electronic dispatching?

[Bois]

LYNX has always called me on the phone with customer details prior to FAXing a dispatch. This morning, however, LYNX called me around 11:00am to say they dispatched an order earlier in the AM and the customer had not heard from me. I receive all of my incoming faxes via e-mail and I was on the road when I received the call.

Jeff, my question is...if dispatches are sent electronically and if I'm on the road all day (mobile service) without a computer in the truck, how do I learn of the order? I would not find out until I get home at 4:00-5:00pm and log onto your system.

Dale...

PS: just printed out the dispatch referred to above. It was an after-hours dispatch and it said to contact the insured within 2 hours of shop opening.

[Delta Kits]

Lynx won't expect you to get it right away Dale. But if you check it every morning, won't be a problem.

[GFD77]

Just my 2 cents,

my work load was okay prior to signing up with Lynx, but after I signed up I, noticed my work double over the past couple of weeks, however if I could get more work by signing up electronically I would give it a shot.

:eusa_shif

[Delta Kits]

When you get a dispatch, does it give you a time frame to respond or do you contact the customer directly and make arrangements?

Also, how many dispatches could a person expect to receive in a given area, anyone have any figures they wish to share? I am in a Detroit suburb and haven't seen too many suppliers here. Not even sure if there are other people from Detroit on this forum!

JV

I'm sure Lynx has specific requirements, but we've found that if you check your account at least once every 24 hours, that no one has had a problem.

As far as expected dispatches, VERY tough to say. Anywhere from 0-25 a week, with no way to know ahead of time.

[GFD77]

I also heard through the grapevine that ACT will get on board with something similar to eDirect where you will have access to your account online, they already have electronic billing if you choose to fax your invoices to ACT they only charge $2.95 per invoice as opposed to the $7.50 that Lynx charges, also if you fax your invoices to ACT and they file them electronically on your behalf then that puts your company in the preffered provider list since they are receiving them electronicaly from ACT, you may still receive them by fax but you can bill them electronicaly through ACT until they finalize their agreement with lynx and safelite to be the middle man for them in a similar fashion to eDirect....

Also I have heard through the grapevine that ACT will provide their internet account access for electronic billing and electronic job referal for free, so let's not be hasty in our decision making fellow WSR tech's let's take a wait and see attitude if you have any questions I suggest you call your ACT rep.

:eusa_shif

[SGT]

I'm sure Lynx has specific requirements, but we've found that if you check your account at least once every 24 hours, that no one has had a problem.

As far as expected dispatches, VERY tough to say. Anywhere from 0-25 a week, with no way to know ahead of time.

Jeff,

Is that a typo, possibly twenty five per week with EDI capabilities? I know you cannot possibly predict how many chips will occur in an area or how many of those claims will be dispatched to any one shop I wont hold you liable:) Is that just a rough range or do you have it from inside sources that people our getting that many per week? If so sign me up for EDI

[Delta Kits]

Jeff,

Is that a typo, possibly twenty five per week with EDI capabilities? I know you cannot possibly predict how many chips will occur in an area or how many of those claims will be dispatched to any one shop I wont hold you liable:) Is that just a rough range or do you have it from inside sources that people our getting that many per week? If so sign me up for EDI

Sign up Brian, and I guarantee 25 a week! Okay, KIDDING!

Anyway, there is one person, who shall remain nameless, who told me he receives 25 a week. True? Not sure, but I doubt he would lie. No one else i've talked to comes close to that number though.

Do NOT sign up expecting to get 25 a week. In fact, don't sign up expecting to get any. It's icing on the cake if you get referrals.

Work your business.

[SGT]

Jeff,

You just deflated me. I did not think I had to put any effort into this...I thought I could make a living off network refferals:)

I must say twenty five a week is pretty impressive and deffinately not the norm. I would like hear if any other members a getting that many. Maybe you could start a poll for each network and how many refferals techs are getting from each one. Like 0-3...3-5...6-10...11-15 and so on. Just to get a feel. I guess location would be important as well so we can see whats going on in different parts of the country. What do you think?

[tooldini]

My referrals have been picking up after stretching my service area to 35 miles. You would think with a County population of 152,000 there would be more insurance work LOL. Well at least I know the tent option is totally open since no one around here does that yet. The main road around here is bumper to bumper all day everyday so I am wide open this spring. I just need to get an idea on how much I should expect to pay for rent and possible permits for the tent. Allstate seems to be the only insurance company I get work thru and they have been paying nicely but only pay 10 dollars for an extra chip so a total of 60.00 for 2 chips. Thank you guys for all the help I get on this forum

thanks
Jeff

[SGT]

Another suggestion that might increase your refferals that we will try is...adjust your business hours to say 1900-2000 hours and make that Monday through Sunday. This might give you an advatage over other shops that are not open as late. They might call you becuase of that. Even if you don't do repairs that late you can always schedule accordinly but at least you are available to get the call. We have had 2 occassions where they called but we could not get the phone while in the middle of repairs and they did not send a faxed work order or call back. They must have given the jobs to someone else.

If you use EDI for billing, does anyone know if they still call for shop verification and put the customer on or if they will just email and it is your responsibility to check for dispatched jobs?