Setting up Crew Mobile for Allocating Time to Equipment

Aspire provides the ability to allocate usage time for equipment items that are defined in the item catalog and included on an estimate. When equipment usage time is logged, it is tied to employee work ticket time. 

Before equipment being used can be logged, each of these conditions must be met:

1. Equipment items in the item catalog must be flagged for mobile allocation
2. The route must allow equipment time reporting
3. Equipment must be included in the service for a work ticket

When these conditions are met, the Crew Mobile App will allow equipment that a crew member is using to be selected when time is started on the work ticket. It will also allow the equipment to be allocated to a work ticket on the Time Entry screen. The sections below explain how to set up these conditions, and how to allocate time to equipment.

Flagging Equipment Items for Mobile Allocation

For an equipment item to be available for time allocation, the catalog item must be flagged with the Allocate from Mobile option^a on the Item screen in Aspire Administration as depicted below. It is also important that the purchase and allocation units for any equipment item flagged in this manner are specified as hours^b. This requirement is not enforced by Aspire but is very important when setting up the equipment.

Flagging Route to Allow Equipment Time Reporting

Additionally, the route on which the work ticket is placed must have the Allow Equipment Time Reporting option^a selected on the Route screen.

Including Equipment on a Work Ticket

Equipment items can be included in the estimate in one of two ways:

• For Employees to Allocate Equipment Time – Equipment can be included underneath the service on the estimate represented by the work ticket:

• For Subcontractors to Allocate Equipment Time – Equipment can be included as a subcontractor expense by drilling into the service on an estimate and selecting the Add Subcontractor Expense option from the Actions menu as shown below. Alternatively, subcontractor expenses can be created using the Auto Expense Report.

Allocating Time to Equipment in Crew Mobile

If the above conditions are met, then Crew Mobile will allow the crew leader to choose the equipment item when time is started for a crew member. When the crew leader clicks the Start button on the Work Ticket screen, the Start/Stop Work screen will be displayed as depicted to the right. Aspire will provide an Equipment Selection drop-down list^a next to each crew member which, when clicked, will provide a list^b of all equipment items available for the work ticket.

The crew leader may select an equipment item from the list before starting the work. The equipment item will be allocated to the job based on the duration of hours spent on the job and the unit price specified in the item catalog. If the crew member stops using the equipment before they are done working, the crew leader can stop time on the job for that crew member, and then restart time for them without selecting equipment.

After the crew starts work, if the crew leader comes back to the screen and changes the equipment assigned to the employee, Aspire displays the message shown on the right. If the crew leader selects Correct the Equipment, Aspire will update all the work ticket time to be applied to the newly selected equipment rather than the equipment originally selected.

If the crew leader selects Start Time, Aspire ends the current time and creates a new time entry on the same work ticket using the newly selected equipment item,  Aspire essentially stops and restarts time.

Allocating Time to Equipment in Time Entry

Office staff can also allocate equipment to work ticket time from the Time Entry screen of Aspire Desktop. This is accomplished from the Add Material option available when clicking on a work ticket. Aspire makes available in the Item Allocation drop-down all equipment items that are flagged as available for mobile allocation. Once an equipment item has been selected, you will be able to specify the number of hours allocated to it.