Skip to main content
Share / Export

Setting Up SM Technicians

SM Technicians set up technicians who do service work so they can be selected on work orders and dispatch. Linking to Payroll lets work-order labor hours update Payroll. Rate is the expected hourly labor cost (PR base plus burden) for estimates before payroll, used only when the pay type Cost Method is 0-Multiplier (rate × SM Pay Types factor). Example: $35 × 1.50 = $52.50. If Cost Method is 1-Dollar Rate, the pay-type rate overrides the technician rate.

Trimble procedure: Set Up a Service Technician. There is no Skills field and no Service Center field on this form. Closest center wording: IN Location may be a service-center warehouse.

Before you start​

  • PR Employees record first. Association is required so WO labor posts to Payroll.
  • Technician lists are not shared across SM companies. One PR employee working multiple SM companies needs a technician record in each company, tied to that PR employee.
  • Field defs say technicians must be flagged Active in PR before setup; the procedure allows saving an inactive employee (with limits below).

Steps​

  1. Open SM Technicians (Programs menu → SM Technicians).
  2. Enter Technician — name/number, up to 15 characters, not validated. Or F4 → PR Employees → All Employees → employee → OK; then Technician defaults the employee’s sort name from PR, and PR Co and Employee default from PR Employees. Typing the employee’s sort name in ALL CAPS or the PR employee number can auto-fill Employee when you leave the field. F5 is blocked on Technician; use F5 from Employee to open PR Employees if needed.
  3. Enter PR Co if not filled (defaults from the PR company on SM Company Parameters for this SM company). Skip if you used F4 in step 2.
  4. Enter Employee from that PR Co if not filled (F4; F5 opens PR Employees). Skip if you used F4 in step 2.
  5. Enter Rate (default labor rate for SM Work Orders, Work Completed). Ignored when pay type Cost Method is 1-Dollar Rate.
  6. Optionally enter IN Co and IN Location (truck, warehouse, and so on; F4). IN Co is required only if IN Location is filled. If blank, or company filled but location blank, WO inventory lines (type 4) default IN Co from SM Company Parameters. IN Location becomes the default on type-4 inventory lines for this technician.
  7. Check Active to be selectable wherever a technician is prompted; leave unchecked if not currently active.
  8. Save.
  9. Optionally set up the work schedule (linked procedure: Set up technician work schedules). Same form: Work Day Mon–Sun checkboxes; Work Hours Start/End and Break Start/End in 24-hour format. Dispatchers use Work Schedule to see when the technician can be put on a WO.

Hard rules​

  • Inactive PR employee: procedure — record can be saved, but employee must be activated in PR before you can post transactions to the technician. Field defs — “Employee is Inactive” shows after save; cannot reference the technician on SM work orders, SM Customers, SM Service Sites, SM Technician Preferences, SM Advanced Labor Overrides, or PR Timecard Entry.
  • Active checked: selectable on SM Dispatch Board Setup and transactions (work completed, agreement required labor, and so on) and in “Active Technician” F4s. Unchecked: excluded from those and from Active lookups, still in All SM Technician lookups.
  • Rate used only for Cost Method 0-Multiplier; 1-Dollar Rate overrides it.

Notes​

  • Related: PR Employees; PR Company Parameters; SM Company Parameters; SM Pay Types; SM Work Orders (Work Completed); IN Locations; SM Dispatch Board Setup; SM Technician Preferences Form.