Work orders become read-only after they're marked In Progress, Completed, Invoiced, or Cancelled. If you need to change details on a completed or invoiced work order, create a new work order or use a credit/adjustment on the invoice.
Work Orders
Work orders are discrete service jobs you create, track, and complete for customers. Unlike recurring route stops, work orders handle one-time work—repairs, equipment installs, inspections, or any job that needs its own lifecycle, quoting, and customer approval.
Creating a work order
From the Work Orders page, click New work order to open the template picker. Select a template to pre-fill line items and details, or start from scratch.
The create form includes:
Customer & Property — Select the customer and the service address.
Work Order Details — Title, description, and any specific instructions.
Priority — Set urgency to help dispatchers and technicians triage.
Scheduled Date — Optional date for planned work.
Customer Message — A note visible to the customer in the portal.
Assign Technician — Optionally assign a technician now or leave unassigned.
When ready, choose one of two save actions:
Save as Draft — Saves the work order in Draft status. No quote is sent to the customer.
Save & Send Quote — Saves and transitions the work order to Quoted status, sending a quote email to the customer for review.
Viewing and searching work orders
The Work Orders list shows all work orders with their status, priority, and customer. Use the search box to filter by number, title, customer name, or address. Filter by status or priority to narrow the list, and sort by newest, oldest, priority, or scheduled date.
Empty states
If no work orders exist and no search is active, you'll see No work orders yet with a prompt to create your first work order.
If a search returns no results, you'll see No work orders found with a suggestion to try different terms.
Work order detail page
Click any work order to open its detail page. The detail page shows the full work order information, lifecycle timestamps, and available actions based on current status.
Lifecycle fields
Scheduled — The planned date for work.
Started — When the technician began work.
Completed — When the work order was marked complete.
Duration — Estimated vs. actual time spent.
Customer Portal panel
The detail page includes a Customer Portal panel showing when the customer last viewed the work order and a Copy portal link button to share the link directly.
Editing a work order
Click Edit work order to modify details, line items, assignment, scheduled date, and customer message. Editing is only available in certain statuses (Draft, Quoted, Approved, Scheduled). If the work order has progressed past these stages, you cannot edit it directly.
Work order lifecycle and statuses
Work orders move through a defined lifecycle. Each status determines which actions are available:
Status | Description | Next Actions |
|---|---|---|
Draft | Work order created but not yet quoted or scheduled. | Send Quote, Schedule, Cancel |
Quoted | Quote sent to customer for review. | Mark Approved, Revise, Resend Quote, Cancel |
Approved | Customer approved the quote. | Schedule, Start Work, Cancel |
Scheduled | Work is scheduled for a specific date. | Start Work, Reschedule, Put On Hold, Cancel |
In Progress | Technician has started work on-site. | Complete, Put On Hold |
Completed | Work finished and ready for invoicing. | Generate Invoice |
Invoiced | Invoice generated and sent to customer. | — |
On Hold | Work paused, awaiting parts, customer response, or other conditions. | Resume, Cancel |
Cancelled | Work order cancelled, no further action. | — |
Rejected | Customer declined the quote. | Revise, Resend Quote |
Status actions explained
Send Quote — Transitions to Quoted and emails the customer a quote for approval.
Mark Approved — Manually mark as Approved if the customer confirms outside the portal.
Schedule — Set a scheduled date and optionally assign a technician.
Start Work — Mark the work order as In Progress. Used when a technician begins on-site.
Complete — Mark as Completed after work is done.
Generate Invoice — Create an invoice from the work order's line items and totals.
Resume — Take a work order off hold and return it to its previous active status.
Revise — Edit details and resend a quote after customer feedback or scope changes.
Resend Quote — Send the same quote email again.
Put On Hold — Pause the work order without cancelling it.
Cancel — Permanently cancel the work order.
Work order templates
Click Manage templates from the Work Orders page to create and manage templates. Templates pre-fill line items, descriptions, and default values for common work types—such as pump repairs, filter cleanings, or equipment installations—saving time when creating new work orders.
Customer portal experience
Customers can view work orders through the Customer Portal at /portal/work-orders. The portal shows all work orders with tabs for All, Needs action, Active, and Done.
When a customer opens a quoted work order, they can:
Approve — Accept the quote and its total amount.
Approve & sign electronically — Accept and add an electronic signature.
Decline — Reject the quote.
The portal shows photos, signatures, and activity associated with the work order, giving customers full visibility into the job.
Work orders vs. routes
Work orders are separate from recurring route stops. Use work orders for:
One-time repairs or inspections
Jobs requiring customer approval and quoting
Work that doesn't fit your regular service schedule
Route stops handle routine, recurring service visits. Work orders can be assigned to technicians, scheduled for specific dates, and completed independently of route assignments.
Troubleshooting
I can't edit a work order
The customer says they didn't receive the quote email
Check that the customer's email address is correct and ask them to check spam or junk folders. You can use Resend Quote from the work order detail page to send the email again. If the problem persists, contact support.
A work order is stuck On Hold
Use the Resume action to take the work order off hold and return it to its prior active status. If you need to cancel instead, use Cancel.