Let’s Get Automated: Introducing the Automated Service Order

Hey there, Fullbay friends and family! Have you used the Automated Service Order yet?

Hold up, Fullbay, you might be saying, I’ve heard of Service Orders…what are Automated Service Orders?

We’re so glad you asked! 

Imagine a world where your system warned you when a truck’s preventive maintenance (PM) needed to get done or was — gasp — overdue. How much easier would your life be if you could click a button and see what vehicles needed to be brought in and worked on? 

We’re here to make that world a reality. Yes, friends, Fullbay’s Automated Service Orders (henceforth to be called Automated SOs) will make your PM work much easier. 

Here’s how. 

WHAT IS THE AUTOMATED SO?

It works like this: every night, Fullbay checks your preventive maintenance schedules. When it finds items that need to be attended to within 10 days (or are past due entirely), it automatically creates an SO for that unit. 

(Yes, folks, Fullbay keeps on working for you even after you close up the shop and head to bed.)

Once you open that SO, you’ll see a list of items that need your attention. 

No one likes missing PM tasks. That’s how you wind up with downtime and safety issues. But we get it — sometimes you just want a notification to tell you that “Hey, this truck is gonna need attention soon.” 

You won’t just be reducing downtime and improving compliance and safety for vehicles, either. Those reminders are a great way to keep bays full and techs busy. 

WHO IS THE AUTOMATED SO FOR?

We’ll let Oprah say it for us:

The Automated SO feature is for everyone! 

Really.

We’d leave it at that, but if there’s one thing we like more than cool features, it’s a detailed rundown of cool features. And since we’ve got both independent and fleet shops as customers, we’ll go into how it can benefit each:

Independent shops will dig the Automated SO because…

• They’ll save hours — no more manually tracking overdue PMs or manually creating SOs!
• More consistent revenue thanks to turning PMs into predictable, billable work.
• Better relationships with customers who will appreciate being notified of upcoming maintenance. The way to a customer’s heart is through well-maintained vehicles (okay, and maybe an assortment of snacks in the lobby).
• Fleet customers will see you as part of their operations team and a trusted repair partner.

Fleets and internal shops will love the Automated SO because…

• You’ll stop overdue PMs in their tracks — catching them before they lead to costly breakdowns and unplanned downtime means your vehicles keep rolling!
• Stay on top of maintenance and repairs to ensure vehicles meet regulatory standards. (Compliance is a fleet manager’s best friend.)
• Extend the life of your vehicles — and spare yourself the expense of expensive replacements — by performing regular and timely maintenance.
• Much like the independent shops, fleets and internal shops can also now halt the manual tracking of overdue PMs or manual creation of SOs. 

In short, everybody wins!

HOW DO I TURN ON THE AUTOMATED SO FEATURE?

Want to take the feature for a spin? Go right ahead! Automated SOs are available for everyone to use right now. They’re free — no upgrades required. Just go into the Fullbay Connect integration page, scroll down to “Auto-Generate SOs” under “Miscellaneous,” and toggle it on.

Next, you will need to turn on the feature for each vehicle that you want it to include. Go into the individual unit’s page and opt it into the “Auto-Gen SOs.” 

Want to see what’s on the docket? Head to the “Service” tab and you’ll see an “Auto-Gen SOs” tab. It’ll show you the vehicle as well as the initial service it needs (such as “Base Dry Service”). You can then batch-assign these to yourself, making it easier to parcel out the work to techs.

And poof! That’s it. 

We think this feature will be ultra-helpful for everyone, but especially fleets, as they won’t have to manually sift through PMs to see which are overdue and individually create an SO for each.

Your time is valuable, and it’s the one thing you can’t really make more of once it’s gone. We’re hoping the Automated SO can give you a little bit of time back in your day to do other, more important things, like sending our marketing team your favorite coffee recommendations. 

Ready to try out the Automated SO? It’s right there waiting for you on the Fullbay Connect page. Don’t have Fullbay but want to know what all the fuss is about? There’s a free demo right this way. We can’t wait to make your shop life easier.