Before you begin, you need to decide how you plan on recording your line cleanings. You can change from one to another in the future, but there are four ways to choose from:
- Manual Entry
- Scanning QR Codes
- Manually creating Call Plans
- Auto-schedule Call Plans
Typically, the size of your company will dictate which is best for you, but you are free to choose from any of the four.
Manually Recording Line Cleans
Using this method, you will record your cleans as you go or at the end of the day. To record your line cleans, log in to Admin, select the establishment from the Establishment Manager page, navigate to the LC Status/Brands tab, and click +Record Cleaning.
This is a good system if you are a one-man show with a good handle on your schedule and don't need help with Route Planning. Knowing your customers well so you don't need to see Establishment Notes of No Go hours while in the field.
The downside to this system is that you'll need to remember which lines you cleaned that day as well as any parts or services you sold. Also, if you track brands on tap, you'll need to recall any changes made since your last clean.
Scanning QR Codes
You'll print QR codes on labels and post them at each establishment. Each establishment has a unique QR code. After completing the line cleaning, scan the QR code to record your cleaning.
This is suitable for a 1-2 person company that has a good handle on its schedule and doesn't need a call plan. Recording cleans this way requires slightly less system interaction.
The cons to using this system are that you may miss a scheduled cleaning, you don't have access to the Est notes or No Go hours that you would see in a call plan. Also, you can not invoice for parts or services through the QR code currently; this feature is planned for the future.
Manually Creating Call Plans
You will need to create call plans for each day for each tech. Creating a Call Plan for a day's worth of cleanings takes about five minutes. If you have 2-3 techs, this approach may be the most efficient, as it requires only about an hour a week to build call plans.
The benefit of using this system is that it gives you a lot of flexibility, as you can schedule service calls and one-off work into a plan. Your techs will receive their call plan by email the day before and can use it the next day to record their cleans, update brands, and sell parts/services.
Auto-schedule Call Plans
This utilises the full power of the Tap Trackers system. Anyone can use this system, but it is a must for anyone with 5 or more techs.
Build your routes and the system will auto-schedule the routes on a cycle. If you clean lines every two weeks, you'll have 10 routes in the territory. The routes will auto-schedule in sequence and then repeat the cycle perpetually. You can easily update a call plan if something comes up, but this way is set-it-and-forget-it.
This does require some work up front, but once it is set, you only need to tweak calls as needed.