
Document Contents
Introduction
3
Accessing the Portal
3
Homepage
4
Searching Calls
7
Calendar / Today’s Calls
8
Unread Notes
9
Call Details
10
Instructions Tab
12
Parts Tab
13
Ordering Parts :- All Engineers
13
Adding Stock Parts :- Non-Sony Engineers
14
Adding Stock Parts :- Sony Engineers
15
Using Parts on a Call
17
Notes Tab
18
Reports Tab
19
Charges Tab / Invoicing (Part a)
20
History Tab
22
Media Tab
22
Inspections Tab
25
Creating an Invoice (Part b)
26
Ordering Stock Parts
28
Parts Websites
31
Account Details
31
Fixzone Engineer Connect Web-Portal
User Manual
Introduction
The Engineer Connect web-portal system is operated by Fixzone Ltd and acts like a post office for
field engineers to access their jobs. You will be issued with a unique ‘Engineer ID’ and a password
to log into your portal.
The service provider will then transmit jobs to the EC server marked with your Engineer ID for you
to accept and complete. Estimates, Invoices, Part orders, Notes and Completed jobs are then
transmitted back to the service provider electronically.
Accessing the Portal
The portal runs through a standard web browser. This will work on Internet Explorer, Opera,
Safari, Chrome and Firefox.
The portal has also been designed to re-configure when executed from a mobile browser. This allows
the portal to be executed from iPhone, Windows, Android, Symbian and Blackberry Smartphones.
You will be provided with a web address by Fixzone. Enter this address in your web browser and
log in. Please add the address to your favourites for easy access.
Engineer Connect Homepage
This is the main homepage displayed once you have logged into the system. The system will log
you out after a period of time of being idle.
The homepage has several different links which will allow you to process a call all the way
from booking in the visit to final invoicing.
NB: This portal is utilised by various clients and some features may not be
relevant to you or may be user specific in how they function.
The first thing you will notice is the layout of the homepage groups together relevant data,
allowing you to locate the information or service call you want to edit. Each of these will be
discussed in more detail in later chapters.
Along the top bar of the homepage you will find useful links to user guides, company contacts
and your account details, which can be edited. As well as the log out button.
Below this you’ll find all the information in relation to the calls you have in progress. The first three
buttons ‘Search’, ‘Calendar/Today’ and ‘Note(s)’ allow you to access a search feature to look up a
specific call or status, see the calls you have active for today/future or view and respond to notes.
By clicking on these links it will open up the selected page, while the homepage displays a few
key information notices, such as your current WIP.
The ‘Calls’ lists have three columns listing how many calls are in each list.
Today – This is how many calls are due for update today.
Tomorrow - This is how many calls are due for update
tomorrow. Total – The total number of calls in the list.
The next section of the homepage, the Call Table, displays the current amount of calls in various
key status’ over the next couple of days and in total.
Each of these act as a direct link to calls in these status’ and can be used as a access point to
view those calls.
New Service Calls – This lists all the calls waiting to be ‘Accepted’ or ‘Rejected’. All calls start as
‘Unaccepted’. Once you accept the call the Service Provider is alerted about your acceptance and
is aware that you have the call in hand. If you are unable to perform the call you can click the
‘Rejected’ button and provide a reason for the rejection.
No Appointment Date – This list contains all the calls were no appointment has been made. Make
an appointment by opening the call and clicking ‘Add Visit’ to put the arranged date. NB. Prebooked calls passed from the Provider do not appear in this list.
Visit Booked – This list contains the calls with visits booked.
Awaiting Parts Order – All calls that have parts ordered are listed here.
All Work In Progress – This is a list of all the calls that needs to be completed
All Closed – This contains a list of historic calls. This list contains the closed calls for three months.
Below the table chart you’ll find the links to access ordering stock parts or parts supplier’s
websites. Use these to access a number of part ordering sites of various suppliers.
NB. These websites are not supported by Fixzone Ltd, please contact the
individual companies in regards to any issues with login details, parts
ordering. These are provided as links for your convenience only.
The most striking change to the homepage is the introduction of the Pie chart. With this simple
tool, you can easily monitor the status of all your calls and see the percentages of your WIP.
The Pie chart acts as a clear visual presentation of your calls, allowing you to see at a glance their
status and the percentage of calls within any one status. Hovering over any segment will pop up a
info bubble telling you exactly how many calls are within that section. Clicking on the segments of
the Pie chart will take you directly through to a calls list with the calls in that status.
The news tabs along the bottom of the homepage willprovide engineers with updates and
bulletins from the relevant clients which they get assigned calls from. This should be checked on
a regular basis, to ensure that you don’t miss any vital news/updates.
There is also an option for engineers to add their own news tab that will display messages they
input. These messages can only be seen by the relevant signed in user, but can be used as a
means to leave a message for a colleague, reminder for self or general notice to anyone logging
in under that userid.
Search Calls –
There is the obvious search feature found by clicking the ‘Search’ button. With this feature you
can search for a call by using a number of criteria, by the Call ID, post code, the customer’s
surname or by any status within the system.
The list of calls matching the search criteria is then displayed for you. From here you can then
select the call you wish to view.
Calendar / Todays Calls –
This button link has a multiple role, allowing you to access a calendar and see what calls
are currently booked to you for today but also as a tool to check bookings in the future.
Selecting the ‘Calendar/Today’ button will open up a display as seen below in the screenshot. If
no calls are booked for today a calendar view will be displayed without any calls listed below. An
engineer can click on a call to access its details from here.
This function displays a calendar date if no calls are booked for today and allows you to display
calls on a specific
Unread Notes –
In here you will find all your unread notes from your Service Provider.
These notes will be displayed on the individual calls. However, when a note is first received by
the portal the note is marked as ‘Unread’. This lists all the notes from the Provider that have not
been marked as ‘Read’, collating them in one easy to find place.
Selecting a calls ID will open up the note fully to read. Once within a note you are able to do
a number of things detailed below.
‘Reply’ will open up a
new pop-up which will
allow you to respond to
the note. Entering in
you text then click send
will return the message
to your service desk.
By selecting ‘Read’ you
can remove the note from the list.
‘Call’ will take you through to the relevant
call that this note is referring too.
‘Cancel’ will return you to the
previous screen.
Call Details Page
Each call has a tabbed form containing the service call information. These can be accessed
by selecting the various tabs along the top of the page.
The AEP button allows you to change this call type to AEP from within Engineer Connect. The
call type will change to AEP to the corresponding AEP type, (ie; In-Home Repair becomes AEP
In-Home).
The ‘Add Visit’ link will make a confirmation of the visit with the customer. This will move the
call from the ‘No Appointment Date’ list to the ‘Visit Booked List’.
NB. The ‘Callsheet’ button opens a popup window to show the Abobe PDF file
containing the call sheet. This requires the installation of Adobe Acrobat
Viewer.Warning: Many browsers employ ‘Popup Blockers’ that may prevent
the call sheet from displaying. If the call sheet does not appear please check
your popup blocker settings and add the web address to the trusted sites.
Editing this form allows you update various details such as the serial number or policy number for
this call and you can also update/correct the model information using the button located here.
You can now, once in the edit screen, add documents or images to the service call. This allows you
add proof of purchase data to be sent with you claim to Sony.
Instruction tab – This tab displays the instructions from the originating client supplied by the
service provider. This may include high cost limits, additional conditions, contacts and
document links.
Parts tab – The parts tab allows you to add parts to this call, as well as order new parts
needed from the supplier that might be needed to complete the call.
When you first open the tab on a new call, you will see that the page is divided into two
sections. The top section ‘Allocated’ and the lower section ‘Ordered’. Each section works
slightly different dependant on the type of agent you are, so for the purpose of clarity, I’ve split
the explanation of this tab into agent/engineer specific sections.
Ordering Parts :- All Engineers
The ‘Parts Tab’ has two main functions within the web-portal. Allowing engineers to be able to
order parts to use for the call their in and to allow them to add stock parts to the call, should they
use parts they already have on their van.
I’ll start be explaining how you go
about ordering a part first;
To order a part, first select the ‘Order’ button
at the bottom of the page. This will take you
through to the parts search, which by
entering in a part number will search the
parts table for a match.
This will return the search results in a list,
from which you can select the part you need.
Once you do, you’ll see a quick pop-up
asking you to confirm your selection.
Just confirm to add to your basket.
This will then place the part in a basket
and at this point you can either search for
another part to add, or by clicking on the
basket proceed to the checkout and place
your order.
This will then display your current basket,
with all the parts you have added to it. You
can edit/remove any unwanted parts now,
otherwise clicking the ‘Check Out’ will
confirm the parts you want to order.
This then takes you to the actual ordering
page, here you can see a clear breakdown
of your order, the parts ordered, their
individual and combined cost. Also you will
see the planned delivery details for this
order.
Clicking on ‘Place Order’ will now place
the order with Pacifica.
This will proceed to the a intermediary screen,
which will display the parts you ordered, from
here just click the ‘Return to Parts’ button to
return to the calls ‘Parts Tab’
Adding Stock Parts : Non-Sony Engineers
For most engineers, you can use the ‘Add Stock’ button to add any parts you’re using on the
job from your own van.
Clicking on the ‘Add Stock’
button will bring up a pop-up
box, asking for details of the part
you’re trying to add.
Complete the details, giving as
much detail as you can. Make
sure you take the time to input
the correct price and quantity.
Clicking on the ‘Add’ button will
confirm your use of this part
and add it into the calls list of
parts allocated.
Parts added in this way will
always go directly into the calls
allocated parts section with a
status showing whether it was
used as a fitted or estimated
part. Any parts allocated will
show that as their status, so
there is a clear difference.
Adding Stock Parts : Sony Engineers
Now as a Sony agent, when you go to add a stock part the process differs from the standard in
that the system will check any part added against the Sony Ibiss data. If the part is listed, then it
can be used but if the part is not found, you will not be able to add this part to the job. The steps
below will better explain the method used and procedures used.
So by clicking on the ‘Add Stock’ button, as
a Sony engineer you will be taken through
to the search box.
Entering in a part code here will conduct
a search on Sony’s ‘live’ data, returning
any matches in a list.
From this list you can select the part to add
it to the call.
Doing so, will bring up a pop-up window, this
pop-up window will request the relevant IRIS
codes for the parts you are adding as well as
details on the claim type and the SON number.
Take the time to fill this out correctly and
ensure that you only select 1 part as ‘Primary’
when entering in parts to the call.
Confirming here will then add the part to your allocated parts on a call. It will appear in the
allocated section of the parts tab with a status of ‘Stock Part’.
Using Parts on a Call :
Now, to actually use/bill any parts ordered on a call, you’ll need to allocate them to the call.
Stock parts will always be ‘Allocated’ and as such, will always appear on the invoice. Parts
‘Ordered’ will need to be allocated to calls for them to be billed with the invoice.
To do so, simply
highlight the part that
you want to use, then
by selecting the
‘Allocate’ button.
A pop-up window will open and you are required to enter in the IRIS codes related to the parts
you are adding. You will also need to input the warranty code and PCB/remark, if required.
NB: Only 1 part can be selected as the ‘Primary’. Make sure to de-select this
when adding multiple parts to a single call.
Notes Tab - This tab lists all the notes from the Service Provider and allows you to add your
own notes to the service call. Your notes will then appear on the call with the Service Provider.
Selecting ‘new note’ will bring up a text box for you to enter in any new note before confirming.
This will be transmitted to the service provider and posted under the list on this call.
Reports Tab - The ‘Reports’ tab is the main area for you to update the status of the call or details
in regards to the fault. Click ‘Edit’ to edit the information.
NB:
Sony engineers should only put the Service Call into the ‘completed’ status when
they are ready for the job to be validated for invoicing. See the invoicing
processes explained in the ‘Charges Tab’ section of this guide.
Charges Tab - This tab allows you to edit your invoice reference number, create an estimate or
create an invoice. Payments taken can also be added to this tab for ‘chargeable’ jobs.
Invoicing Calls :- All Engineers
The majority of fields on this tab will now be automatically populated with data from entries
made earlier on the Service Call. Information like the ‘Call type’ and ‘Labour rates’ will have
matching data from the call entry.
This will allow you to fully see the proposed cost/payments of the call, before invoicing it to Sony.
It is highly recommended that if you have any disputes that you raise them at this stage, prior to
creating the invoice/estimate. Once an invoice is created and validated, there can be no more
alterations.
Invoicing Calls :- Sony Engineers
As a Sony engineer, when looking to complete a call and raise the invoice firstly the call must
have been set to the relevant complete status and has now been updated to ‘Claim Accepted’ by
the subsequent validation import.
You should be easily able to see via the homepage pie chart when calls have had the returned
validation by the segments. Enter into the call and check by opening the ‘Reports’ tab. On this tab
you should now see the calls status set to ‘Claim Accepted’.
Once you have confirmed the status change has occurred, open the ‘Charges’ tab.
In here you should now see the fields populated with the returned amounts from the Sony
validation. Firstly confirm these are in fact correct and that all parts have been added into the
total inserted.
To proceed and accept the payment from Sony, firstly click the edit on the bottom of the page
and input your own ‘invoice number’ into the available box. Do not attempt to alter the amounts
in the payment fields as this will result in errors and only delay any payments to you. Click
‘update’ to confirm your changes.
Once the page has returned to the main ‘Charges’ tab, click on the ‘Create Invoice’ button to
accept the invoiced amounts and add the payment to your monthly statement.
History Tab – This tab shows a list of all the previous calls you have been on to this appliance.
Media Tab - This tab allows you to upload, view and download files between yourself and
the Service Desk. To upload a file, click on the ‘New Media’ button to begin.
This will open a new page, prompting you to browse for the file you wish to upload. Select
the ‘Choose File’ to begin searching your files.
Once the file is selected, its name will appear next to the ‘Choose File’ button. Click on the ‘Load
File’ button to load the file into the system, ready for sending to the Service Desk.
Once a file is uploaded it will appear in a list on the Media tab, these can be viewed again by
clicking on the files name.
NB: Only the following file types can be uploaded at present. Do not
upload files with an incorrect extension.
.pdf / .doc / .docx / .txt / .png / .jpg / .gif / .ppt / .pptx / .xls /.xlsx
Many browsers employ ‘Popup Blockers’ that may prevent the file from
downloading. If the file does not appear please check your popup
blocker settings and add the web address to the trusted sites.
All non-image files will be available to download/view by clicking on the files name. A link will
then display, click it to download the file.
Images will be displayed in a viewing window and can be downloaded by selecting the link and
then saving the file.
Inspections Tab - Each call may have one, none or multiple inspections on a service call. Select
the inspection that you wish to complete. Opening this tab will display a list of all the inspections
available on this call.
By clicking on the inspections name, you can start to run the inspection to input the
required information.
Clicking into one of the inspections will display a list of the ‘questions’ required and details on
whether they have been completed yet, the input responses and if the questions are mandatory.
NB: Sony Engineers must run these inspections to input data such as
Goodwill codes, D&G authorisation codes and High Cost Authorisation
codes. All these must be input correctly for claims to be processed.
Clicking on the ‘Run Inspection’ button will open up a series of questions to answer in relation
to that particular inspection. Follow the steps to complete.
Once complete the inputs will auto-update the service desk with the information you provided.
Creating an Invoice – Creating an invoice can only be done on completed repairs/calls. Trying to
create one without completing the repair and all mandatory fields will result in an error message.
NB:
Sony engineers should see the invoicing processes explained in the ‘Charges
Tab’ section of this guide.
Once all the required fields have been entered, you can go ahead and create an invoice by
clicking on the link at the bottom of the charges tab within a call.
This will then generate a PDF file and open it in a new pop-up window for you as well as add a
copy of the invoice into the repair calls notes.
NOTE; - - Make sure your pop-up blocker is disabled.
If an invoice is rejected for any reason, a note will appear within the notes on the repair,
detailing that this invoice has been rejected and why. Contact the Pacifica Service Desk if you
have any queries or disputes over the invoice.
Ordering Stock Parts – To order parts for your own stock or for use on a ‘chargeable’ job,
firstly enter the website and select the ‘Stock Parts’ link at the bottom section of the page.
NB: The Stock Parts tab is currently only available to Sony engineers. Any
other service provider’s engineers should order through either the calls
parts ordering system or via the parts websites found via the links.
Once you open up the link, you will be presented with a list of any parts you currently have on
order or previously ordered for ‘stock’ jobs. Selecting the ‘Order’ button on the bottom, will allow
you to go ahead and order new parts.
This will take you through to the search function, enter in a parts code here and search via the link.
This will return any results matching your search and allow you to pick from the list.
After picking the item from the list, you will be presented with a small pop-up, asking you to
confirm that you wish to order this part. At this stage you can adjust the quantity, as well as check
the current price/stock levels.
You can also input an ‘engineer’s note’ here. This note is limited to just 20 characters long, but can be
used as a reference for you on these parts so you know which job you’ve ordered them through.
This will then add this to your basket, which will appear at the top links.
Selecting your basket will then prompt you through to confirm your items in the basket
before proceeding to complete the checkout.
You will then be presented with a final confirmation page which will display the current orders
individual items cost, their combined totals, including VAT and the planned delivery address for this
order. To confirm and place order with Sony, click the place order button at the bottom of the page.
NOTE: - - Once you click the ‘Place Order’ button, the parts will be ordered from Sony and
can NOT be cancelled. If you accidentally click this button at this stage, you must contact
the Pacifica Service Desk straight away to report this error.
This will place the order and take
you through to a webpage just
confirming the details of the
order, its order number and then
prompts you to return back to the
‘Stock Parts’ list.
Parts Websites –
rd
Through here you will find a selection of links to 3 party parts supplier’s websites. These are
some of the source points for parts of some of the engineers from our clients and are provided
for your convenience, but we do NOT offer support for these websites.
Current listing of web-links:-
Vestel
Qualex
Antonio Merlon
Panasonic
Haier
Sony Assist
Baumatic
LG
JTM Contracts
Vestfrost
Cata
Update Account Details –
By clicking on the ‘Account’ button next to your userID on the homepage will allow you to
change your engineer details and update your message board.
On the engineer information page, you’ll see your details that are currently held on the
system displayed.
Clicking on edit will allow you to
update these as and when you
need to with any new details, such
as new phone numbers, change of
address or main contact person.
Another feature which can be edited through this page of the web-portal is the news message
board that displays on the homepage. This can be utilised as a means to leave reminders or
messages to yourself or to your colleagues.
Selecting the news
button will open up a
new page displaying any
messages you have
previously written and
by clicking the ‘Add’
button you can then add
another. By clicking on
edit, you can remove or
active existing news
messages.
Sony Special Case Processes
This section of the manual is meant for use by Sony engineers to explain in detail some of the
special case processes that must be utilised in conjunction with the web-portal.
RMA Parts;
RMA parts are special component parts that are required to be returned to Sony for
testing/refurbishment procedures. These can range from LCD screens to individual components
within a device. RMA’s are no longer raised in Sony Assist, but directly in Engineer Connect for all
3C Service Calls.
These parts when allocated will return a unique pop-up window informing you that they are a RMA
part and that they need to be returned, this pop-up will also include details of the reservation
number and documentation to be sent with the part upon its return.
Begin by highlighting the part
you want to allocate and then
click the button in the bottom
left of the screen.
A pop-up window will open
and you will need to input the
relevant IRIS codes for the
part and make sure the ‘Is
Primary’ option is checked.
Then click confirm to begin
the validation check against
Sony’s server and to allocate
the part.
Once the validation is complete a new pop-up window will open and display the results of the
validation with Sony. Provided there were no error messages returned, the pop-up window will
display the results of the RMA part allocation request, with the details of the RMA reservation
number, RMA returns documentation link and some other details.
Click on the link to open the RMA documentation and save to a convenient folder. Then click to
confirm and return to the ‘Parts’ tab.
The part will have moved up to the top of the tab under the heading of ‘Allocated’. Besides the
part in list will be a link to allow you to re-access the documentation should you have forgot to
save the file.
The RMA will now be registered with Sony.Pacifica and they will action the return collection with
you. If you feel an item has not been picked up yet and should have been actioned by now, please
contact the Sony.Pacifica support line on 0843 1780 266.
AEP Exchanges;
AEP exchanges are special cases where an appliance is required to be completely exchanged for
the consumer. Some models are automatically exchanged, other AEP’s need to be raised due to
the un-availability of a part.
When you are told to raise an AEP against a Service Call, you need to log into the portal and open
up the Service Call to the ‘Appointments’ tab.
From here, click on the AEP button besides the
‘type’ under the appointment heading on the
page. This will then prompt you to create an
AEP by opening up a pop-up window with the
details of the AEP exchange in and you will need
to confirm this.
This will update the calls ‘type’ and set it to AEP. When this happens the exchanged model that
was offered in the AEP will be ordered and dispatched from Sony.
NOTE: - - Once you click the ‘AEP’ button, the exchange model is ordered from Sony and
can NOT be cancelled. If you accidentally click this button at this stage, you must contact
the Pacifica Service Desk straight away to report this error.
You no longer need to raise a separate AEP event in Sony Assist/Ibiss, as this is now
generated automatically inside the Engineer Connect web-portal.
Once you have received the exchange model and are ready to return the faulty model, you will
need to re-access the service call and open the ‘Parts’ tab. Once here, click on the ‘Order’ button
and open up the part search facility.
Start by searching for the corresponding part that matches the model size that was exchanged.
This part follows a simple formula of AEP… (the set size, ie; 42)….INCH. So dependent on the size of
the set exchanged, enter in the part and search for it.
Once found, click on the part and follow the steps to place the order. First add it to your basket
and then confirm the order.
Once the part has been ordered return to the ‘Parts’ tab and you should see the AEP part now in
the ‘Ordered’ section of the screen.
To confirm the use of this part on this service call,
you will now need to highlight the AEP part and click
‘allocate’. Doing so, will open a new pop-up window
asking you to confirm the IRIS codes in relation to
the part/job. Also note, that all AEP parts will always
need to be marked as primary.
This in turn will then run a validation check with Sony’s servers and return the RMA details in a
new pop-up. Make a note of these and also print/save the RMA documentation. Then confirm to
proceed. This will then allocate the part, signifying it has been used on this service call.
NOTE: - - The act of ‘allocating’ an AEP part will automatically notify the Sony.Pacifica
support team that a RMA collection needs to be generated for this part. But please feel
free to chase these up with the Sony.Pacifica support team should you feel this hasn’t been
done in a timely fashion.
You can then proceed to complete the service call and update all of the remaining details into the
call.