Text Messages
You can send a text message in response to an event in the Communications queue, Event queue, or Maintenance Queue by right-clicking the event and selecting Text Message. This displays the Communications window, populates the Vehicle field, and selects the text tab. Also, double-clicking a text message from a vehicle in any queue automatically takes the event and opens the Communications Window, and populates the vehicle information. You can also select multiple events, right-click, and select Text Message. This automatically takes the events, opens the Communications Window, and populates the vehicle list appropriately. See below for more information on the Communications Window.
You can also send a text message to a vehicle, or group of vehicles, at any time by clicking Send Text. This button displays the Communications window with all Selected Destinations fields blank.
Voice Calls
If you have a closed-mic system, you must initiate all voice calls to drivers. Drivers can indicate that they want to talk to you by pressing the RTT button on their mobile data computer. This shows up as an RTT event in your Communications queue. To respond to this event, set up a voice call. You can do this in one of the following ways:
- Double-click the RTT event in the Communications
- Right-click the RTT event and select Voice
Either action takes the event and displays the Communications window with the selected vehicle pre-populated in the Vehicle field. See below for more information about the Communications Window.
Additionally, you can call any vehicle, or group of vehicles, when there are no events in the queues by clicking the Call button. This displays the Communications window but leaves the Selected Destinations fields blank.
Create Incident
You can create an incident in response to an event in the Communications queue, Event queue, or Maintenance Queue by right-clicking the event and selecting Log Incident then Log with Incident.
See Logging Events as Incidents in the myAvail Operations Dispatch Application and Vehicle Incidents Overview to learn more.
Location Text
You can send a generic text message to a user’s smartphone. This action is useful when you need to dispatch maintenance to check out a transit vehicle. Only destinations under Users can be selected to receive this type of message. See below for more information about using the Location Text feature in the Communications window.
Recipients must have a text-message-capable cell phone and their user account must include the cell phone number.
Send Location Text messages by right-clicking any of the following:
- A Status window entry
- A location or vehicle on the main Map window
- For example, right-click a map location to have someone meet a vehicle at a location where it will be soon, rather than where it is
- A Route Status specific vehicle line
Add to Timeline
You can add a vehicle to the timeline in response to an event in the Communications queue, Event queue, or Maintenance Queue. To add a vehicle to the timeline, right-click the event and select Add to Timeline. You can also right-click the Status window and the map to add a vehicle to the timeline.
Avail recommends that dispatchers use this feature to observe a vehicle in the context of its full workday. This feature allows you to observe how the vehicle was running earlier in the day and how it might affect the future, such as transfer connections, driver reliefs, and schedule adherence. This feature allows you to monitor the timeline and watch only vehicles of interest or when events occur that you need to address.
Vehicles appear on the timeline because dispatchers add them manually or because defined events add them automatically.
For more information, see Timeline.
Video Tagging
Video tagging allows you to bookmark a portion of the video that a vehicle records. These segments can correspond to an event in the Communications queue, Event queue, or Maintenance Queue. To tag a vehicle, right-click the event and select Video Tag. You can also right-click the map or status icon to tag a video segment.
Many properties equip their vehicles with video cameras and Digital Video Recording (DVR) systems. These systems monitor and record activity in and around the vehicle and are usually active when the vehicle ignition is on. Dispatchers and supervisors can tag the video using myAvail when the DVR supports remote video tagging and the property contracts Avail to connect to the DVR system. Video tagging facilitates the quick retrieval of important video segments when the vehicles return.
When you choose Video Tag, nothing visible happens on your monitor, but the system saves the appropriate video timecodes.
myAvail displays the Video Tag menu item for properties that have at least one vehicle connected to a DVR that supports video tagging.
Additionally, for properties that have the correct hardware in only some of its vehicles, myAvail greys out Video Tag for the vehicles that are not connected to compatible DVRs.