With a full service user forum, expandable topics based on user need, and a commitment to consistent and relevant new content, MC User Connect promises to be a hub of traffic. It is designed to be an ever-growing repository of knowledge available to MC Users all around the globe.

How do I sign up and access?

To access MC User Connect, simply direct your web browser to http://www.mcuserconnect.com.

To create a new account, click on the link to “REGISTER here“….

Once you complete the registration process and then log in, you will have access to over 100 information packed articles to enhance your utilization of Maintenance Connection. With the additional commitment to new content created by both MC Users and Staff, MC User Connect promises to significantly extend the support services available to our customers.

Note: This valuable new tool will replace the MC Community, which offers a more limited user forum. In the near-term future, users accessing MC Community will be automatically redirected to MC User Connect. There will also be an option available from the MC Version 6.0 Help Menu to provide access from within the application.

Next week, in our second post about MC User Connect, we will review navigation and how to find information you are seeking.

When can customers begin using MC v6.0?

• Online hosted customers will be automatically upgraded on June 2^nd
  or June 3^rd
• Onsite customers will receive notice of the availability of the upgrade for download in July. Onsite customers can choose the timing of the upgrade that works best for their schedule.

Attendees at Checkpoint 2012 received a preview of the many new features and enhancements that are included in this version. Initial feedback at the event was overwhelmingly positive. We are very enthusiastic about this release and look forward to sharing it with all of our customers.

Check out how customers reacted to MC v6.0 after the announcement at Checkpoint 2012:

Following is a brief list of some of the new MC v6.0 features:

• Time Zone Enhancements so that users can now set a personal time zone
• Custom Work Order Filters for Home Page and Explorer
• Multiple assets can now be linked to a work order on demand
• Shift Module to assist 24/7 organizations
• Service Requester Enhancements that allow field ordering and more
• Rules Manager design enhancements to allow multiple event actions
• Alert feature that can be used to send popup notifications
• Message Center that provides a medium for interaction between system members
• Password Management Tool to assist System Administrators

MC v6.0 includes numerous additional enhancements. To best introduce these new features, we will be publishing a series of blog topics shortly after the release to provide a closer look at the new capabilities.

If you feel that you should have received a copy of the Release Notes, you can sign up for the new MC User Connect Site and login for access. Stay tuned for more information about MC User Connect and MC v6.0 in upcoming blogs!

• Understands and utilizes the majority of the MC application
• Demonstrates leadership in implementing and utilizing MC
• Creative and innovative uses of the MC software
• Broad implementation of the MC platform across the enterprise

At Checkpoint last week, these awards were presented with over 200 others present. The 2012 Customer of the Year was awarded to Valspar Corporation which has been a faithful MC customer since 2004, and within the last three years has standardized on the MC platform across the organization. The 2012 User of the Year was awarded to Geoff Gill of Pacific Retirement Services for demonstrating exceptional use and understanding of MC. Congratulations!

Valspar Corporation – 2012 Customer of the Year

Geoff Gill, Pacific Retirement – 2012 User of the Year

If you happen to be in Australia and want to check out Checkpoint in Australia, that event will be May 8-10. If you missed last week’s Live from Checkpoint blog post, check it out. We also thought we’d share a few additional photos from the US event.

We also announced the brand new MC User Connect which we’ll also be rolling out over the next few weeks. But feel free to check it out now and get signed up.

If you weren’t able to make it out to Checkpoint this year, mark your calendar for April 2013. It is an annual event that MC users should not miss.

Check out this video that recaps Checkpoint 2012:

With the Smart Email Feature, the report is sent with a Smart Mode Button. Clicking on this button prompts users to log in (if so specified), and then presents the report form in the Report Preview Window. Smart features defined on the report can then be used to access additional information, or even update records. Users only have access to the report form and defined “smart elements”; they will not have general access to system features or report setup.

Let’s take an example of a report sent out to supervisors each morning listing corrective work orders received on the previous date, with a smart popup to each work order to access more information if needed. If you would like to create a similar report to test this feature, refer to the first blog topic in the Smart Report Series for instructions.

To set up a report for “smart emailing”, open Report Setup and go the Schedule Tab:

• On the default Email Sub-Tab, you can set up the distribution schedule like any other scheduled report. For our daily Corrective Work Order Report, the schedule might be defined as follows:

• Click on the Smart Email Sub-Tab and check the indicator in the upper left that instructs the system to include an “Open Report in Smart Mode” Button on the report:

Note: The Smart Email Sub-Tab is accessible from both the Schedule and Smart Elements Tabs.

• On the right side of this page, you can specify the type of login security you want in effect for the report. In most cases, this control is set to “No Automatic Login“, prompting users to enter their standard login credentials in order to access the report.

Note: Additional options are available to support automatic login using the user’s email address or allowing for a default user to be used. Refer to the User Guide for instructions on using these options.

To test this feature, we can manually email the report using the Email Button displayed in the Report Preview Window:

• Run the smart report to be emailed so that it is presented in the Report Preview Window. Then click the Email Button.

• The Email Report Dialog will display, prompting you to enter a recipient. You can enter your own email address in the “To Address” box to send the report to yourself for testing. You can also click to “To..” button to retrieve an address from the system (e.g., your labor record):

• Click Apply when a recipient email address has been entered. You should receive a confirming message indicating that the report was successfully sent to the recipient.

• To view the email from the perspective of someone not logged into the system, be sure to log out of the system first!

The email that is received might appear as follows, with the report content displayed in the body of the email, and the “Smart Mode” Button presented in the upper right corner:

• Click the Open Report in Smart Mode Button:

• If so defined in the report, you will be prompted to log into Maintenance Connection. Enter your standard login credentials.
• The Report Preview Window will open displaying the report content.

Since the report was defined with a pop-up, note how individual rows can be selected to open the corresponding work order. This allows the recipient to drill down to additional data on any records as needed. Also note how the toolbar at the top is limited to only allow printing, exporting and refreshing of the report data. Options to modify Report Criteria and Setup are hidden.

• Click the Log-Off Button in the upper right to observe how the report content is closed, ensuring the email link only provides access to the intended report content:

Stay tuned next week for a live update from the Checkpoint Training Seminar!

In addition, Austin works with our Implementation Consultants and Support Engineers to import large quantities of data into online customer databases. He likes his role working in the background to ensure things are running smoothly, and really enjoys the challenge of coming up with ways to continually improve the data center and provide the best user experience for our customers.

Austin joined Maintenance Connection in 2008, when he was still a senior in high school! In May, he will be graduating from Sacramento State University with a BA in Business Administration (concentration in Management Information Systems). On a personal note, Austin just became married in January of this year to the wonderful Jenna Hermle, who works in Account Relationship Management for MC.

We at MC know not to let Austin’s quiet demeanor lull us into thinking we should engage in a friendly debate with him! He has been involved with Team Policy Debate since he was 11 years old, and qualified for the national tournament in Alabama in 2008. During his high school years, he debated topics such as NATO, Immigration Policy, and Energy Policy. Austin also went on to coach debate for three years after he graduated.

In Austin’s free time, he loves to hang out with his large immediate and extended family, playing games and watching movies. His special talent, however, is with photography. Below is one of many spectacular photographs Austin has taken, capturing a beautiful moment in nature.

We wanted to find a way to show our appreciation for spreading the good word about us.  As such, if you are willing to share your MC experience with a friend or colleague and they decide to purchase Maintenance Connection, we will provide you with a $100 gift card:

Are you not sure how to introduce us to others?  Following is some sample text that can be copied and pasted into an email, and personalized to your liking.   Thanks for helping to spread the word about Maintenance Connection!

We’ve found a great CMMS software application called Maintenance Connection that has been instrumental in helping us keep better track of operations and maintenance within our business. They have nearly a thousand customers and have been supporting the product for nearly 10 years. Since we’ve enjoyed it so much, I wanted to pass along a link for you to check out.

Here is a link to their website:
www.MaintenanceConnection.com

Checkpoint 2012 Update

We are seeing record sign-ups for this year’s training event in Las Vegas April 24-26. The event will most likely sell out, so if you have not purchased your ticket yet – be sure to register today!

While technology continues to become more advanced, sometimes core functionalities, and therefore labels also change. Interviewing three industry experts, she took their insight and wrote a Plain English Guide for the common consumer seeking a software solution for their organization. The guide goes through core functions and provides examples of what business challenges these functions address.

You can read the original story here.

Preventative and quick, responsive maintenance operations can be one of the single biggest cost saving procedures that you can have. When a vital piece of equipment goes down for the count, depending on the machine’s role, this can be very damaging to your day-to-day operations. For example, if a vital component of an assembly line goes down, your entire line shuts down with it, and you will need to have it replaced with the greatest of haste.

CMMS systems are designed to greatly improve response time to this problems so that they can be taken care of as soon as possible. Keeping track of maintenance records has ever been easier, so now with the detailed repair history of all of your equipment at your fingertips, performing preemptive and preventative maintenance will save you from a great deal of future headaches. Save yourself a ton of grief and implement one of the best CMMS systems today!

When PMs are set as shown above, the Preventive Maintenance Section of the Home Page includes a notification, ensuring you are aware that schedules are due. In addition, an option to “Generate Work Orders” is shown:

The Generate Work Orders option prompts you to generate all schedules that are due at once. In the above example, this would result in work orders being generated for all “11″ PM Schedules. In many cases, it is preferable to generate one or more selected schedules at a time, rather than all that are due.

To generate individual PM Schedules, click the PM Schedules Due alert on the home page. The PM Module will open with the PM Schedules that are due displayed in the Explorer Pane:

To generate an individual schedule, such as the “FIRE-INS” Schedule above, click on it. The schedule will open in the Preventive Maintenance Work Center. Prior to generating the schedule, it is always a good idea to click on the Assets Tab to verify that the correct work orders are targeted to generate. If the Next Scheduled Date needs to be adjusted on any assets prior to work order generation, you can use the instructions provided in the first blog in this series, PM Configuration – Update Assets.

To generate the work orders associated with the currently selected schedule, click the Generate Button on the bottom of the page.

The Generate Work Orders Dialog will display, listing the name of the currently selected PM Schedule in green in the upper right hand corner. When the PM Schedule Name is shown, you can be assured that proceeding will only generate work orders for the indicated schedule:

To proceed with work order generation, click the Generate Button at the bottom of the dialog.

You will be prompted to confirm that you wish to proceed. You will then either be notified to wait as work orders are being generated, or informed that your request has been sent to the queue for background processing. Once work orders have been generated, you can view them in the Work Order Module.

Note: Organizations that utilize the Manual PM Process are strongly encouraged to ensure the PM Preference to Generate Work Orders in the Background is set “on” to minimize problems that can occur (such as a time-out).