Garmin Settings

When the GPS Window system is used with a Garmin Personal Navigational Device, it is no longer viewed as “big brother” but as a friend. You will want to have the system operational because it makes your job easier. My goal with this video is to help you get the maximum benefit from using the GPS Window. We all want safety, reduced drive time, less down time, and increased productivity. This system will help you drive safer, drive less, and make more money.

Turning on the Garmin

When the Garmin unit is powered up, you will see an icon in the upper right corner, which means that the Garmin unit is establishing communication with the Famhost server system. Please wait for the icon to disappear. It is usually under a minute. If you leave the Garmin plugged in at night and just turn it off at the switch on top, the unit will continue to communicate with the servers, so there is no need to wait. Most drivers just put the Garmin under some papers on their dash and leave it plugged in. If the icon is present, the unit isn’t able to receive jobs or send messages. If you clock in before the icon is gone, your time stamp won’t be recorded.

Adjusting the Volume

If you are familiar with the general vicinity of the job, you may want to down or mute the turn by turn instructions, especially if they want to go a different way than the Garmin wants to go. That way you don’t have to listen to the Garmin’s “Recalculating” message. Be sure to watch the video “Navigating to a Jobsite” for tips on how to use the Garmin routing.

System

Tools>Settings>System | The “System” icon enables you to set the “Units” to either Miles or Kilometers and the Keyboard Layout to either Alpha or Qwerty. We’ve found that most of our drivers prefer the Alpha Layout. The “About” button provides you with the Unit ID number, Model Number, Software and Map versions.

Tip: If you click the return arrow in the lower left corner of the screen, it will return to the previous screen. If you hold it down, it will take you all the way back to the main menu from any screen in the Garmin.

Navigation

Tools>Settings>Navigation | The “Navigation” icon enables you to set the way that the Garmin will route you. “Shorter Distance” usually works for drivers making urban service calls, but you may want to experiment. Other options are “Faster Time” “Less Fuel” and “Off Road.” If you have job sites that are not on a map like new construction sites, the “Off Road” setting might work best. JaRay calculates the Lat-Long of the address and sends that directly to the Garmin and can update jobsites that have no physical address.

If desired, you can also set up Avoidances so that the unit will route you around: U-Turns, Highways, Toll Roads, Ferries, Carpool Lanes, and Unpaved Roads. This is helpful if your vehicle has size or weight restrictions or can’t drive on certain road types.

Display

Tools>Settings>Display |The “Display” icon. The Color Mode changes the screen for daylight or night time use. We recommend that you leave it in “Auto” and the unit will adjust automatically. The Screen Shot Mode will put an icon on the screen that the driver can use to capture a specific screen on the Garmin for diagnostics. The default is “Disabled.” The Brightness can be set to the driver’s preference.

Time

Tools>Settings>Time | Set your preferred time format to either 12-Hour or 24 “Military” time. UTC time (Greenwich Mean Time). It is a worldwide time standard that we use for our calculations. JaRay operates with either 12 hour or 24 hour time formats.

Language

Tools>Settings>Language |The “Language” icon enables you to change the voices of the Garmin navigator. I’m partial to Karen and her Australian accent. She also doesn’t have a condescending “Recalculating” when I make a wrong turn.

Map

Tools>Settings>Map | There are a couple of changes that I recommend on your map settings.  The Map Detail should be set to “Most” and the Map Data Layout should be set to “More Data.” You will have to push the down arrow on the right to see the More Data option. With the default map option, the map takes up the entire screen. The “More Data” option gives the driver four more data inputs on the right side of the map that can be set for Direction of Travel, Elevation, Time of Day, Arrival to Jobsite in Miles, Arrival to Jobsite in time, and Speed / with current posted speed if available. We recommend that the other options be left at their default values. You can click on the data inputs when the map is displayed to change them. You will have different options depending on whether a job has been dispatched to you or not.

Security

Tools>Settings>Security | Garmin has a security feature that locks your device. Garmin’s anti-theft feature disables the unit from performing any functions until a specific 4-digit PIN is typed in or the unit is taken to a predetermined location. Simply enter a 4-digit PIN and select a Security Location.  Each time you turn on the GPS, you have to enter your PIN to unlock the GPS.  If you forget your PIN, you can go to your Security Location.

If you do decide to use a PIN, be sure to make sure that your office knows what it is and has it recorded.  If you don’t know the PIN or your Security Location, you will have to send your unit to Garmin to get it unlocked. My personal feeling is that it is better not to use the Lock. It’s a pain to have to enter the PIN every time you get into the truck. I recommend that you just hide the unit under some papers or out of site. Whether you have the Garmin Lock installed or not, a thief can still steal it; they just won’t be able to use it. At that point, the cow is out of the barn.  It is doubtful that the thief will return it to you just because he can’t use it and you would have to enter the PIN every time you turn on the unit. Personally, I really hate entering passwords.

Replacement units are not that expensive compared to the cost of most of the other tools and parts that your driver carries in his truck. If theft is a concern, you should consider installing the optional AlarmNGo alarm system which has a flashing LED and siren. The AlarmNGo is a great theft deterrent and alerts your office and driver that someone is tampering with your vehicle or even tools outside of the vehicle. 

JLinkit – Just Link anything to JaRay

We’re excited to announce a new product that we’ve wanted to do for many years. Although all of our products have technically operated on the “Cloud” for over a decade, we’ve finally been able to utilize Cloud storage and index from JaRay without sacrificing the security that we require.

Now you can attach any file to your customer records. That means you can take a video, photo, word processing document, spread sheet or even a cad file and attach it. To view the document, you just look it up in JaRay. Linkwriter and FamScan documents will work like they do now, but other files will open in a browser window. So, if you use a special program to create a document, the same program will open it. You can also send a timed link to your customers or employees via email so they can view videos, photos, scanned invoices, etc.
There are six ways to attach a file:

1. Email – Each company will have a unique email address. When you email a file to that address, just put the name of what you want to attach it to in the subject line. For example, when you take a client to lunch, you could just write who you took and the reason for the expense on the receipt and take a picture of it with your phone. It is that simple. When a driver writes an invoice, he can just take a picture of it and it automatically attaches to the invoice in JaRay enabling your office people to see it immediately. If your driver needed to take some photos or videos at a jobsite, they can simply enter the invoice number in the subject line.
2. Virtual Folder – You can install a virtual folder on your workstation. To attach to something in JaRay, simply slide or save a file into the JLinkit folder. The file will automatically appear in the JaRay program. If you named the file PON_123, the file will attach to Purchase Order Number 123 and you will see it if you access that purchase order. If you name it INV_123, it will attach to Invoice Number 123. The same with bids, contracts, employee records, or anything else. I like to print emails or eFaxes to PDFs and then attach them to the customer records.
3. FamScan – The FamScan program automatically controls the size of the documents so that they will pull up instantly. FamScan enables you to scan batches of documents with duplexing if your scanner supports it, so you can scan the front and back at the same time. You don’t need to use FamScan to scan a document. So if you want to scan something at a higher resolution or want to use a network scanner or other scanning system, just point it to the JLinkit virtual folder.
4. Jlinkit.com – With the website interface, you don’t have to install anything at all. Just go to JLinkit.com and browse to the file you want from any computer using a username and password. When you change the username and password for each employee in JaRay, it automatically updates the website interface.
5. Smart Media devices – Many of the newer digital cameras can automatically send their files to the cloud as soon as they have a wi-fi connection or you can use Eye-Fi SD cards. The JLinkit program utilizes the protocols that are required to automatically transfer the files. So if a driver needs to upload videos or photos of a jobsite, they can simply turn on their camera at a McDonalds or anywhere there is free Wi-Fi and the files will be uploaded automatically while they eat lunch.
6. If you use the Linkwriter application, the form automatically attaches when the pen is docked or via Bluetooth. JLinkit will also work with Livescribe pens for note taking.

Even if the drivers don’t properly name the files at the time they send them, you can rename them and attach them to the invoices or appropriate records whenever you want.

 

7 Reasons not to give your field technicians computers or tablets

My intent through these blogs is to help our customers grow their businesses profitably during these dark economic times. I’m going to tell it like I see it. With the new licensing and log in system, I do encourage you to get some mobile devices for your managers and sales people. If they already have a JaRay license, it won’t cost you anything except for the device. Almost anything that can access the Internet will work, including iPhones, iPads, Blackberries, Androids and Windows Phones.  However, for the time being, I think you should think twice about giving mobile devices to your field staff.

• Time. Most technicians are craftsmen. Their core competence is their trade. Many times the best producers are the last ones you would want to input data into your computer system. Their time is very valuable and it is a lot harder to input data into a small screen when its 20 below and the wind is blowing than it is in an air conditioned office with a full size keyboard. If it is hard to fill out a ticket, it is not only frustrating to the technician, it doesn’t make fiscal sense.
• Training. Most of the younger guys can pick up a device and start using it with little or no training. However my experience is that again, your best producers often hate computers. If you force them, you will either lower their productivity or lose them.
• Productivity. If the devices can log into our application, they can log into others too. Where do you draw the line? Facebook, Linkedin, and other social networking applications can cause you to lose productivity. Porn and gambling sites often become addictive and get you into some very tough legal issues.
• Support. Yes, you can set up each device to be able to only run your business applications, but IT administration becomes much more difficult with field devices than with office equipment. Additionally, the harsh environment of the field worker is tough on computer electronics.
• Connectivity. The field technician is constantly going from tower to tower and sometimes from one network to another. Mobile devices do lock up. Sometimes you have to reboot them and log in several times. Sometimes, the towers are down and sometimes you just can’t get or keep a connection. Technicians don’t need any more excuses.
• Cost. Although tablets are getting cheaper, consumer style devices usually don’t last very long in the world of the service technician. Airtime plans are expensive, and of course there are additional licensing costs.
  
• Security. Smart phones, tablets, and computers are attractive to thieves. Anything in Famhost is secure, but if the user stores anything on the device, it could be costly. If your employee stores information on the device, it could hurt you if they decide to work for a competitor or go into business for themselves.

Since we started hosting JaRay, my dream has been to make everything real time from the point of sale. I feel that the time’s almost here. However, we have to be practical. The right device could be right around the corner, and we’re ready for it. But In the wireless world of field service, things are much different than they are in a controlled environment. As new devices come out, I’ll let you know what I think keep you updated. The nice thing is that with Famhost, you aren’t tied to any type of device or network. You could have one tech using an iPad on AT&T, another using a Blackberry on Verizon, and another using an Android on T-Mobile. You make the decision as to what is acceptable in your organization. We’re just here to support and help you.

New Login Process

To stay in compliance with HIPAA, PCI, and other new identity protection rulings, we’ve changed the login process.

There a number of benefits to your company as a result and we believe that your users will love them. The biggest change is that when they log in to the Famhost server, they will log in with all the rights that you set up for them when you determine their security access levels and which applications they can run in the Employee setup menu at 6N. They will no longer need to log into JaRay with a username and password each time they open a new screen.

Each user will receive their own personalized navigational bar at the top of the screen which can be moved around or even minimized. When they click on an application, the application will automatically open without requiring another username and password.

There are no restrictions and you can open as many windows as you need on each monitor. You can use any screen resolution and can run one monitor for your mapping system another for dispatching, another for Linkwriter or proposals, customer records or any other combination of screens or multiple windows. You can see that the applications open very fast.

The only additional cost is the monitor and you may need to add additional ports on your computer. Since all the processing happens on the server side, very little resources or bandwidth is required on the client side. That is very important as we move into wireless devices because it affects bandwidth, speed and data costs. Because nothing is cached on the user’s device, the system is very secure. If a user loses or has a laptop stolen, for example, the thief can’t get any of your company’s information.

Another benefit for your management staff is that you can now use the system on almost any device that is capable of accessing the Internet. So you can run the application at your office on a pc, your home on your Apple computer, at a restaurant on your cell phone and on a flight or in your car with an iPad or Android device. There are no additional Famhost fees as long as you don’t exceed the number of user licenses. You may need to purchase an inexpensive 3^rdparty client depending on the type of device you are running.

Welcome to the Famhost WordPress Blog

To be brutally honest, I feel that I am being dragged into social networking.  I’m much more comfortable working on R&D, a work flow process or graphical interfaces. But I am excited about this new venue and am looking forward to using it to share new features and processes and help you grow your businesses profitably.

Whether we like it or not, business is changing. The Internet has made the world very small – an understatement for sure. Something can become “viral” in just a few hours and make or break a company over night. Major brands are disappearing and this new playing field favors the company that has its finger on the pulse of the community it serves.

My wife asked me to pick up some chili from Wendy’s on my way home from work tonight. I noticed that the bag had an unusual website printed in a very large font:www.tellwendys.com.  I doubt that Wendy’s really wanted people who were happy to call and pat them on the back. They wanted people who have problems and are angry about their service to vent with them and not with the rest of the world. They know that they need to take a proactive stance and solve problems while they are still small.

Companies have learned sometimes the hard way, that customers are demanding more personalized services and they have begun to monitor social networks to aid them in protecting their good name and to do damage control. There is also an opportunity to encourage loyalty and good will. The traditional marketing strategies are no longer providing a good ROI. Change has come.

Social networking sites have emerged as powerful influences on how businesses are perceived. So far, few businesses have leveraged sources such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as an important part of their marketing strategy.  Consumers are expecting much more information and Social Networking sites encourage them to ask their peers for references before they purchase. It has helped consumers and businesses “friend” each other.

Please offer suggestions and comments on how you do things. Of course, my focus will be on helping our current customers learn how to get the most out of the system that they already are paying for. However, I believe that any business will be able to benefit by understanding the principles that have caused our applications to evolve. We are humbled by the confidence you have placed in our service. Let’s begin the journey.