Archive for Aug, 2011

Why use solar power?

31 Aug by vWorkApp Support

This page provides a very brief look at what solar power is and why someone might consider using it.

What is solar power? According to Wikipedia.org’s solar power page, “Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.” This can be done in two ways: directly or indirectly. The direct way to convert sunlight into electricity can be done by using photovoltaics (PV). The indirect way is to use concentrated solar power (CSP).

Why use solar power?

Solar power will save you money on your monthly utility bills, appreciate the value of our home, increase the predictability of your utility bills, help the environment, and help the country become less dependent on foreign energy sources (such as oil).

Solar power is also renewable and sustainable, since there is an endless amount of sunlight (at least for our lifetimes) and solar power is virtually pollution-free.

Yes, solar power can be expensive. But with the increase in the prevalence of solar powered structures comes the increase in economies of scale, which is bringing the price of solar panels down.

Summary:

Solar power is a sustainable power source with numerous benefits, which go above and beyond the benefits of many other power sources.

Power sources (hehe):

DeGunther, Rik. Solar Power Your Home For Dummies. Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2010. Print.
“Solar power.” wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 31 August 2011.

vWorkApp’s v3.17 released for Android

31 Aug by vWorkApp Support

vWorkApp has released version 3.17 for Android devices. These changes include the following:

Faster location syncing. Dispatchers can locate their workers on maps even faster.

Improved user interface. There is an improved signature capture, which now looks more like the app for the iPhone and iPad. The signature button is now located above all other custom fields. Minor user interface improvements have been made for tablet users as well. A full version of vWorkApp will be available for Android tablet computers soon.

vWorkApp's version 3.17 for Android Improved barcode button. There is now an easier-to-press barcode button.

Easier step completion. The whole step list item can now be tapped to complete a step. If you want to uncomplete a step, you need to long press the button (touch for about 3 seconds). You can now also long press the “center steps” button to center only the steps in a job. Short-pressing it will show all steps and your location, if available.

There are now updates to check that the device’s clock is set to a reasonable time. And finally, various icons and images have been updated and various bugs have been fixed.

Download and enjoy vWorkApp’s version 3.17 for Android, now available in the Android Market.

How vWorkApp works with HVAC companies

30 Aug by vWorkApp Support

By Robert Boyle & Sons, 1899

HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) companies often require that workers drive. Members of an HVAC team might have to go to an individual’s home to fix an air conditioner, or perhaps he needs to go to a company’s office building to work on a heating system. And a lot of times this worker will have multiple jobs a day. That means that this worker needs to do a lot of driving, with little time for scheduling.

And that’s where vWorkApp comes in.

Within this HVAC company, there is probably someone delegating jobs (the dispatcher) to the mobile workers who are driving from place to place. The dispatcher can use vWorkApp dispatching software to send jobs to the mobile worker.

For example, let’s say that Mr. Worker is going to a home to fix an air conditioner, then to an office to work on a heating system. Mr. Dispatcher will simply sign into vWorkApp on his computer, type in the job, and hit the “Publish” button.

Within one minute Mr. Worker’s phone (which gets real-time push notifications from Mr. Dispatcher) receives the information about a new job.

Instead of using text messages, phone calls and pieces of paper for job scheduling, you can consolidate everything using vWorkApp.

Here’s a blog post with a list of other industries and companies that can use vWorkApp.

Questions or comments about dispatching software? Feel free to comment below!

Recent Posts

Archive for Aug, 2011

Why use solar power?

vWorkApp’s v3.17 released for Android

How vWorkApp works with HVAC companies