Getting Started for Instructors
This Getting Started Guide is intended for Driving Instructors using the Total Drive Management System and associated apps. The purpose of this guide is to assist you in setting up your system for use in order to get the most from the system during your trial and beyond and can act as a checklist of things to do.
In this guide, we will be covering the following topics: (Click below to jump to section)
The Total Drive App for Instructors
Having logged into the app with your TD Pin, username and the password you set when starting your trial you will be taken to the dairy which initially will be empty.
At the bottom of the app you will find 5 Icons From left to right these are:
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- Diary view
- Pupil list
- Money
- Messages
- Profile/Settings
Select the Profile/Settings icon (Cog) and choose “Profile” (Top Right)
Complete the following areas:
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- Choose if you wish the system to automatically send messages to pupils if a lesson date or time changes
- Set advanced option on if you would like these to always show when adding a lesson
- Choose your default Gearbox
- Select how many hours before pupil lesson you would like them to be reminded
- Select how many hours before lesson pupil is sent a payment reminder if they have Zero credit
- Change the default pay reminder message if you wish. (Please avoid emojis and unusual characters)
- Ensure that your mobile number is correct, the country is correct and state how many pupils you look after at any one time
- Press the “Save” button at the top right of the screen
You will be returned to the main Profile/Settings page. Here, at the top you will see ‘Stats” & “Driving test”
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- Stats provides an overview of your business as well as access to our referral rewards scheme where you can earn £20 per instructor you recommend to Total Drive who starts a subscription after their initial trial.
- Driving Test provides access to both Driving tests that you have upcoming and past tests where you are able to add notes and minor/major faults in tests pupils have taken
Offline Sync
If you work in areas that have poor mobile signal it’s advisable to force a sync at the start of each day. the system will sync automatically as you make changes within the app however syncing at the beginning of the day ensures that you have the most up to date content on your app if you happen to move into a no service area. Sync should all happen automatically without you having to do anything however it’s worth manually syncing if you know you have moved in and out of a no service area for a considerable length of time.
Settings
Locations: The location area is used in different ways throughout the system. We have pre-added some that are useful for you to use when adding standard lessons and indicate quickly the pickup locations in your diary. This function, however, is also used when adding a Gap into your diary where you may wish to specify an area within your coverage area that you want the lesson to take place. This would be used to help stop pupils from booking the gap if they are a long way from the lesson before or after the gap.
Reflective Logs: This area allows you to change the standard reflective log questions your pupils use when completing their reflective logs after their lesson. This can be left as standard if you wish.
Lesson Colours: This is where you can add lesson types and specify the colours for your diary. You will see that you are able to change the colours of all lesson types both ones that are booked and those that have been delivered.
Theory: This gives you access to theory practice results and stats if set up.
Resources: The resources area allows you to add web links to the system that will be available to the pupil on their app under the “Guides” area. This is useful if you have resources on your website for instance that are useful for your pupils, rather than telling them the web address URL you can just tell them to go onto their app and select “Guides”. You can add as many web links as you wish to resources however they must be using the secure HTTPS:// protocol.
Driving School Terms: This area allows you to paste in your own terms that pupils have to agree to when logging into the app. This can be in written format within the text box shown or can be an external link to terms that you may have on your website for instance.
Progress Syllabus: This area has been pre-filled with the standard DVSA syllabus however you can add additional categories and skills if you wish which is useful to specify a progress requirement of your own. This could be “turning right at a junction” or could be the name of an unusual intersection that is unique to your area but you know is on a test route or worth teaching.
The Blue “+” Button
Throughout the app you will see a blue button with a + on it at the bottom right, this button if clicked contains several functions as follows:
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- Lesson Allows you to add a new lesson for a pupil
- Gap Allows you to add an available gap that pupils can book
- Away Allows you to add a period of unavailability in your dairy where you are not able to teach
- Pupil Allows you to add a new pupil
- Income Allows you to add an income item such as a lesson payment
- Expense Allows you to add an expense item such as fuel
Now that you have set up your system you are ready to add your pupils and invite them to download and log into the pupil app. See The Total Drive Web Admin for instructors for further optional setup options that are not available to set up on the app such as pupil app branding.
The Total Drive Web Admin for instructors
The web-based administration of Total Drive is particularly useful when you are back at home, in the office or not teaching and when you have access to a PC or laptop. Most of the functionality is the same as you will find on the app however there are some advantages to using the web admin outside of lessons as well as some areas worth or can only be set up through the web administration.
To access the web administration go to www.totaldrive.app, use your TD pin, existing username and password that you use to access the app to login.
The two areas that offer the most significant differences to the app are the “Account” menu and the “Settings” menu as shown below;
Settings Menu
NB: The settings menu is only available to single-user systems and admins of multi-user systems. Anything marked in Red are important areas worth setting up
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- Manage Instructors – This area allows you to add new instructors to your system creating a multi instructor system with you as the main admin
- Driving School terms – Duplicated on instructor app
- Lesson Reminders – NEEDS SETTING UP – Allows configuration of lesson reminders, their timings and content
- Locations and Lesson Types – Duplicated on instructor app
- Progress Syllabus – Duplicated on instructor app
- Reflective Logs – Duplicated on instructor app
- Resources and Theory – Duplicated on instructor app
- App Branding – NEEDS SETTING UP – This allows you to specify your branding on the pupil app
Account Menu
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- Profile – Duplicated on instructor app
- Online Booking – From this area, you can set up our online booking system. In addition, there are links at the bottom to set up payments in order for your pupils to be able to pay for lessons via the app
- Help – User Guide – Access to videos and help using the system
- Marketing Material – Access to banners that can be added to your own website to promote you having an app
- Billing – This is where you set up your subscription after your free trial
- Feature Requests – This is a link to a site where you can request new features to be developed in the system
The Total Drive App for Pupils
Having set up the areas mentioned in the sections above the video below gives you an overview of what the pupil will see in their pupil app.
https://youtu.be/NvzvRIEbFBA