ElectricalBossPro Blog — Generator & Maintenance Plans

A Generator Maintenance Visit on the Tech App, From Start to Complete

Plans are sold in the office and scheduled on the dispatch board, but they are delivered in the driveway. What happens on the tech's phone during a generator visit decides whether the office gets a clean record, whether the customer gets a good report and whether the invoice goes out on time. Here is what a visit looks like from the tech's side in ElectricalBossPro.

From the Route to the Driveway

The day was built in the office, as covered in Routing a Generator Service Day: One Van, Auto-Route and a Printed Route Sheet. On the tech's phone, that same day shows up in the same route order.

The tech logs in with the company login and their own personal PIN. The tech app runs in the browser on iPhone and Android and can be installed to the home screen, so there is no app store download. The first thing they see is today's calls in order.

Before Getting Out of the Van

Each job card has what the tech needs before walking up. The address with a navigation button for directions. The service, such as Yearly Generator Maintenance. And the equipment from the house:

• The generator with brand, model, kW and fuel, the serial on the next line
• The transfer switch or interlock with its rating and location
• The main panel, such as “Main Panel · 200A · Single Phase · installed 2008”
• Access notes, such as “Side yard, gate latch sticks, dog is friendly”

Past notes from earlier visits are on the card too. If last year's tech wrote “customer prefers a text before you knock,” this year's tech sees it.

Start

When the tech arrives and taps Start, the office sees the job is underway. If the customer chose the alert, they get an “arrived” text automatically. The “on the way” text went out earlier as the tech headed to this stop.

The time clock runs in the same app, so hours are recorded as the day goes.

During the Visit

The tech does the generator visit the way your company does it. The software does not walk anyone through generator maintenance. That is the tech's job and training.

What the app does is record. If the plan includes a safety inspection, the tech works the checklist on the phone, including “generator / transfer switch tested,” adds readings, sets a condition and writes recommendations. Before and after photos go on the job. Notes cover anything worth remembering. If the tech notices the equipment record is incomplete or out of date, they update it on the job, and the change flows back to the house.

If the customer comes out and asks for something extra, like swapping a smoke detector while the tech is there, the tech notes it on the job so the office can add the line item from the service list. Bigger requests become a note for the office to turn into an estimate. Either way, nothing the customer asked for is lost between the driveway and the office.

Skip, if It Comes to That

Sometimes a visit cannot happen. The gate is locked, nobody is home and the generator is behind a fence, or the customer asks to reschedule. The tech taps Skip and writes why. The office sees the skip with the reason, texts the customer and puts the visit on another day. The visit stays on the Waiting List until it is done, so it does not get lost.

Complete

When the work is done, the tech taps Complete. A few things happen at once:

• The invoice is created with the plan visit and any extra line items.
• The card on file can be charged automatically.
• The office sees the job done, with the checklist, readings, photos and notes.
• The plan's count starts again, and the next visit comes due in 365 days.

The tech moves to the next card in route order and taps navigation. No paperwork in the truck, no calling the office to report, no invoice to write that night.

What the Office Sees

Back at the office, the completed job is there with everything the tech recorded. If there was a safety inspection, the office can print the Electrical Safety Inspection report for the homeowner. If the tech wrote recommendations, the office can build an estimate from the service list and send it for online approval.

Crew GPS on the office map shows where each van is throughout the day, so the office knows how the route is going without calling. Good photos and notes are what make next year's visit easier, covered in Photos and Notes From Generator Visits That Make Next Year Easier. For how the tech app fits with plans and billing, visit the ElectricalBossPro generator maintenance software page.