As you begin typing in a street address (regardless of whether in the Customer- or Location-Info section of a Callsheet), ServiceDesk is watching. It’s waiting for you to finish typing the number portion of the address, and begin typing the street name (technically, it figures you’re on the street name when you’ve finished typing the first "word" of text, as in the "123-A" portion of "123-A WALNUT LN", add a space, then continue typing)*. As you do so, ServiceDesk watches with each keystroke to see if there are matching entries in your StreetList. As it finds any, it will immediately display them in a drop-down list. As the user, you should continue typing as many characters as are needed for the street name you are seeking to appear, then select that item for entry.
Pay attention to the fact that ServiceDesk expects the street name to begin as the second word in an address line. This is important, for if you were to type something like "251 A MAPLEWOOD LN," you could not expect ServiceDesk to find Maplewood Ln, for it would in fact be looking for (and not finding) a street supposedly called “A MAPLEWOOD LN.” In the case of an address of this type, use"251-A MAPLEWOOD LN" instead. The way ServiceDesk see the street name as beginning at the second word position in the line, just as it needs to.
Actually, there are three ways of indicating your street selection, and you should use whichever is easiest. First, you may left-click with your mouse on the desired street. Second, you may use your keyboard cursor controls to move into the list and onto the desired street, then hit Enter for your selection. Finally, if you've typed enough characters to make the desired street come to the top in the list, simply hit Enter: ServiceDesk will assume you want the top item and insert it for you.
Aside from these alternatives for selecting a street, there are also options for specifying the type of insertion you prefer. Most obviously (and as the default method upon selection), ServiceDesk will insert simply the street name, its map grid reference, and the city name into appropriate spaces of your Callsheet. This format is obviously appropriate if it's simply a service location you're typing in, and you do not anticipate any subsequent need to mail a bill or other items.
Of course in many instances it will be a third-party payer's address that's being typed, in which case there's no need for a map grid reference, yet you do need full state and zip info for subsequently mailing of the bill. To designate this type of entry, use the right mouse button instead of the left when clicking to designate the street, or if using keyboard method make it a shift-Enter rather than Enter alone.
You might notice that, while your customized StreetList includes only abbreviations to each city, it will be the full name that ServiceDesk inserts for you. This conversion is based on a list of ‘CityNames and Abbreviations’ that we created specifically for your area. A copy of this list is provided in the Appendix (page 323). You may find it useful in deciphering the abbreviations.
In a perfect world, this would be all the discussion that’s needed regarding use of the StreetList. However, on occasion you’re likely to find that some things, at least, are imperfect. You may not find the street you are seeking, for example. Or you may find the city name that’s assigned is erroneous. To deal with such issues, and to understand in greater depth some of the underlying mechanics, please (as need arises) consult the technical discussion that begins in the Appendix on page 287.
