Like Pricing Templates, the Accounts section is one of the main repositories (“homes”) for critical information upon which the rest of DispatchDirectTM depends. The decisions made in setting up an Account will set the initial course for how new calls for the account are processed. Accounts is the “authoritative source” for the information it conatins. Unless there is a manual over-ride, the entries in Accounts will be the basis and starting point for other processes in DispatchDirectTM.

Said another way, the information In Accounts is the assumed “default” that will be used in other parts of the system. For example, when a new service request is received from an Account:

  The call entry screens will automatically populate with contact and Destination address information from the entries in Accounts
  To further expedite call taking, Job Entry will automatically populate dispatch parameters based on the “defaults” set for the Account
  The charges for the call will be based on the rates in the Pricing Templates that are “associated” with the Account
  Invoicing will use the Billing Address as entered in Accounts

Information drawn from entries in Accounts can be changed in other process steps as necessary. For example, the default information in an Account may indicate that mileage pricing should be based on “rolling miles” - using odometer inputs coming from the truck over the course of the call. The dispatcher has the flexibility to modify this “default” approach, and instead choose to make pricing charges for the call based on “calculated miles” - i.e., the turn-by-turn estimates from Google Maps. The “default” information for an Account serves to streamline needed inputs for a new call; changes require manually over-riding these initial inputs - generally by the call taker or dispatcher.

The three major categories of information for an Account relate to contacts/addresses, pricing (formulas, rates), and the dispatching process. The listing of all Accounts is in a window that slides out from the right side. Associated Pricing Templates are in a window that slides up from the bottom. Each of the major categories of information are described in turn after first highlighting the role of the Cash/Call-In Account in DispatchDirectTM.