Service features
Sign in to Planado from any computer
In your office you can run Planado in a browser. Planado is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari.
Plan out your field work schedule
When the dispatcher and the client come to an agreement concerning required work, the dispatcher usually sets up a date and time for the job, but it is not required to select the assignee while talking to the client. In this case, the job will be placed into a section named “Unassigned”.
To make the workers see the jobs assigned to them, drag the job to the Schedule field and place it into the required team and time slot. You can also assign the worker right away when adding the new job. When you’re done with the Schedule, publish the jobs and they will be sent to the assignees’ mobile apps.
Change your schedule on the fly
Make changes to the schedule even if your employees are already in the field. Just drag the job along the timeline to reschedule it or assign it to another worker by dragging the job to this worker’s slot. All jobs will be automatically updated in the employees’ mobile apps.
Find a worker for an urgent job
When an accident or a time-sensitive order takes place, you will need to contact a worker who can reach the site in the smallest amount of time. Using Planado, you can find the worker who is currently close enough to the place. Planado provides a map with the current jobs and the present location of your employees (Map).
Monitor field works up to their completion
You will find out immediately when an employee sets off for a job or starts working on it. The dispatcher will receive the updated information on the jobs instantly once your workers go online using their smartphones. The application updates the information automatically every 2 minutes.
Planado displays jobs on the left pane in the Schedule menu as well as in the Maps menu. If some jobs were not completed successfully, they will be highlighted in red or orange. Pay special attention to the following sections on the left pane:
- Overdue — the job has not been started at the scheduled time.
- Prolonged — the job is taking longer to complete than planned.
If the workers manage to begin and complete the job on schedule, these sections will not appear.
Use address prompts
As you’re about to enter an address, Planado will provide you with hints which you can use to enter the full address without having to type it all over again. Also, once you’ve selected the address, Planado immediately memorizes its GPS coordinates.
Switch between map types
Choose the map type that is most convenient for you, whether that is a satellite map, a scheme, or a hybrid. Use the map to see the location of your jobs, employees, and plan a route knowing the traffic situation on the roads.
Be updated on workers' locations
All the information on your workers’ current locations is saved even when they change the job status. You can always find out when and where your employees have started or finished their jobs, or where they have actually been when they headed for the client’s premises.
Use the free Planado app for Android and iOS
Download the free app from Google Play or from App Store and enter your email and password to login.
To view jobs in the mobile app you must first be authorized to access them. You also have to be authorized to be able to complete jobs Permissions are set up in the web app in the Settings → Employees section.
Recommendations for smartphones and tablets users:
- Android v4.0+ smartphones are supported. Version 4.4 is recommended to use.
- We do not recommend using old smartphones and tablets (opertating on Android v4.2 or lower) while working. They could only be used to become acquainted with the Planado services during the free demo period. Meanwhile, you should keep in mind that most old devices have GPS chips that aren’t very efficient and pinpointing their geolocation takes a long time. We have experienced a lot of problems with the old models with a radio module.
Send your location to the office
All you have to do is just start using the Planado app and it will send information about your current location to the dispatcher. The coordinates are sent automatically, even if the app is running in the background.
To conserve smartphones’ battery power, data will be only sent once every 10 minutes.
Get the jobs list
No longer you will have to stop by or call the office in order to find out what is the next job that needs to be done today. The scheduled route is available in the mobile app. As soon as a new job appears or a planned one is changed, a push notification arrives almost instantly and the list of jobs is updated once you launch the app.
Keep in touch with the office
Don’t forget to mark every action as done in the app, so that the dispatcher will be able to find out immediately that you are on the road to the client’s premises, have begun working, or have finished the job. Thus, the office always stays in touch with you and can organize your work in such a way that it will be performed more effectively.
By pressing the En route button, a text message is sent to the client that you are on the way. Or you could just press Start right away, but skipping previous steps is not recommended, because in that case your office will have no idea of how much time it took you to reach the client and how long have you been going the job.
Get in touch with the client right from the field
You can contact your client while doing your job simply by calling the phone number which can be found in your job information.
Make sure you’ve done everything
The built-in job checklist helps you to remember every action that you need to perform and check that you’ve done everything.
Take photos of the finished job
Taking photographs of the completed jobs allows the worker to make an informative report on the quality of the work and send a photo report immediately to the manager.
Make your way to the client’s premises
Open the map right from your mobile app. You don’t have to type in your client’s address: just press the icon next to the address to create the route from your current location to your client’s address. The app provides you with the quickest route to arrive there with account of traffic jams.
Offline mode
The Planado mobile app remains operational even when your smartphone loses connection. Fill out your job form, take photos, and all the data will be saved in your smartphone’s memory. And then you get online again, the data will be automatically uploaded to the server (in about 2 minutes) and will be available at the office.
The photos won’t be uploaded with a slow Internet connection (EDGE, GPRS), so you will need a faster connection (3G, LTE, Wi-Fi) in order for them to be uploaded automatically.
Types of jobs
You can also arrange your jobs by different types of jobs. The job type is visible to your field worker in the mobile app and it’d be for the best if you choose short names (1-2 words) for your types. Job types are also necessary to refine your data and make reports.
Job templates
Job templates allow you to choose what kind of information you want to include in your job and what it will look like. Job templates can also significantly speed up your work: you can easily create your jobs using one of those templates. The following points can be configured in a template:
- custom fields,
- checklists,
- predefined values,
- possible resolutions.
The job type is also configured in the template, and it helps your employees to understand what kind of job they are dealing with, and helps you to make an informative report. It doesn’t affect the way job should be performed.
Checklists
Checklists help to improve the service quality and increase sales. The idea is adopted from air transport operators: when preparing for the takeoff and landing, pilots run through a checklist out loud and thus reducing the accident risk by several times.
When completing a job, the employee is obligated to mark every point of the checklist: if the employee doesn’t do that, he or she won’t be able to successfully complete the job. This way the employee won’t have any trouble memorizing the list of to-do’s. That is also a very convenient way to find out if your employee didn’t do something or forgot to do it.
Every checklist item may be linked with a custom job field. For example, you can make it compulsory for your employees to take photos of the results of their jobs or fill in data about expended materials.
Custom fields
These are your own custom fields where you can add data on expended materials or any other information on the job. Additional fields may be of various types:
- Text,
- Data,
- Reference value,
- Image (photo).
If a field is marked as “Required”, then the employee will not be able to successfully finish the job without filling it in.
Resolutions
When finishing a job the employee selects one of the available resolutions. If he or she didn’t manage to successfully complete the job, then the employee will have to choose one of the reasons for not completing the job as expected – the client wasn’t present at the site, there weren’t enough materials, etc. Also, you can make it obligatory for them to leave a comment.
Teams
You can group your employees together to form teams. For each team, a foreman is appointed: a foreman is the one person who can mark checklist items as done and finish jobs. The rest of the team members will only be able to view the job without authorization to change the data.
Authorization
Permissions to access web app and mobile app are assigned separately.
SMS notifications
You can edit text messages which are sent out to the client. Here you can also see the number of text messages sent so far. Two types of notifications are supported:
- In the morning (the hour when it must be sent has to be previously specified) to all your clients whom your workers have to visit today.
- At the moment when your employee presses the On the route button in the mobile app.
Recurring jobs
You can make and manage jobs which have to be repeated at a particular time, for example scheduled maintenance. Set up the schedule and the jobs will be added there automatically. In a recurring job template you can add an assignee, time of a visit, and other options as well.
Integrations
This refers to REST API and webhooks which can operate with jobs, clients, as well as receive settings data (templates). Integrate Planado with your CRM, ERP system, your accounting system, or your tickets system (Help Desk). See the API documentation in the demo version by selecting Settings -> General or visit api-docs-en.planadoapp.com.
Reports
Planado automatically generates statistics on the completed job quantity and average job completion time.
This will help you to make illustrative and descriptive reports.
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