Introduction

Through the Control Tower you can communicate with colleagues, with drivers and even with customers. This keeps all information in one place where you also have the context at hand, such as information about a vehicle, a shipment or a specific trip.

To never miss messages, Simacan has set up a ''Notification Center.'' This is a bar on the right side of the Control Tower that receives notifications as soon as a message relevant to you is received somewhere in the Control Tower. 


Notification Center

When the pressure increases in an operation, monitoring can quickly become cluttered. Messages come in through different channels and it can be unclear where to prioritize.


This is why Simacan has developed the Notification Center. Here, messages and alerts arrive regardless of the view you are currently looking at. This immediately triggers you to take action when important messages appear from, for example, a driver with a flat tire or a customer with an urgent request.


The Notification Center is visible as a bar on the right side of the Control Tower.



Visible at the top is the ''bubble'' that gets a ''highlight'' when a new message has arrived. Click on the bar to see notifications. You can then perform the following actions:


  • Mark message as read
  • Respond to a message
  • Click through to detail information -> This will send you to the ride details in question


The Notification Center is the central place where messages come in. If a scheduled trip is known to the driver, this communication takes place at the trip level. Clicking through to the trip details gives all the context information and possibilities. Within the trip it is then possible to create new messages to colleagues, drivers or customers.


Communication at trip level

With driver, customers and colleagues

Clicking on a notification in the notification center or clicking on a trip opens the trip detail screen. The chat icon at the bottom right of the screen opens the chat:



It is possible to click back on ''Notifications'' in the notification center, while continuing to work in the Control Tower in the meantime, by moving from the trip details to another tab, for example.


@Driver

In the ride detail screen, to the right is a chat screen. Typing a message with the tag @Chauffeur sends this message to the on-board computer / application that the driver is using.


Note: The on-board computer/application must support this. If it ''does not'' work Simacan also shows this with the following message:


Priorities from the Control Tower

It is possible to indicate a priority as a user. The priorities determine when the driver receives the message. 


Note: The operation of the above priorities can differ per Fleet Management System. See below the elaboration of some systems:


Trimble

  • Prio 1: Message arrives immediately to the driver 
  • Prio 2: Message arrives as soon as driver is stationary
  • Prio 3: Message arrives as soon as


App2Track

  • Prio 1: Message arrives immediately to driver
  • Prio 2: Message arrives only when driver is actively using app other than Navigation
  • Prio 3: Message arrives unseen (without notification) and will only become visible when the driver opens the chat himself


Priorities from the driver

Note: Messages from the driver to the Control Tower again have their own effect.


Trimble

  • Messages always arrive immediately in the Control Tower



App2Track

  • Prio 1 and 2: Message arrives immediately in Control Tower and triggers notification (Recommended)
  • Prio 3: Message arrives immediately in Control Tower, but does not trigger notification and chat icon is not ''highlighted''



Some FMS systems can also have stop-level messages included on behalf of the driver:



In addition, it is also possible to configure a default priority. This eliminates the need for users to choose a priority each time. Common in this is a Prio 1 or Prio 2.


@Shipper

If a client also has access to the Control Tower, via a so-called ''Satellite'', then it is possible to send messages to the client. This can be done by using the tag @Shipper. 


Note: In practice, this will not contain ''Shipper'' but the name of the shipper. The chat message will then arrive at the Principal who can then respond.


For the ''Recipient'' this works exactly the same.


#Hashtag

If this setting is turned on, it is possible to save messages with a #hashtag. This functionality also brings a new filter to the trip list that allows filtering on all trips where a particular #hashtag is used. 


An example would be using the tag #Claims, #TripUpdate, #Overslept, #Breakdown. Fixed hasthtags can be set that are suggested to the user but the user can also make up their own #hasthtags, making the possibilities of this functionality endless.



Note: Features on this page must be enabled before they can be used.