Purpose

The Expanded Equipment Flexibility update modernizes the Equipment Management module in VMS, supporting both Office Coffee Service (OCS) and Micro Market operations. It streamlines how equipment, assets, supplies, and tickets are managed by shifting more control to operators and simplifying data structures.

Key Benefits

• Unified equipment management across OCS and Micro Market.
  
  
• Operators can manage supplies and equipment directly without relying on Admin.
  
  
• Assets simplified to names and notes; detailed info (brand, model, serial, CSTID) is stored in equipment.
  
  
• Clearer classification: equipment must be created under either OCS or Market, which drives valid assignment rules.
  
  
• Tech tickets now include equipment linkage and a Priority field for better triage.
  
  
  

Process

Supplies Management

What changed: Supplies are no longer tied to Admin dropdowns. They now use operator-managed free-text fields for Type, Brand, and Model.

Steps:

1. Go to Warehouse > Supplies.
   
   
2. Select New Supply or edit an existing one.
   
   
3. Enter Type, Brand, and Model as free text.
   
   
4. Save.
   
   

Result: Supplies update instantly and can be managed without Admin involvement.

Equipment Types

What changed: Equipment must be created with a Category (OCS or Micro Market). This governs which assignments are valid.

Steps:

1. Go to Warehouse > Equipment Types.
   
   
2. Click Add Equipment Type.
   
   
3. Enter a name and select OCS (Station) or Market (Micro Market).
   
   
4. Save.
   
   

Result: New types become available when creating or editing equipment.

Equipment Records

What changed: Equipment management moved from Admin/OCS into Warehouse > Equipment. Assets no longer store brand/model/serial; those fields live on linked equipment.

Steps:

1. Go to Warehouse > Equipment.
   
   
2. Click New Equipment.
   
   
3. First select a Category (OCS or Market) — this controls valid Equipment Types.
   
   
4. Fill in details (Type, Brand, Model, Serial, CSTID, Asset Number).
   
   
5. Assign to a Station (OCS) or Asset (Market).
   
   
6. Save.
   
   

Result: Equipment is tracked independently and linked one-to-one with its context.

Assets

What changed: Assets are now simplified to placements.

They only hold:

• Name
  
  
• Notes (optional)
  
  
• Linked Equipment

Steps:

1. Go to Assets > Edit.
   
   
2. Use the Equipment field to attach or create a record.
   
   

Migration: Legacy asset fields (brand, model, serial) were migrated into new Equipment records. Assets without values remained unchanged.

Tech Tickets

What changed: Tickets gained Equipment linkage and new Priority levels.

• Priority: Low, Medium, High, Urgent (legacy tickets show None).
  
  
• Assignables: Tickets now support Machine / Market / Station, with optional linked Equipment.
  
  

Steps:

1. Go to Tech Tickets > New Ticket.
   
   
2. Enter details.
   
   
3. Choose Priority (default = Medium).
   
   
4. Select Market or Station.
   
   
5. Optionally choose Equipment.
   
   
6. Save.
   
   

Result: Tickets are more precise, with urgency and equipment context for faster triage.

Data Migration

• Equipment was auto-created for Assets with legacy details (brand, model, serial, CSTID).
  
  
• Assets without details remained unchanged.
  
  
• Import templates will be updated; until then, some imports may default to OCS.
  
  

App Functionality: Equipment and Tickets

Alongside the VMS web updates, the mobile app now supports expanded equipment flexibility for ticket management. This ensures operators and technicians can manage and view equipment context directly from their devices.

Creating Tickets

When creating a new ticket in the app:

• Location must be specified.
  
  
• Users must choose the ticket type:
  
  
  • Machine
    
    
  • Market
    
    
  • Station
    
    
• Equipment selection is available when Market or Station is chosen. (For Machine, equipment selection does not apply.)
  
  
• A Priority can be set (Low, Medium, High, Urgent).
  
  

Ticket List View

Priority Letter Icons

Priority Letter Icons now appear to the right of the ticket number:

• • U = Urgent (red background/text)
    
    
  • H = High (yellow background/text)
    
    
  • M = Medium (blue background/text)
    
    
  • L = Low (green background/text)

If no priority is assigned, no icon is shown.

Asset Type Icons

Asset Type Icons appear immediately to the right of the priority icon:

• Coffee cup icon = OCS stations (existing icon)
  
  
• Kiosk icon = Markets (new icon)
  
  
• Vending machine icon = Vending machines (new icon)
  
  
  

Ticket Details

Ticket detail view includes a third tab - Equipment:

• Shows linked equipment information: Asset, Serial Number, Model, CSTID.
  
  
• If no equipment is assigned, this section displays Not Specified.
  
  
• For Machine-type tickets, the Equipment tab does not appear (only two tabs are shown).

Benefits

• Consistency: Operators now experience the same equipment context in the app as in VMS.
  
  
• Precision: Field technicians can quickly identify equipment details on-site.
  
  
• Efficiency: Icons and priority markers make triage and navigation faster.
  
  

Troubleshooting

• Asset missing equipment info. Check linked Equipment field; create or reassign if needed.
  
  
• Ticket shows “None” priority Expected for older tickets. Edit to assign a value.
  
  
• Equipment missing in dropdowns Ensure correct Category (OCS/Market) was set.
  
  

FAQs

Why don’t I see brand/model in assets?

Those fields are now in Equipment.

Do I need to re-enter existing supplies/equipment?

No, migration handled it.

Who manages supplies now?

Operators.

Why are some tickets set to None priority?

They’re legacy tickets created before the update.

Can I make tickets without equipment?

Yes, but linking is recommended.

Release Information

Not included: Stock App changes (iOS/Android) will be delivered separately.