November 27, 2023

HTML Work Requests

F.O.M.O. A quaint acronym meaning Fear Of Missing Out. I've heard a radio station use it to promote its newscasts. The station wants listeners to feel they're part of a larger "community" by being "in the know." Some of your maintenance team members may have this feeling when you're beginning your journey with Mapcon. Other employees may feel left out of the loop, especially when there's important information to pass along. In this post, we'll discuss how a non-system user can be included in maintenance tasks by submitting HTML work requests.

Have you ever been part of a group but not felt as if you belonged? You're not privy to certain information or have access to what others have? While you are an important individual within the group, there's something…well, missing. If you encounter a problem of which the group, or at least the group's leader, should be made aware, how do you contact him/her? Phone? Text? Email? You left your spare carrier pigeon in its cage that morning. What if the person isn't available? Maybe, you'll have to drive to the leader's house or office to relate the issue.

Shouldn't there be another way?

Take this general example and place it in the workplace. Bob is a valuable member of the workforce. Driving into work every day takes him past the back of the company grounds. Monday morning, he sees part of the perimeter fencing down because of the previous night's storm. This issue is important not only because it’s a security risk, but there is other damage to nearby utility poles as well.

Bob has a problem. He can't reach his supervisor by phone or text. Maybe Bob doesn't have his number. To call the main office and be transferred would take time and might result in voicemail. The facility covers a large acreage and who knows how much time will be used for Bob to drive all the way to the employee lot, hurry inside the maintenance building, and track down his supervisor.

Shouldn't there be another way? Shouldn't Bob have access to a system that allows him to submit a work request from his computer, tablet, or smartphone?

Bob's fears are nullified by the fact his supervisor has the solution. The company uses the computerized maintenance management system developed by Mapcon Technologies. Bob isn't an assigned user, but his supervisor emailed an HTML link to him. Clicking on the link launches the Work Request form. Here are the data fields Bob fills out:

Zone – The facility has several zones, one of which may be named Grounds or The Back Forty (if his supervisor is really creative).

Work Area – Bob can indicate a more specific location of the problem.

Work Description – Self-explanatory (Fence down. Rebuild fence. Fix utility pole.)

Priority – How important is the job? While many work requests will be marked high priority, the supervisor along with management will have to determine the importance and urgency of the matter. The available priority options can be configured in the system.

Submitted by – Bob, of course.

Submitted Phone – In case the supervisor wants to call for more information.

Email – Bob's, of course.

These are all required fields by default. However, an admin can change these to be optional.

Bob then chooses one of two buttons near the bottom to Submit or Cancel.

Below, even before a request is made, Bob can click on a link to watch a YouTube video on how to create a work request. Near the top, he can check the status of work requests he previously submitted. As we'll see later, he'll receive a notification when something definitive happens with that request.

Let's leave Bob where he is (he has his morning coffee and a doughnut, he's fine) and shift over to the maintenance supervisor who receives email or mobile notification when an HTML request is submitted. Checking MAPCON on his desktop or his mobile device, when he opens Maintenance>Work Request Menu>Work Request Transfer, he sees Bob's request. After double-clicking on it and perusing the information, he has five options.

Generate Work Orders and Save - This is the easy one. Bob’s request is now an official order in the system.

Add the request to an existing work order - If there is another open maintenance work order, he might add Bob's request to this.

Generate an After-the-Fact WO and Edit – If the supervisor discovers the work already completed by the time he reviews the request, then he creates and completes a work order stating this.

Generate a WO and Edit – An example of this is that it might be a bigger job than the supervisor first thought and he needs to plan ahead for extra people and materials.

Cancel request – For instance, an electrical line issue outside a manufacturing plant. You've been informed the city will handle this.

Whatever happens to the request, whether accepted and completed or canceled, Bob will receive notification about that decision.

What are the advantages of non-system users having access to MAPCON through an HTML link? Besides an efficient way to submit work requests, two other benefits may not be immediately noticed.

Teamwork – Bob feels more like a part of the team. No, his job doesn't require him to use MAPCON on a daily basis, but he doesn't feel "out of the loop."

Morale – Because he has a method to submit work requests and because he now feels he's part of a cohesive team, his morale improves. He's motivated to accomplish more.

These two extra benefits from MAPCON aren't always mentioned, but they do exist, and they do affect productivity. Are you using the HTML Work Request page? Are you including more employees on the team? Want to see better morale and team spirit (without having to break out the pom-poms)? Call Mapcon at 800-223-4791 for more details.