Quick Assign vs Permanent Asset: Choosing an Assignment Mode

Every tracker in Hapn is set to one of two assignment modes, and the right one depends on whether the tracker stays put or moves between things. You choose the mode when you set a tracker up, and you can change it later.

Applies to: the Hapn web app at app.gethapn.com.

Which mode should I use?

• Quick Assign Mode — for trackers you move around. You tell Hapn what the tracker is on right now, and Hapn keeps a record of what it was assigned to, when, and for how long. Choose this if the same tracker moves between machines, trailers or containers and you need to be able to look back later and say what it was on at a given time.
• Permanent Asset Mode — for trackers that stay with one thing. This unlocks the full asset profile, so you can record much more detail about the asset itself and attach documents and images to it. Choose this for fixed installations.

In short: Quick Assign tracks the relationship over time; Permanent Asset describes the thing in depth.

Quick Assign Mode

Assignment is deliberately simple — you're recording what the tracker is on today, not filling in a profile. Because Hapn keeps the history of those assignments, you can answer questions like "which trailer was this tracker on in March?" after the fact.

This suits rental fleets and yards where hardware is redeployed often, and where the useful record is the timeline of what carried the tracker rather than a detailed file on any one item.

Permanent Asset Mode

Permanent Asset Mode gives the tracker a full asset record. On an asset in this mode you can keep:

• Asset details — name, category and type, plus its asset status and tags.
• Vehicle information — make, model, year and engine. On a vehicle that reports a VIN, Hapn decodes it and fills in much of this for you, along with details like GVWR, trim, fuel type and body class.
• Custom fields — anything else you track that Hapn doesn't have a field for.
• Notes — free-text notes on the asset.
• Files & Documents — associated documents and images, on the asset's own tab.

This suits owned equipment and permanently installed hardware, where the value is in having the paperwork, photos and specifications in one place.

Set or change the mode

1. Open the asset from the map or your asset list.
2. On the Asset Details tab, select Edit Asset.
3. Under Assignment Mode, choose Quick Assign Mode or Permanent Asset Mode.
4. Select Save.

It's worth choosing deliberately when you activate a tracker rather than switching later, since the two modes are built around different ways of working.

Related help

• Asset Statuses and Tags: Organizing Your Fleet
• How to Add a New or Additional Device to Your Service
• How to Replace a Tracker