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Frequently Asked Questions

Q.    How can a Service Dispatcher implementation be up and running in a week?

A.    Service Dispatcher requires minimum setup and configuration. -->more

Q.    What is the cost of ownership? What are the hidden costs?

A.    Cost of ownership is very different from the cost of a Software Application License.  Cost of ownership includes hidden costs and annual costs. -->more

Q.    What is the difference between Web based, Single User and Client Server applications. What is the technology used in Service Dispatcher?

A.    Web based applications run on a web server with users connecting to the server by a company network (Intranet or WAN or LAN) or via the Internet via a Web Browser. -->more

Q.    Our needs are different from other companies. It appears that in most cases customization can cost 50% or more of the price of implementation. How does Service Dispatcher suit a wide variety of customers?

A.    Service Dispatcher is designed for ease of customization. -->more

Q.    We don't have a web server. How can we get up and running quickly?

A.    We can provide you with a pre-configured web server, or we can host your application.

Q.    What are the limitations in terms of users and number of requests?

A.    Service Manager licensing has no limitations on number of users. We include support for vendor/technician, customer/tenant users as well as dispatchers. You are limited only by your hardware and your bandwidth.


 

 

 

 

Q.    How can a Service Dispatcher implementation be up and running in a week?

A.    Service Dispatcher requires minimum setup and configuration. Unlike other systems which are asset based, you can use Service Dispatcher for dispatching without the long implementation period required to define all assets. Of course assets can be defined as you go, which differentiates Service Dispatcher from call center and asset management systems.

In addition, Service Dispatcher can run on dedicated or shared servers at most hosting locations. Our customers can take advantage of our cost effective hosting until their infrastructure is installed or can continue the hosting service. (Installation of Service Dispatcher at an ISP typically takes less than an hour.) 

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Q.    What is the cost of ownership? What are the hidden costs?

A.    Cost of ownership is very different from the cost of a Software Application License.

 Cost of ownership includes hidden costs and annual costs. Hidden costs are the infrastructure to run the application. This includes cost of the server, the database, the web server software, the development compilers (if you want to customize the application), the server operating system. In addition most software, both the application and the software infrastructure requires an annual update fee. There is also an external or internal IT cost, for manpower to support and maintain your infrastructure and application

With Service Dispatcher there are no hidden costs. Service Dispatcher uses an open source environment (Apache Webserver, MySQL and PHP) that is standard and no cost on most Linux servers and service providers. Compliance Tracker will also run on Windows XP professional instead of Linux.

Our customers can choose to purchase our annual support which includes new features as well as updates and technical support. Or, customers can choose to be self supporting. (Easily done as we provide source code with our licenses, as well as training on request)

We include our template manager tool that makes screen customization simple to make and maintain.

Our cost effective hosting option eliminates hardware and IT costs.

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Q.    What is the difference between Web based, Single User and Client Server applications. What is the technology used in Service Dispatcher?

A.    Web based applications run on a web server with users connecting to the server by a company network (Intranet or WAN or LAN) or via the Internet via a Web Browser. Pure (sometimes called thin client) Web based applications are installed on the server and typically do not need any software to be downloaded or installed on the user's computers. This eliminates application support and security risks on the users computers. Most browsers on accepted operating systems can access these applications. 

Some web based applications do require downloads and installs which can load users computers, introduce security risks, and require technical support. In addition to expensive, and sometimes unavailable extensive technical support, these solutions can require powerful user computers and are sometimes limited to Internet Explorer. They are often an adaptation of legacy client server applications in the guise of a web solution.

Single User is software that runs on a single computer. Cost effective for applications where only one person enters and accesses information, but normally difficult to scale for multiple users. Some owners of single user software use tools such as PC Anywhere to allow offsite access and share a system between multiple users. These scalability "work a rounds" are  band aids that eliminate activity audit trails, introduce security risks and frustrate users

Client Server. Before the Internet revolution, multi user applications used a Local Area Network with a server that served users (clients). Each client requires individual software installation, support and often licensing. Often these products are portrayed as web based by the development of a browser client.

Service Dispatcher is a Pure Web based application.

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Q.    Our needs are different from other companies. It appears that in most cases customization can cost 50% or more of the price of implementation. How does Service Dispatcher suit a wide variety of customers?

A.    Service Dispatcher is designed for ease of customization. It is actually a  version of our tracking infrastructure which is used by more than 3,000 customers, customized to meet the needs of work order dispatching, tracking and asset management. The customization that created Service Dispatcher is based on requirements specifications from our service customers.

Additional customization, if needed can be done by us, your staff or third parties. (We provide all the source code as well as a template manager).

Our design separates code from screen appearance using templates. Users with basic HTML skills can change the appearance of screens, help pages and links. This also makes it easy to support foreign languages including Mid Eastern and European languages.

Enabling or disabling features and basic setup is done online via a web page.

Logic changes and adding features to Service Dispatcher requires PHP scripting skills. PHP is an open source tool used by thousands of developers and known for features that allow quick and low cost development without costly investment in development tools. It is multi platform, supporting UNIX, Linux and Windows.

This allows our customers have cost effective options in customization and support.

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