Best Practices
These best practices come from proven WAKU Care usage patterns and help you get more value out of the platform.
Device management
Section titled “Device management”Name devices clearly
Section titled “Name devices clearly”Use consistent, descriptive names that include location or function — e.g. “AMR-01 Warehouse A” instead of just “Robot 1”.
Use Device Models
Section titled “Use Device Models”Even for a single device of a type — create a device model. Attach documentation to the model, not to individual devices. When you later add more devices of the same type, they automatically inherit the documentation.
Tag strategically
Section titled “Tag strategically”Define a tagging convention up front. Common approaches:
- By location (Floor 1, Zone A, Hall B)
- By criticality (Critical, Standard, Low)
- By product line or function
Work Orders
Section titled “Work Orders”Always use Work Templates
Section titled “Always use Work Templates”Free-form work orders are tempting, but make it hard to ensure consistency and completeness. Invest time in detailed work templates — they pay off quickly as your team grows.
Document everything
Section titled “Document everything”When completing a work order, add photos and notes, even if the task was routine. This history becomes invaluable for troubleshooting and for onboarding new team members.
Record spare parts accurately
Section titled “Record spare parts accurately”Record every part used. Accurate part tracking helps with:
- Inventory planning — knowing when to reorder
- Cost analysis — understanding maintenance cost per device
- Pattern detection — identifying devices that consume an unusual number of parts
Use Case Templates for recurring issues
Section titled “Use Case Templates for recurring issues”When the same type of problem is reported more than twice, create a case template.
Link Cases to Work Orders
Section titled “Link Cases to Work Orders”When a case requires repair work, always link the resulting work order. This creates a traceable chain from problem report to resolution.
Strategies
Section titled “Strategies”Start simple
Section titled “Start simple”Start with scheduled strategies for your most critical maintenance tasks. Add usage-based and anomaly-based strategies later.
Test before activating
Section titled “Test before activating”Create new strategies in inactive mode. Verify the configuration and do a test run before activating.
Don’t over-automate
Section titled “Don’t over-automate”Not every maintenance task needs a strategy. One-time or rarely recurring work is better handled with manual work orders.
Inventory
Section titled “Inventory”Set minimum stock levels
Section titled “Set minimum stock levels”Configure inventory constraints for all critical spare parts. A low-stock warning is better than discovering missing parts during a repair.
Track incoming goods separately
Section titled “Track incoming goods separately”Use incoming goods to log deliveries before booking them into regular stock.
Regular inventory audits
Section titled “Regular inventory audits”Periodically compare physical stock against the WAKU Care inventory. Resolve discrepancies promptly.
Team & Organization
Section titled “Team & Organization”Principle of least privilege
Section titled “Principle of least privilege”Give users only the access they need. Keep the workspace role minimal and control access through specific deployment roles.
Establish communication conventions
Section titled “Establish communication conventions”Define how your team communicates about cases and work orders:
- When to create a case vs. a work order directly
- Which tags to use in which situations
- Who certain types of problems are assigned to
Customer Portal
Section titled “Customer Portal”Keep instructions clear
Section titled “Keep instructions clear”Write portal welcome messages and instructions in simple, non-technical language. Your end-customers may not be familiar with maintenance terminology.
Curate Case Templates for the portal
Section titled “Curate Case Templates for the portal”Don’t make all internal case templates available in the portal. Choose only those relevant to problems your customers would actually report.
Respond quickly
Section titled “Respond quickly”Cases from the Customer Portal often represent a customer standing at the device with a problem right now. Fast response times build trust.