Arsenault Associates (www.truckfleet.com), Atco, N.J., has released version 3.0 of its Dossier32 fleet maintenance software and introduced a new, remote training technology called "Shadowing."
The company also announced it has become an ASP (Applications Service Provider) and its software is available for use over the Internet.
According to Arsenault, the latest Dossier release offers automated warranty tracking "that can save fleets tens of thousands of dollars"' Dossier32 runs on PCs with Windows95, 98, 2000, NT or over the Internet.
Arsenault's new Internet service is called 24/7 Fleet Online and makes Dossier32 available over the Web on an inexpensive, pay-as-you-go rental basis. Customers only need a PC, Web browser software and an Internet connection. A standard, low-cost dial-up service like AOL will do.
The company has also introduced a training method called "shadowing," which is new to the fleet management industry. According to Arsenault President Charles Arsenault, the shadowing technique allows a software trainer at Arsenault's headquarters to take over the mouse on a remote student's computer and teach by demonstration as if the two were in the same room.
"We schedule an appointment with the student and have them log onto our special Internet training Web site and call us. Using special software, we take over their mouse and perform the training," Arsenault explained.
"We walk them through the program over the telephone and they see us moving their mouse on their computer screen. Then we say, 'Okay, now you do it,' and we watch them perform the various operations and correct them if necessary. Using Shadowing, we can train folks anywhere in the world giving them personal one-to-one, hands-on instructions without requiring travel expense or out of office time."