Work Order Process and Work Flow

In order to use FieldOne to best advantage, you need to understand the difference between Service Calls and Projects.

The work flow for all Work Orders basically follows similar steps. The exceptions are:

•	At the start - a Project has an extra step up front, the Estimate.

•	At the end - the method of Invoicing differs. See the following for more detail:

►	Invoice a Service Call

►	Invoice a Fixed-Amount Project

The remaining flow for the work is the same.

Since the first step makes a difference, it is important to make the distinction between Service Calls and Projects before you begin a new Work Order. Note, however, that for either group the Actions button allows you to Switch between Service Call and Project.

•	Process a Service Call:

►	Often the beginning comes from a simple phone call reporting a problem and requesting an unknown quantity of Parts and Labor.

►	Billing charges get continuously updated as long as Parts and Labor are added on.

►	The final amount billed to a Service Call depends on Time and Materials entered on the Work Order Items Tab. This fluctuates as the job goes along, since it does not depend on an Estimate. (See also, Pricing.)

•	Process an Estimate/ Project :

►	The final amount billed to a Project comes from the first step, Define Project Estimate, resulting in a printed Estimate presented to the Customer. (See also, Pricing.)

►	The remaining work flow occurs only after the Customer gives approval, changing the Status of the Work Order from Estimate to In Progress.

►	Projects are usually big jobs. (For instance, see Define Job Stages.)

►	All the specifications are defined in advance.

►	Parts and Labor actually used and recorded do not change the billing amount.

►	Even if the Cost exceeds the Sale Amount, it will not change what the Customer is billed (unless determined otherwise through Activated Change Orders).

With a Service Call the amount to be billed changes as work proceeds and charges add up. With a Project there are only two ways to change the total amount that will be billed.

1.	If no billing has occurred, you can Deactivate a Project and go back and create Revisions, thus producing a new Estimate with a new total amount.

2.	Once a Project is Activated you can add Change Orders. These only affect the billed total if the Change Order itself is Activated, in other words, entered into the Project. If the Change Order is only created but not Activated, then the Project Billing remains unchanged.

Since both Service Calls and Projects accomplish the same thing - namely, consolidating information for a job - in many cases they behave the same and often have similar screens. But the first step, the Estimate for the Project, is one important difference, and the other is the last step, billing the Invoice(s).

TIP: If for some reason you need to change a Service Call to an Estimate/Project, or vice-versa, click the Actions button at the bottom right of the Work Order screen and select Change to Estimate/Project (or to Service Call). You will receive a warning message. (A new Estimate/Project is created with Status at Estimate. A new Service Call has Status of In Progress.)

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