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The SmartNet Client

 

The SmartNet client allows you exchange jobs with other Sendem and SMART users via SmartNet. It is an alternative to using the Sendem web page and has additional features to enable integration with other systems and provide alerts for busy users.

 

Please click on these links for further information

 

  Create a new job
  Update an existing job
  Select, add or edit a Company
  Access Control
  Background
  Obtaining and installing the SmartNet Client
  Terminology
  Links to other systems

 

 

Using The SmartNet Client

 

The Monitor should start automatically when your PC is restarted. If it does not, use the shortcut on your desktop or on your Programs menu to start it. If it is running, this icon  will appear in the system tray (the area at bottom right of your Windows screen). At first there may be a delay of a few seconds while a connection with the SmartNet server is established.

 

The icon will change colour and/or flash if there are jobs which require your attention. Hold the mouse over the icon or right click on it for information about these jobs. Double click the icon to see a list of current jobs, or to create new jobs.

 

Create a New Job

 

If your SmartNet Client is linked to your alarm monitoring or similar system you will be able to create a job by pressing a button in the other system or using the 'Copy from Clipboard' function. Refer to the documentation for your other system for further operational information.

 

To create a new job manually, press the Add Job button at top left of the job list (if the job list is not displayed, double click on the icon in the system tray). The Job Details window will appear.

 

As a minimum you must complete the Request and Location fields. You may also wish to enter a Customer Reference. If you are dispatching the job to another SmartNet user, you must also select a Provider.

 

For detailed information about each field, see below.

 

When you have finished entering details, click the OK button. If the Provider or Customer are also on SmartNet they will see the job within a few seconds.

 

 

Service Type: Select the type of service
Status: Change this to complete when you have recorded all the details
Customer Ref: This may be a line number or account number or some other reference which is familiar to you. This will be displayed wherever the job appears, and printed on invoices that your provider submits to you. In SMART it is called the Order Number
Job Number: This number is generated when you have entered the job details and pressed OK. If you wish to see the number before closing this window. The job number consists of two or three initials which are used only by your company, and a number which is incremented each time you create a job.
This job number and customer reference are used wherever your job travels on SmartNet, so you can use them to identify the job even if you send a job to someone who passes it on to a third party for action.
Abandoned: If you or anyone else who handles this job ticks the 'Abandoned' box it means that the job could not proceed to completion, for instance if it was cancelled by a householder. Someone in the accounts department will need to decide whether there should be a charge for this job.
Declined: If you are the Service Provider for the job, tick this box if you are unable to accept the job.
If you are the Requester of the job and your Provider has ticked this box, you should either
  • assign the job to another provider, and untick the job, or
  • mark the job Abandoned.
Copied: If ticked, indicates that you have copied the job to another system. If this feature is activated, a job will not be considered complete until you tick the box. If the box is not visible and you wish to use it, contact Sendem Support.
If a job has been copied, an icon appears next to it in the job list.
Request: Enter instructions for the Service Provider. You must enter at least a short instruction before the job can be created.
If you are updating an existing job, any changes you enter here will replace the instructions on the Provider's system.
Requester: If you created the job, you are considered to be the Requester. Otherwise, the Requester is the company that sent the job to you.
Location: The address where the service is to be carried out.
If you have previously attended this address and know the company code, enter the company code here, otherwise click the 'Location' button to select or add a location. (See below)
Bill To: This is the company that you and/or the provider are going to bill for the job (see below for provider billing instructions).
If you have previously attended this address the customer you specified last time will be automatically selected.
Otherwise, enter the customer account number (if you know it) or press the Bill To button to select a customer.
Provider: The person or company who is going to carry out the job for you.
If you have previously attended this address the provider you specified last time will be automatically selected.
Otherwise, enter the provider code (if you know it) or press the Provider button to select a provider.
Provider Bill To: Instructs the Service Provider who they are to bill for the job.
If you select Requester, you will be billed for the job (if you are the requester).
If you select As Above, the customer specified in the Bill To field is to be billed.
If you select Not Specified, no customer is specified.
NB if you have previously requested that this provider attend this location, and they are using SMART, then they will use the billing instructions they have set up in SMART and not the billing instructions you send them. If you want to change the billing instructions you must add a comment to this effect in the Request field.
This warning does not apply to Sendem users who will always apply your latest billing instructions.
Outcome: This is the result of the job as advised by the provider. If you make changes to this field and the Provider also makes changes, their changes will over-ride yours. Accordingly you should avoid making changes unless the job has a status of Complete (once a job is marked complete by the Provider their system will not send you any further changes).
Seal Check: See below (Update an Existing Job) - this does not normally apply for a new job.
Date/Time Fields: (Scheduled, Dispatched, etc) Double click in the date or time field to set the current time. Times are expressed as local time at the location, i.e. a location which is not in your time zone will show the time in that time zone.
Scheduled Time: Enter this time if you want the job to commence at some future date or time. Leave it blank if you want the job to be done as soon as possible.
Dispatched Time: The time you dispatched the job. If you have selected a provider who is on line on SmartNet the dispatched date and time will be automatically entered when you press OK or press the Get Job Number button.
  The remaining times are normally entered as the job progresses. See 'Update an Existing Job', below.
If your provider is on SmartNet the times will be updated in your list as they are entered by the provider.

 

 

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Update and existing Job

 

If your provider is on SmartNet, details will be automatically updated in your system as they are entered by the provider. Your list of jobs will refresh to display the changes.

 

Seal Check: The normal procedure is as follows:
  • The Provider sets Seal Check to 'Requested'. The job appears highlighted in the Requester's list of jobs.
  • The Requester sets Seal Check to 'Granted' or 'Denied'. The job appears highlighted in the Provider's list of jobs.
  • The above steps can be repeated until the seal is granted.
Attendee: The Provider may elect to provide the name of the person who attended.
Docket: Usually, the number of the docket or other document issued on site by the Service Provider.

 

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Select, add or edit a company

 

In the job details window, press the Location, Bill To or Provider button.

 

 

Searching for a company

Enter some characters from the company's code, name, or address in the Search For box. Press the Tab key or click else where in the window to search. You do not need to enter the full name or code. A maximum of 100 matches is displayed.

By default, companies of the appropriate type (locations, customers, providers) are displayed. Clear the check box to the right of the Search For box to see companies of all types.

Check the SmartNet Only box to see only companies that you can communicate with via SmartNet. When you search for a provider this box is ticked by default. If the company is linked to SmartNet but has not been online for some time this information is displayed in the column on the right.

To select a company, highlight it in the list and press the Select button at the bottom of the window.

 

Updating company details

Highlight the company in the list on the first (Search for a Company) tab, the click the Edit Highlighted Company tab. You will not be able to edit the company details if they were entered by another SmartNet user. This is most likely to occur if the company is a Provider.

 

Adding a new company

Choose the Add a Company tab, enter the details, and press Add (if you want to add the company but not select them) or Select (if you want to add the company and also select them). Before adding a company make sure you have done a thorough search to make sure they are not already in your SmartNet database.

Company details you enter are not visible to other SmartNet users unless they are part of a job you sent them, or unless you click the 'publish' box (may not be available in your configuration).

By default your own company details are visible to all SmartNet users so that they can be aware that they can communicate with you. If you would prefer them not to 'see' you, please contact Skorpion support.

 

The Jobs List window

This window displays your SmartNet jobs. To open the window, double click on the icon in the system tray.

There may be a brief delay while a connection to the SmartNet server is established. Then you will see a list of incomplete jobs (if any). The list is automatically refreshed when it changes, e.g. if one of your colleagues or another SmartNet user adds or changes a job. You can refresh the list manually by clicking the Refresh button at bottom left.

Use the fields at the top of the window to filter the view or search for specific jobs.

Use the Copy From Clipboard button (if available) to copy a job from another system. This facility must be configured for you by Skorpion Support.

Use the Copy to Clipboard function to copy a completed job to another system. Depending on your system configuration a job may not be considered complete until you use this function.

Coloured dots in the Provider column show communication status if you are communicating with the Provider via SmartNet (see legend below the list of jobs). An amber dot indicates that the Provider has not picked up the job details. A green dot indicates that the job is now in the Provider's system and can be viewed by an operator. A blue dot indicates that the job has been dispatched by the Provider. A red dot indicates that communication has failed. You should use the telephone or some other means of communication.

You can see further information about the status of communications with Requesters and Providers by opening the Job Details window. If the words 'On line' appear then communications are operating normally.

 

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Access Control

To set user access levels, log in to the Sendem web site and choose from the Admin menu.  Later versions of the SmartNet Client may also offer the capability to set operator access levels.

A user with Operator access is not permitted to mark a job Complete unless the actual start and finish times and outcome have been entered.

 

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Obtaining and installing the SmartNet Client

To obtain a copy of the SmartNet Client please contact Skorpion Support. Your copy will be delivered preconfigured to your requirements and ready for installation.

Simply run the installation program on each PC which is to use the SmartNet Client. When you restart the PC the Client should start automatically. If it doesn't, go to the SmartNet Client shortcut on the Programs menu.

There is a small monthly fee for the use of SmartNet.

Configuring the SmartNet Client

Configuration settings may be changed from the command line

  • To see available settings, run smc /?
  • To change a setting run the SmartNet Client once from the command line with the new setting, e.g.
    sm "Login=Fred"
    The setting will be stored and will apply whenever the SmartNet Client is restarted.

If you have multiple operators using the same login you can simplify set up by installing the SmartNet Client on a shared drive and having workstations run it from there. This ensures that the same settings are applied to all workstations.

If you require operators to have multiple logins (i.e. a different login for each operator or shift) the SmartNet Client must be installed on each PC.

 

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Links to other systems

 

The SmartNet Client can be linked to most popular alarm monitoring systems and many other systems, removing the need to re-key data from one system to the other. For further information please contact Skorpion Support.

 

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Installing as a service

 

If your SmartNet client is being used to link one of your systems (for example an alarm monitoring system) to SmartNet it may be preferable to run it as a service. This means that it will start automatically when the PC or server it is installed on is restarted, and will not be visible to any operator.

To install and run as a service

  • Run smc /iss from the command line.
  • The SmartNet Client will now start and appear in the Windows Service Manager
  • Ensure that the account being used by the service (by default, the Local System Account) has the appropriate internet access.
  • For the most reliable operation, set all recovery options to 'restart'.
  • To remove the service, run smc /rs from the command line.
  • To make the Client available to an operator, stop the service (using Windows Service Manager) then start the Client from the Start menu. 

To run both as a service and as a visible application

  • While the service is running, start a second instance of the Client by running smc /M from the command line.
  • The client may take 30-40 seconds to start.
  • It is strongly recommended that the second instance is installed in a different directory to the one which is running as a service, and that it is configured with the interface turned off (smc /? to see command line options).
  • Alternatively, stop the service then restart the Client from the shortcut on the Start menu. The Client will continue to run normally but will be visible to the operator. Run smc /M to start a second visible instance.

 

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Terminology

  • SmartNet is a secure web-based system which links industry participants so that they can exchange jobs electronically.
  • SMART is a powerful dispatch, management, and billing application which runs on a workstation or Citrix or Terminal Server server.
  • Sendem can be thought of as a lightweight version of SMART which runs in a web browser.
  • The SmartNet Client is an alternative to Sendem which does not require a web browser and offers integration with other control room systems.

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Background

Skorpion, the company behind Sendem, SmartNet, and SMART, has been providing systems to security manpower companies since 1997. An early version of SmartNet commenced operation in 2003. Our mission is to provide outstanding systems which are robust, reliable, easy to use, and provide a prompt return on your investment.

For more information about Skorpion and our products please go to www.skorpion.com.au