Design a web based online Appointment System for vehicle service centres in town to help with their appointment process

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FINAL YEAR project (may-08)                UEL (COMPUTING) SEMESTER -06

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TITLE -

Design a web based online Appointment System for vehicle service centres in town to help with their appointment process.

 System- VATS - Vehicle Appointment Tracking System

AIMS

Design, test and implement an online appointment system for vehicle servicing centres. The first part of the project is to do a detailed literature search on the design of the online appointment applications. This review seeks main consideration that is really important to design a web based application. This research also has to find out the best technologies to be used and how these are related to the project.

This research also needs to identify the system requirements for an appointment system which enable the customers to make appointment and enable the service centre staff to access the appointment details.

Another aim of this academic project is to write a detailed report to identify the personal leanings, effectiveness of the system and the ease of use.

OBJECTIVE

To collect details and information and process about the system that the car service centres currently uses

To draw a report detailing the design and implementation of a online appointment system and to keep track of online appointments made by the customers.

To design, test and implement a web based online appointment system for car service centres and report the aspects of the project.

To write a report detailing and evaluating the design, implementation and testing of the appointment system as a whole, drawing conclusions, and stating the significance of the findings. The evaluation of the system will include its advantages and effectiveness to car service centres.

BACKGROUND  

As I’m a new driver and I recently bought a car, that made me visiting car servicing centres in the town for service the car or tire problems. When I visited the centres in the town, there I could identify that they all have problems with booking appointments. Even if I made the appointment over the phone earlier, sometimes I have to wait for long time to be serviced. Because the staff of the centre given an appointment at the same time I made the appointment with the centre. And when I describe the problems of my car over the phone, they will estimate the cost and tell me. But when the service is done the final charge was always higher than what they said. This experience made me to do research and design an appointment system.

I studied that APPOINTMENT refers, according to the Servicing Centres; it is an arrangement to have any kind of service at a Service Centre for a vehicle or meeting the vehicle Repairing Personal at a specific time for a special advice or checkups. (Encarta English, 2007). It is very important to avoid the misunderstandings and frustrations of the customers of the centre by properly scheduling the appointments. Normally an appointment is made over the phone or direct contact. It is being handled by a staff or an appointed person at the centre. So I have decided to design a system which enables the customers to make appointments online with Service Centres.

Nowadays IT techniques can be implemented in to appointment systems successfully. It will speed up the appointment process in a company. So it will save the money and the time. By implementing the web based appointment system in Service Centres, it will make the customers more easy and convenient. Customers can be able to sit at their home or work place and make the appointment according to their facility. It will increase the standard of the business. So implementing a web based appointment system is a good idea. It will make the appointment process much easier and much efficient.

OVER VIEW OF CAR SERVICE CENTRES

WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

        In a car service centres, they are dealing with the problems and modifications of many kind of cars. They are repairing car problems, modifying car out looks and doing a full or part service car.

 TYPES OF PROBLEMS or SERVICING

In every car service centres there are many car problems are being handled by the repairing personal or mechanics.  For example, Vehicle service (Full service- Engine, breaks, tires and oil changing etc. Part service- engine service only.), MOT testing, driving controls(Steering Wheel and Column, Footbrake and Servo, Handbrake, light switch and horn, windscreen wipes and washed),Exterior(suspension and shock absorber effectiveness, tyres and wheel, body condition, under bonnet, under vehicle, break performance, exhaust emission, air-conditioning etc. (Nationwide auto centre (n.d)). In general, all the well established service centres must have facilities for this.

MOT- It is the basic requirement for a vehicle to drive on the road. The MOT scheme is there to ensure consistent standards. The scheme is monitored and controlled by Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). (What is the MOT scheme?, 2008) MOT testing is being conducted 18,300 service centers currently. MOT tests can be carried out on your car up to one month prior to the expiry date of an existing UK MOT certificate provided that a current MOT certificate is presented to the examiner at the time of the test. (Car mot test, 2002)

The current fees for MOT :

(mot test fees,2008)

CAR SERVICING- Regular car servicing can extend the life of a vehicle. The reason for this is simple - defects are found before they become dangerous. A small investment in routine car servicing and repair, plus a good inspection programme results in a good return. (Car servicing, 2003)

AIR-CONDITIONING- A/C has been rapidly standardised over the last 10 years due to the major enhancement it brings to passenger comfort. However, drivers are only just realising that A/C systems do require regular maintenance. Vehicle A/C systems will tend to lose refrigerant over time as refrigerant permeates through the physical joins between components. Over time this will cause deterioration in performance. Worse still, if you leave A/C operating with low refrigerant levels more serious problems can occur, lubricant circulation may be affected and air or moisture may enter the system.  (Air-conditioning, 2002)

CAM BELTS - This is a vital requirement on most vehicles at manufacturer recommended mileages. If the Cam belt is not replaced at the set intervals it could break and then most often causes expensive damage to the engine. This can be a complex job that requires special skill (Cam belts, 2002)

STEERING - The steering system on every car is very important and requires regular maintenance to keep it at an optimum standard. The steering rack on all motor vehicles is easily knocked out of alignment by all the speed humps and potholes in the road. When the wheel alignment becomes out of tolerance the tyres will wear unevenly on either edge of the side walls. (Steering, 2002)

SUSPENSION- On the suspension system there are many moving parts, the main component of which is rubber that can dry out over a period of time and can crack and perish. In the worst situation the rubber components can split. You may be able to recognise when a component has become defective (Suspension, 2002)

CLUTCHES- It is important to get specialist advice before fitting a new clutch as many symptoms can indicate a problem with the clutch, whilst the real fault may be something completely different such as engine revving, slipping fan belt or minor adjustment. So whenever (Clutches, 2002)

EXHAUSTS & CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

The exhaust system is one of the hardest working components on a vehicle. It is constantly in use whilst the engine is running. An exhaust system on most vehicles usually comprises of four sections:

Also on all vehicles registered after 1993 a catalytic converter is fitted. The most common section to become defective is the rear silencer as moisture gathers inside the box and attacks the metal. Corrosion from the inside results in hole, which causes the exhaust to blow. A defective exhaust will mean the vehicle fails the MOT test. It also causes excessive noise; thereby rendering the vehicle illegal which could lead to a fixed penalty fine. An unchecked exhaust may also result in fumes entering the car, which can lead to headaches, sickness and drowsiness. (Exhausts & Catalytic Converters, 2002)

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CURRENT APPOINTMENT PROCESS

The centres I visited are:-Motor-Inn Limited (South Ruislip), Moosa-Motors (Alperton) “Indi-Motors (Perivale)”, BMW Agent (Honypot Lane).As I visited the above mentioned car servicing centres in my town, mainly they are using a common type of appointment processes.

           Making an Appointment by Phone.

Customers’ phoning the service centre and book their appointments is the method that is most widely used in most of the car servicing centres. But the main problem found here is over booking which means more than one booking at the same time of the same. At Moosa Motors ...

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