Service Operations

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it

Service Operations Module

All activities that affect a medical device, whether it is on a customer’s site, or in the workshop are managed in the Service Operations module. There are three major components of this module, each addressing a different stage of the service delivery process:

Quotation Manager | Job Cards | Job Closing >>

Service Quotations

The optional Quotation Manager allows the creation and tracking of Service Quotations, from receiving a Request for Quotation to receiving a Customer Order.

There are a number of tools to streamline the creation and management of service quotations:

Unified Price List

All service items, from Labour and Travel to device specific spare parts items can be kept in a price list table for quick reference. The price list can be updated in bulk using Comma Separated Value (CSV) files directly from the Accounting System if it has this capability. It should be noted that Medeq is not an inventory manager. It doesn’t record or track inventory items in stock. This is the function of the Accounting system in use.

Land Cost Calculator

If service items are priced in foreign currency, the Landed Cost Calculator can be set-up to automatically convert to local currency. Multiple currencies can be used in a single calculation to cater for supply chains that have cost components in more that one currency. E.g. Spare part in Euro, Shipping in USD, VAT etc. in local currency.<br>

Quotation Templates

Quotation History

Similarly, old quotes can be called up, refreshed and resent with minimal effort.

Automated Reminders

Quotation expiry reminders can be sent to the customer and/or service manager for action.<br>

This phase of the Service Delivery process ends with the receipt of an Order from the customer. Once this has been received, the next stage begins.

Job Cards

Medeq makes use of an electronic Job Card application to record all activities that affect a piece of medical equipment.

These activities range from pre-delivery setup, installation on customers’ premises, ongoing preventive maintenance and calibration tasks, repairs and decommissioning of obsolete equipment.

All Job Cards can be signed by the technician and the customer for proof of work and, when complete, they are stored in the centralised document repository and added to the Service History of the devices.

It is possible for the service technician to attach as many pictures as required to a Job Card and these are stored in the Document Repository with the Job Card. This allows before and after images, warranty claim images, customer asset barcodes, etc. depending on the business processes in effect.

In order to meet the requirements of quality management systems such as ISO 13485, Medeq implements a number of firm rules for the use of the electronic Job Cards:

Every action which is performed on a piece of medical equipment must be recorded on a Job Card. If it’s not on a Job Card, it didn’t happen.
The serial number of the device is the primary identifier of all equipment under management, and it is mandatory to fill it in on the Job Card. The system has a mechanism to ensure that the serial numbers entered are correct and belong to the correct organization. It should be noted that this control does not halt work on the customer equipment if the serial number is not recognised. The technician simply records the serial number of the device being worked on and, if it cannot be reconciled by the system, corrective action is taken in the back office using a separate process.
Only one device per Job card is allowed. If a service visit requires work on several devices, each device has its own Job Card. This rule is important to ensure that every device has it’s own Service History records.
If a Checklist is attached to the Job Card (see Service Checklists below), it must be flagged as complete before the Job Card can be marked as Complete.
Once a Job Card is marked as Closed, it is stored as a PDF document in the repository and cannot be altered thereafter. If any changes to the service record are required, a new job card must be created.

Service Checklists

Service Checklists are the cornerstone of managing and documenting service delivery. Most medical devices have checklists, provided by the Manufacturer of the equipment, that set out the mandatory Inspection and Preventive Maintenance (IPM) tasks that must be carried out at regular intervals, and critical devices often have Calibration Checklists that must be followed to ensure that the devices are safe for use.

MEDEQ allows for the creation of an unlimited number of custom checklists. These are created using a simple to use Fillable PDF (FPDF) form designer and are stored in the document repository as blank templates (see image to the right).

Blank FPDF templates are then automatically attached to Job Cards depending on the equipment model and type of service to be carried out. Once attached to the Job Card, the checklist must be flagged as Completed before the Job Card itself can be marked as closed.

Completed Checklists are stored in the Document Repository and linked to the device’s Service History record for future reference.

Completed Checklists can be automatically sent to the customer by email along with the completed Job Card for proof of work requirements.

Calibration Certificates

Certificates of Service and Calibration can be designed using the same Form Designer and attached to any checklist. When the Checklist is filled in, the certificate is automatically completed, stored in the document repository and linked to the device’s Service History record.Certificates can be automatically sent to the customer by email along with the other documents.

Document Repository

MEDEQ has a centralised Document repository where all documents relevant to Service Management and Operations are stored. All documents are either marked as Draft, Published or Obsolete so that document versions can be managed and tracked. For auditing purposes, all changes to document repository are logged with the name of the user making the changes and the date the changes were made.

The repository allows for either PDF or JPG filetypes and can include items such as Service Agreements (linked to a customer), Job Cards and Checklists (linked to a device), Service Manuals and any other documentation that can be used to manage or streamline service operations.