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      ServiceLink Flex: Offline Functionality

      This feature is available to all ServiceLink Flex users.

      A wealth of new offline functionality has been added to ServiceLink Flex! It is now easier than ever to manage your work in areas with little or no Internet connectivity.

      In This Article

      Offline Mode

      When your mobile device has no Internet connection, a banner will appear at the bottom of the screen indicating that ServiceLink Flex is in offline mode:

      While it is not possible to log in to ServiceLink Flex while offline, users who are already logged in at the time they lose connection will be able to remain in offline mode for up to 12 hours. Once you return to an area with Internet connectivity, ServiceLink Flex will automatically return to online mode.

      While in offline mode, the Schedule and Activities tabs will be disabled. You will not be able to interact with the map on the My Work screen, but the following screens will be accessible:

      • My Work
      • Work Orders
        • Work Order Equipment Details
        • Work Order Parts Details
        • Work Order Contacts
        • Work Order Symptoms
        • Work Order Special Instructions
        • Work Order Misc Details
        • Work Order Blogs
      • Work Order Segments
        • Segment Notes
        • Segment Labor Entries
        • Segment SIMS
      • Work Order Segment Operations
        • Operation Notes
        • Operation Special Instructions
        • Operation Labor Entries

      My Work

      Each Work Order on the My Work screen is now accompanied by an icon indicating its offline availability. A green check mark indicates that a Work Order is available to view offline, while a red X indicates a Work Order that is only available while online. Tap the refresh icon in the top-right corner of the screen to reload your Work Orders and resolve any synchronization errors that might be preventing you from viewing your Work Orders offline.

      Work Orders that have at least one pending draft will be indicated by a small red bubble to the left of the Work Order name:

      Work Order Drafts

      It is now possible to edit the following Work Order elements while in offline mode:

      • Work Order Notes
      • Work Order Special Instructions
      • Segment Notes
      • Segment Special Instructions
      • Segment SIMS
      • Segment Labor Entries
      • Operation Notes
      • Operation Special Instructions
      • Operation Labor Entries
      • SMU Updates

      Changes made to these elements in offline mode will not be immediately visible. Instead, your changes will be saved as a draft that can be pushed to the server the next time you go online. 

      Notes and Special Instructions

      Draft Notes and Special Instructions can be created at the Work Order, Segment, or Operation level. 

      To create draft Notes or Special Instructions, tap the ‘Edit’ button in the top-right corner of the screen when viewing Notes or Special Instructions for a Work Order, Segment, or Operation, then tap ‘Yes’ when prompted. Only one draft for each set of Notes or Special Instructions can exist at a time.

      Once you have created a draft, you can freely edit the contents of the Notes or Special Instructions. Tap the check mark in the top-right corner of the screen to save your draft. 

         

      Segment SIMS

      Draft SIMS entries can be created at the Segment level. 

      To create a draft SIMS entry for a Work Order Segment, access the SIMS page for the Segment you’d like to edit, then tap the plus icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Draft SIMS entries are slightly different from draft Notes and Special Instructions in that you can create as many of them for each Segment as you want. 

      After entering all the information for the SIMS entry as usual, tap “Submit” to save your draft. 

      Labor Entries 

      Draft Labor Entries can be created at the Segment level or at the Operation level. 

      To create a draft Labor Entry, open the Segment or Operation you’d like to edit, then do one of the following:

      1. Tap the green pencil icon near the top-right corner of the screen.
      2. Scroll down and tap the “Labor Entries” button to view the Labor Entries for the Segment or Operation, then tap the plus icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

      If you’re offline when you tap the green pencil icon or the plus icon, you’ll receive a prompt asking you to if you’d like to create a draft. Tap “Yes” to create a draft Labor Entry.

      Once you have entered all the information for your Labor Entry, tap “Submit” to create a draft. This draft will now appear in the list of drafts for that Segment or Operation.

      Automatic Labor tracking (via the Start / Stop buttons on the Segment and Operation detail screens) is not available in offline mode. If you are tracking Labor at the time you lose connection, your Labor will continue to be tracked, but you will need to wait until you are back online to stop the timer and submit your Labor to the server.

      SMU Updates

      To create a draft SMU Update, open the My Work screen and tap on the Work Order you’d like to edit, then tap on the equipment’s name near the top of the screen to view its details. Now, tap the “Update SMU” button. If you’re offline, you’ll receive a prompt asking you to if you’d like to create a draft. Tap “Yes” to create a draft SMU Update.

      You can now make edits to the Update SMU screen just as you would while online. Once you have finished making your changes, tap “Submit” to save your draft. This will return you to the equipment details screen.

      View and Manage Drafts

      Drafts created in offline mode - including Notes, Special Instructions, SIMS entries, Segment Labor Entries, and SMU Updates - can be viewed and managed from the details screen of the Work Order, Segment, or Operation for which the draft was created. Tap “Drafts” under the Overview section to view the current list of drafts, then tap on a draft to edit it.

      You can also edit draft Notes or Special Instructions simply by navigating back to the page where the draft was initially created, then tapping “Edit Draft” in the top-right corner of the screen.

      Once you are back online, you can also view a list of existing drafts across all Work Orders via the Actions tab. This feature is extremely useful for working through your list of drafts once you are back in an area with Internet access.

      While editing an existing draft, tap the “Draft Actions” button in the top-right corner of the screen to access additional options for that draft:

      • Offline Version is Current: This line indicates whether changes have been made to the online version of a Note / Special Instruction / SMU since you went offline. If the offline version is showing as Non Current (indicated by a red X mark), you can use the “View Current Server Version” option to compare the offline and online versions. This is an important step because synching a draft Note, Special Instruction, or SMU entry to the server will overwrite its current online version.
      • View Current Server Version: Compare your draft to the online (server) version of the Note, Special Instruction, or SMU entry.
      • Delete Draft: Delete your draft.
      • Sync Draft to Server: Submit your draft to the server. This option will only become available once you are back online. For Notes, Special Instructions, and SMU updates, the current online version will be overwritten with your draft. For SIMS and Labor entries, your draft entry will be added to the list of SIMS or Labor entries for that Segment or Operation. Once your draft has been successfully pushed to the server, it will be deleted.
      • Save without Sync: Save your draft without pushing it online.
      • Continue Editing: Close the menu and continue editing your draft.