Energy-Pro / Fuel-Pro Options
MAA prides itself on providing the best software for our customers, so if there is anything that you wish the software could do please make a wish list and Email it to [email protected]. We will review the wish list and discuss the features with you. In order to keep your prices as low as possible these options are sold separately. You can pick and choose which ones fit your needs. Discounts are available for multiple items purchased at the same time.
Email Interface for Statements & Invoices:
With this option Energy-Pro will create a PDF file for your Statements, Fuel Invoice,
and Service Invoices. The PDF file is then Emailed to the customer and deleted
from the disk drive. MAA will provide the Activate X and other drivers that are
needed for this function to work. A customer Email program has been added so you
can Email a message to all customers, or all budget customers, customers with
service contracts, and other standard settings. There is even a command to allow
you to enter a conditions line to get the customers that you want. This program
will also make a comment in the customer comment file with the letter name that
you emailed so you know when the letter was sent out. We also added a new
program that will allow you to Email a message to customers that have come up
for an automatic delivery from the delivery schedule program. This program also
has the option to Email all “Will Call” customers that have not had a delivery
more than XX days ago.
Credit Card Interface:
Although we have been processing credit card transactions for more than 10 years, we have recently improved our interface with a new provider. With the new software options you will not have to post credit card payments to the customers’ accounts manually anymore. The interface program will generate a credit card file for processing. The system will read the processed file and print a list for the accepted transactions. Once you look over the list and click the update command all the payment transactions will be updated to the customers’ accounts. This eliminates the typing of the credit card numbers into the credit card machines
each time you want to charge the customer. It eliminates the wait for each transaction to be processed. It eliminates writing down the authorized number or
waiting for the receipt to print. And it eliminates the posting of the payment to the customers’ account. In short, if you were accepting 50 credit card payments a day it would save about 1 hour of time per day.
On-Line backup:
Many customers have already signed up and are using our inexpensive option that gives peace of mind. We now have a program that will pack, encrypt and send your data files to a FTP storage site so if your office is vandalized or burns to the ground your data will be safely tucked away. Our backup program also has a restore option built in which you can use once-in-a-while to make sure your data is restorable. Unlike other on-line backup options MAA knows how to get at the data and will be there in your time of need.
Caller ID:
Save time and embarrassment when taking calls from your customers. MAA has offered caller ID for a long time and it has become a real time saver for our customers. It saves asking your customer for their account number, spelling of their name or address. All you need to do click the line number on your screen and the information for that customer will be shown.
To make this work we need the cooperation of your phone company and there is always a customization fee to make it work with your system.
Vehicle Tracking:
We now have an interface with the TomTom Company for Vehicle Tracking. This program will connect to the TomTom web site and allow you to see and watch the location of your vehicles.
Interface with TomTom Navigation System:
We are now interfaced with the TomTom Company thru our Dispatch-Pro system. This interface will allow you to see where your trucks are located. It will allow you to send delivery orders to the trucks and the TomTom navigation unit will show the driver how to get to the delivery site. We are also investigating the interface of sending delivery data (such as gallons ordered and price) to the truck and receiving data back from the driver (such as gallons delivered, price, ticket #, and tank filled). With the click of a button Dispatch-Pro to receive this information, calculate the net
amount, taxes and total amount to charge the customer. The office staff will be able to pull up a list of the deliveries review/edit them and update them to the customer’s account.
MAA Web Pages:
We have developed several web pages that can be added to your website. Your customers can log onto your website and enter their user name and password. The system will show them about 50 fields of information about their account. Such as: account number, bill-to & delivery name & address, balance, credit age, delivery info, budget info and more. The “Transactions” tab at the top of the screen will show the last 6 months of transaction history to the customer so they can see all the charges and credits that have been posted to their account. The “Contact Us” tab will display your company contact information with an Email option. On the customer information screen and the transaction screen there is a payment button. The customer can click the payment button and fill in the form to make a credit card payment. If you have our “Tiger Payment Solutions” credit card interface the system will download the data into the credit card system and be processed along with your
other credit cards at the end of the day. If you do not have the “Tiger Payment Solutions” credit card interface a report will be printed so you can enter the data into your credit card system.
MAA Fuel Truck System:
The MAA Fuel Truck System is designed to run on a laptop computer in the cap, of the delivery truck. After each delivery the driver will enter the customer’s account number and gallons delivered. He also has the option to override the price, enter the ticket number and the amount paid. The system will then print the invoice and store the data onto a SD card. The driver would then leave the invoice with the ticket for the owner. When he returns to the office the data is downloaded from the SD card to the office computer. The posting clerk can then review, edit and update the deliveries to the customer accounts.
MAA Fuel Truck System with wireless:
The software is the same as the MAA Fuel Truck System but it also has commands to send and receive data to and from the office. You must also have the Dispatch-Pro Deliveries system listed below so the office can send and received the data from the drivers. Deliveries can be sent to the driver’s delivery list, removed from one driver and given to another or left as an open order in the dispatch file. The drivers can click on another button to send their finished deliveries back to the office so the dispatch file gets updated with the delivery data. At the end of the day the finished deliveries can be pulled from the dispatch file or downloaded from the driver SD card and updated to the customer accounts. You may incur additional fees for data storage on the web site.
Dispatch-Pro Deliveries:
Dispatch-Pro is an advanced delivery dispatching system that includes an interface to Map Point (Map Point is not included), Inventory control by truck, display for all or selected trucks, over 15 sort options, filters that display only the orders that you want, and ticket printing. The Map Point interface will display all or selected delivery orders on a map and allow you to select orders to create a delivery route for a truck.
It can optimize the order of the stops and print the driving instructions. Dispatch-Pro then allows you to assign the truck, driver and delivery date to each order with the click of a button. You can then print the tickets in the optimized order so the driver does not have to spend time sorting the tickets. The “Driver Closeout” screen has a print button that will print a list of the deliveries for each driver so they can be more efficient in their paperwork. It also allows the entry of the gallons delivered and the system will calculate the amount and taxes. When done the deliveries can be updated to the customer’s account.
Keeping track of the inventory on the truck is another reason for using Dispatch-Pro. As the deliveries are marked as finished the gallons delivered are subtracted off the truck inventory. There is also a “Pickup” button on the screen that will allow the dispatcher to enter the number of gallons that each truck has picked up during the day. This will add to the trucks inventory.
Service 2 Way Texting:
The Service Dispatcher can email a service order and/or a message to the serviceman’s cell phone (you must have text messaging available on your phones). The serviceman can reply to the service work/message to acknowledge that he received the order/message or to ask a question. The dispatcher and serviceman can send as many messages as they want.
MAA Service Van System (MAASVS):
The MAASVS is a system that runs on a laptop computer. It starts with a couple of commands that downloads the service data files and programs to a SD Card. The software starts with the normal login screen but the menu is very simplified with large buttons. It will allow a serviceman to create a work order and/or select one to complete, close and invoice. He will be able to print the invoice for the customer right in the truck. The invoice can be a full size (8.5 X 11) sheet of paper or a receipt type of printout. The data is saved and at the end of the day the SD Card is brought back into the office and the data (work order, service history & invoice) is downloaded to the office computer. The service work order info is used to mark the work order on the office computer as completed, the service history data is updated into the service history file on the office system and the invoice data is moved into a service batch file so the office staff can review, edit and update the invoice to the customer’s account.
MAASVS with 2 Way wireless communications:
With this option the MAASVS still works the same as above but now the dispatcher can send complete work order information to the serviceman and it will go right onto his list of work to do. He does not have to read his phone or enter the account information. He would do his work and fill in the close work order and invoice screen like above. Once the invoicing is done he can click one of the additional buttons on the menu to send his completed work back to the office. The completed work is updated on the dispatch screen, the service history file and the invoicing data is moved into the invoice batch file.
The advantage to this setup is that the work order can be marked as completed on the dispatch screen as the work is done and new work orders can be sent to the serviceman whether they are driving or in the customer’s basement.
Map Point Interface:
The Map Point Interface allows the dispatcher the option of seeing all or selected service stops on a map so he can make a work schedule for the serviceman. Once the service locations are selected Map Point can optimize the stops by calculating the most efficient driving directions and print them for the driver. The stops that were selected will be assigned to a driver, service van and a schedule date.
TomTom Navigation Interface:
MAA is now interfaced with the TomTom Navigation System. Once you are signed up with TomTom you can click on the VT (vehicle Tracking) toolbar button. The button will take you to the TomTom web site so you can see where your trucks are located. We can send the address information for the different work orders for each serviceman to the TomTom system. This information is then sent to the navigation system on the serviceman’s van and it will give him direction on how to get to the next job. Although it is not completed at this time we are investigating the TomTom capability of allowing the driver to enter information right on the navigation unit and have it transmitted back to the office. We would use this data to update the service
ticket status.
Service Quote System:
The service quote system will allow you to enter the parts and labor into a batch file similar to the service invoicing program. The data is saved in a separate file and the print out can be similar to your laser invoice or it can be completely different. Of course you can add, delete and edit items on the quote as many times as needed. Once the customer agrees to do the job you can move the quote into the service invoicing program so you do not have to re-enter all of the details a second time. From here you can add, delete and edit items, print the invoice and update the customer’s account.
Purchase Order System:
We made a new Inventory Purchase System for your service parts. Each part in the inventory file has a Vendor # and Vendor part number. When you run the Inventory reorder report it will make a purchase order for each vendor needed and put all the parts for the vendor into the purchase order. The new purchase orders will appear in the purchase order system. These orders can now be edited, printed and emailed to the vendor. When the vendor fills the order you can go into the purchase order system, pull up the order, click a button to move the quantity order into the quantity received column and then edit the quantity received column for the items that did not come in. Once you have the proper quantity received you can send the list to the inventory posting program for further review and updating of the inventory file. The inventory replacement report has also been modified to create an inventory adjustment file to move the items from the warehouse to the trucks.
MAA Mobile (PDA Interface):
We have developed a program that will load customer data onto a handheld device (Windows Mobile 6). This program has 7 windows of data about your customers. The on-call man can use this to lookup customer info such as: balance, last delivery date, auto/will call customer and of course the customer name, address and phone number. One of the windows will allow a driver to enter the gallons and ticket # of each delivery. When the driver returns to the office the deliveries are downloaded to the system and the amount and taxes are calculated and displayed for edit/approval then updated to the customers’ account.
Tank Watch (Tank Monitoring):
Besides a great Degree Day system that has been in use for over 30 years, Energy-Pro has an interface to a Tank Monitoring system. Tank Watch is a tank monitoring system that uses wireless technology to transmit the fuel levels of the tank to a receiver. The receiver is connected to an internet router and will send the data to a web site. Energy-Pro can read the data files from the web site and update the customer’s record. The data will be displayed on the customer’s delivery screen. Energy-Pro will then use this information on the delivery schedule to calculate if the customer needs a delivery.
Wireless Interface:
Energy-Pro has the option of interfacing with two 3rd party wireless dispatching systems, Digital Dispatcher and AWE. You can choose which one fits your needs better. Energy-Pro will send information to the wireless system from our delivery or service work order functions. The wireless systems will then take control and allow you to send the work order to the truck of your choice. At the end of the day the systems will download a file with today’s work in it and the
Energy-Pro interface will read the data and create/display/edit a posting file. You just click on update to post the transactions to the customer accounts.
Delivery Order Emailing (Text Messaging):
Emailing a delivery order from the office to the cell phone/handheld device that the driver has is now available. You can email a will call order to a driver while he is driving the truck and when he makes his next stop he can view his device for any new orders. This is more efficient then a voice radio or phones because the driver does not have to stop the truck to write down the customer name, address or gallons ordered. All the necessary information will be in the email for the driver. Your cell
phone or handheld device must be capable to receive email and you must have email services from your wireless carrier.
Meter Interface:
Energy-Pro can download and upload data to MID:COM 8000 and Liquid Controls 3 meters (The new LC 2 is also available because LC can provide a software package that will convert LC 2 to/from LC 3 data so Energy-Pro can read it.) The upload function will create a posting file so it does not need to be manually entered.
Locally Owned Gasoline Stations:
Several of our customers own gasoline stations with electronic pumps. These pumps keep track of all purchases by the gas (key) card and at the end of the day they create a download file. Energy-Pro can read these download files and post the purchases to the customer accounts.
Commercial Fuel Network (CFN):
Energy-Pro /Fuel-Pro have an interface to the MAA CFN System. On a daily basis the MAA CFN system would read the data files coming in from the CFN network. This data would be used to calculate the amount and taxes for each sale. The system knows how to handle all delivery types (Domestic, Remote & Foreign) and stores the data in its transaction files. Invoices can be printed daily, weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. When the invoices are printed the system generates an input batch for Energy-Pro/Fuel-Pro to read in and update the customer accounts and inventory system.
Pacific Pride (PP):
The PP option is structured differently than our CFN System but the operation of the system is very similar. The daily data is read in and used to calculate the amount and taxes for each sale. The system knows how to handle all delivery types (Domestic, Remote & Foreign) and stores the data into a separate transaction file. Invoices can be printed daily, weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. When the invoices are printed the system generates an input batch for Energy-Pro/Fuel-Pro to read in and update the customer accounts and inventory system.
General Ledger Interface:
Energy-Pro can summarize all your sales and cash receipts on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and generates an export file for other accounting systems (currently in use: QuickBooks, SagePro, MASS 90 and Great Plains) to import and update your General Ledger. The summary report has been changed to make it more readable and a detail report is also available.
Save Invoice PDF files:
Some customers in New York have asked to save invoice PDF files as the original document for auditing. So Energy-Pro can save all PRINTED or EMAILED Fuel & Service invoices. A new folder is created and Energy-Pro will store all the PRINTED & EMAILED fuel & service invoices in this folder. The “Customer Services” program has a new command that will evoke your PDF viewer program so you can see and print these files.
Flat Rate Pricing for Service Billing:
In the service department most customers are providing service to their customers on a parts & labor basis. A few customers are using a Flat Rate or modified Flat Rate system. This means that if you replace the burner on the heating system you would charge the customer a flat rate. This figure is the final (plus taxes of course) amount. You do not charge for each part and hour. The“Kit Master” feature of our service invoicing system will allow you to automatically add a list of parts to the invoice when you charge the customer for an item that is setup as a “Kit Master”. This will allow the inventory control system to keep track of your inventory. Also
remember that the installation option of the invoicing system allows you to charge the customer for a new installation and all the parts can be listed on the screen but only the installation item will print on the invoice. The items are not printed but are still on the invoice detail screen.