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Complete Job Workflow

End-to-end process from customer inquiry to payment received

Difficulty:Intermediate

What this is

The full lifecycle of a service job, from first customer contact to final payment. This shows how all the pieces fit together: customers, jobs, invoices, and payments.

Who this is for

  • Owners: Understand the entire business process
  • Admins: Coordinate between office and field
  • Technicians: See where their work fits in the bigger picture

When you use this

  • Training new staff - Show how the system works end-to-end
  • Process improvement - Identify bottlenecks in your workflow
  • Customer questions - Explain what happens after they book service

How it works

Phase 1: Customer Inquiry

What happens:

  1. Customer calls, emails, or fills out web form
  2. Office takes information:
    • Customer name, phone, email
    • Service needed (AC repair, furnace issue, etc.)
    • Preferred appointment time
    • Address (if first-time customer)

In Crewdex:

  • Click "Customers" → "+ Add Customer"
  • Fill in contact info
  • Save customer record

Decision point:

  • Simple job? → Schedule immediately (go to Phase 2)
  • Complex/expensive? → Send quote first (see Quote Workflow)
  • Unsure of scope? → Schedule diagnostic visit ($120 service call)

Phase 2: Job Scheduling

What happens:

  1. Office reviews calendar and technician availability
  2. Finds open time slot that works for customer
  3. Creates job with:
    • Customer selected
    • Job template chosen (AC Repair, Furnace Tune-Up, etc.)
    • Date/time set
    • Technician assigned

In Crewdex:

  • Click "Jobs" → "+ New Job"
  • Select customer from dropdown
  • Choose job template (pre-fills pricing)
  • Set date and time
  • Assign technician
  • Click "Save Job"

What the customer gets:

  • Confirmation email with:
    • Appointment date/time
    • Technician name (if assigned)
    • Service description
    • Estimated cost range

What the technician sees:

  • Job appears on their mobile app
  • Customer address and phone
  • Job instructions and parts needed

Timeline: Same day or next available slot

Phase 3: Service Delivery

What happens:

  1. Technician arrives at customer site
  2. Diagnoses the problem
  3. Explains repair needed and cost
  4. Performs the work
  5. Tests system (AC cooling, furnace heating, etc.)
  6. Cleans up work area
  7. Marks job as "Completed" in mobile app

In Crewdex (Mobile App):

  • Technician opens job
  • Adds parts used (if needed):
    • Example: AC Capacitor ($45)
    • Example: Furnace Ignitor ($85)
  • Takes before/after photos
  • Updates job status: Scheduled → In Progress → Completed

What updates:

  • Job status changes to "Completed"
  • Parts inventory decrements (if tracked)
  • Job ready for invoicing

Timeline: 1-4 hours depending on job complexity

Phase 4: Invoicing

What happens:

  1. Office generates invoice from completed job
  2. Reviews line items:
    • Labor hours × hourly rate
    • Parts used (auto-pulled from job)
    • Service call fee
  3. Calculates tax
  4. Sends invoice to customer

In Crewdex:

  • Go to "Jobs" → Filter by "Completed"
  • Find job → Click "Create Invoice"
  • Review line items: 
    Labor (2.5 hrs × $95/hr):  $237.50
AC Capacitor:               $45.00
────────────────────────────────
Subtotal:                  $282.50
Tax (8.25%):                $23.31
────────────────────────────────
Total:                     $305.81
  • Click "Send Invoice"
  • Customer receives email with PDF + payment link

What the customer gets:

  • Invoice PDF (printable/downloadable)
  • Online payment link (Stripe)
  • Payment instructions (check mailing address)
  • Due date (Net 30, due on receipt, etc.)

Timeline: Same day as job completion (best practice)

Phase 5: Payment Collection

What happens:

  1. Customer pays via:
    • Online (Stripe): Card or ACH (instant)
    • Check: Mailed to business address
    • Cash: Paid to technician on-site
  2. Payment is recorded in Crewdex
  3. Invoice status updates to "Paid"
  4. Customer receives receipt

In Crewdex:

Option A: Customer Pays Online

  • Customer clicks "Pay Online" in email
  • Enters card info on Stripe form
  • Submits payment
  • System auto-updates:
    • Invoice status → "Paid" ✅
    • Payment recorded in "Payments" tab
    • Receipt emailed to customer

Option B: Manual Payment (Check/Cash)

  • Go to "Invoices" → [Invoice Number]
  • Click "Record Payment"
  • Enter:
    • Payment amount: $305.81
    • Payment method: Check #1234 (or Cash)
    • Payment date: Today
  • Click "Save"
  • Invoice status → "Paid" ✅

What the customer gets:

  • Receipt PDF via email
  • Payment confirmation
  • Receipt number for records

Timeline:

  • Online: Instant
  • Check: 5-10 days
  • Cash: Same day

Decision Points

Should I send a quote first?

Send quote when:

  • Job cost exceeds $500
  • Multiple repair options exist
  • Customer wants written estimate before approval
  • Insurance claim requires documentation

Skip quote when:

  • Standard service (tune-up, filter change)
  • Customer already approved cost over phone
  • Emergency repair (customer needs immediate fix)

Should I require deposit?

Require deposit when:

  • Job cost exceeds $1,000
  • Ordering custom parts
  • Customer is new (no payment history)
  • Job spans multiple days

Deposit amount:

  • Typical: 25-50% of total
  • Example: $2,500 job = $625 deposit (25%)

When should I invoice?

Best practice: Same day as job completion

Reasons:

  • Customer remembers the service
  • Higher payment rate (less likely to forget)
  • Cash flow (faster payment = better cash flow)

Acceptable: Next business day

  • Batch invoicing at end of day
  • Office staff processes all completed jobs

Avoid: Week+ delay

  • Customer forgets details
  • Disputes more likely
  • Payment takes longer

Status Progressions

Job Status Flow

SCHEDULED → IN_PROGRESS → COMPLETED → INVOICED

Status details:

  • SCHEDULED: Appointment booked, technician assigned
  • IN_PROGRESS: Technician arrived on-site, working
  • COMPLETED: Work finished, customer satisfied
  • INVOICED: Invoice generated and sent

Invoice Status Flow

DRAFT → SENT → PAID (or OVERDUE)

Status details:

  • DRAFT: Created but not sent to customer (can edit)
  • SENT: Customer received invoice (locked, cannot edit)
  • PAID: Payment received, job complete ✅
  • OVERDUE: Past due date (automatic, turns red)

Important rules

  • Cannot invoice incomplete jobs - Must mark job as "Completed" first
  • Cannot delete invoices or payments - Only void them (audit trail preserved)
  • One invoice per job - Edit existing invoice, don't create duplicate
  • Parts must be added before invoicing - Can't add parts after invoice is sent

Common handoff mistakes

Mistake 1: Technician forgets to add parts

  • What happens: Office invoices with no parts, loses $200 revenue
  • Fix: Technician checklist - Mark parts used BEFORE marking job complete

Mistake 2: Office invoices before job is complete

  • What happens: Invoice shows "In Progress" status, customer confused
  • Fix: Filter by "Completed" status only when batch invoicing

Mistake 3: Customer pays cash, no one records it

  • What happens: Invoice shows "Unpaid" even though customer paid
  • Fix: Technician texts office when accepting cash payment

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