Nov/Dec 2005

A new application for mobile vehicle service technicians is being developed by RAC Software Solutions. The company is part of the RAC group and best-known to logistics companies for its Tranman suite of fleet and workshop management software; but to many local authorities it is equally well known for the Servitor Oracle-based job scheduling and workflow management application.

Now elements of the two applications are being brought together to allow mobile service technicians the ability to access Tranman fleet maintenance databases away from the office. Tranman is designed for workshop-based fleet management, but RAC Software says increasing numbers of its clients have mobile engineers or technicians who require access to service history.

Managing director Aidan Rowsome thinks typical applications for the new mobile solution will include end-of-lease inspections and what he calls "incident-based" servicing such as roadside breakdowns. "Tranman is designed to handle predictive servicing in the workshop," he says. "The mobile application will make it easier to update databases to include costs of unplanned repairs."

Rowsome says the new application will take elements from Servitor and Service Desk to create real-time work orders; to track work; to display job histories; and to locate assets.

 

RAC Software has teamed up with iAnywhere to provide the connectivity framework between the mobile workers and the office or workshop. The company already provides the technology behind MobileServitor, which enables mobile engineers and workers to connect in real time to the Servitor software and carry out any transaction that they would back in the office or depot.

"It is important for users to be able to trust that the technology will work," says Rowsome. "Mobilising a database, whether customer records or vehicle service histories, is not a trivial activity. Companies need to understand the complexities involved and to team up with a reliable mobile data partner - not simply a network operator - and be prepared to manage the cultural changes required."