Overview
A pre-installation work order covers any work that must be done prior to the main work order. These are situations where a non-managed technician goes out to the service location ahead of the lead installer to do prerequisite work. One example of a pre-installation work order is permit handling, where a permit needs to be posted in advance of the installation. Another example is an equipment drop-off to the work order location before the work begins.
Who uses this feature
Office employees
Applies to all business types
Applies to all trades
Feature configuration
Account configuration is required to use certain aspects of this feature. To update your account, please contact Technical Support for details.
Set up pre-installation work orders
To better organize, manage, and handle pre-installation tasks, add specific work order types and work order hold reasons for pre-installation work orders. Then, set up a way to monitor work orders that are on hold to ensure that all pre-installation work orders are eventually completed.
Add work order types
Create a work order type specifically for each kind of pre-installation work order.
For more, see Set up and use work order types.
Add work order hold reasons
In addition to a work order type for each kind of pre-installation work order, add a work order hold reason for each.
For more, see Place a work order on hold.
Monitor work orders
There are three ways to monitor work orders on hold to ensure they are closed out at the end of the process:
Create a report using the work order dataset for the hold status(es) and work order type(s) you have added so that no work order is left behind.
Review the report every morning for the prior day and pull the report for the past 60 days. The report can be scheduled to be sent to someone who handles the closeout process within the organization. For more, see Reports.On the Search screen, search for work orders on hold and export that data.
On the tray at the bottom of the Dispatch Board, click Hold to view work orders that are on hold.
For more, see Use the Job Tray on the Classic Dispatch Board.
Use pre-installation work orders
The person who made the sale completes the sales work order, chooses Perform Work Later, and closes out the work order.
An office employee goes to the estimate, sells it, creates the work order for the actual installation (not the pre-installation work order), and assigns the lead installer to the work order. For more, see Estimates and Sales FAQ.
An office employee adds the main installation work order to a project. For more, see Manage projects.
From the project screen, an office employee creates the pre-installation work order by clicking Add Work Order and assigns a technician who is not a lead installer to the work order.
The technician on the pre-installation work order is dispatched to the work order, arrives at the work order, and (when done with the work order) marks done for now, choosing the hold reason applicable to the pre-installation work order. For more, see Place a work order on hold.
The lead installer follows the usual technician workflow and completes the main installation work order.
The next day, an office employee sees the pre-installation work order(s) on the work order report and closes them out. The designated office employee who reviews installation/project invoices should do another final check to make sure all project work orders are closed out.