MSP Alliance International Conference, ARLINGTON, TX Oct. 31, 2005 Making it easier and more profitable for IT service and solution providers to run their businesses, Autotask announced today Autotask Dispatchers Workshop the industrys first web-based, automated IT field service scheduling and dispatching tool designed for technology service and solution providers.
Available immediately, Autotask Dispatchers Workshop is an upgrade to the companys web-based IT Services Management Software. Dispatchers Workshop is designed to generate service calls, manage technician schedules, and optimize IT field service workflow — all from one database, accessible to employees, anywhere, anytime. IT service professionals can use the tool to manage multiple service calls, allocate the best resources for a service call based on a technicians availability and skills, schedule and dispatch a field visit, capture accurate time and billing, as well as generate comprehensive statements of work.
IT Service and Solution providers can use Autotask Dispatcher’s Workshop to increase their customer response time with the right technician at the right job in the right timeframe, said Autotask chief executive officer, Bob Godgart. We designed Autotask to give users an easy way to manage the lifeblood of their organization and boost profit potential.
Autotask software is intuitive, offering multiple views for staff depending on their job function and responsibilities. Dispatchers can view all customer requests via the Service Desk dashboard and easily know how to manage a service call. The built-in map feature gives directions to service call destinations, minimizing costly non-billable technician travel time. It also integrates with calendar and email functions from Microsoft Outlook avoiding duplication of scheduling and communication with customers.
Autotask isnt just software, its a way of doing business, said Godgart. Solution providers now have instant access to the five most critical business processes: sales and customer care; IT service scheduling and dispatching; project management; time and attendance tracking; billing and reporting.
More specifically, Autotask Dispatchers Workshop allows dispatchers and service desk managers to improve field service resource utilization by viewing multiple schedules on one calendar. Dispatchers can quickly identify the right field staff and plan their time appropriately. Alternately, field technicians can enter the correct time spent on the service call and manage their service tickets directly from the field. In short, billable time is automatically captured, a statement of work is generated and status tracking for the service call is captured for valuable follow-up.
Autotask’s new Tech Scheduling and Dispatching feature improved the way we service our customers and saved us valuable time, said Dave Brewer, chief executive officer, BC Networks, a solution provider in San Jose, CA. We