How to Create a Service Job

Click the Optional tab in the Job Setup page to adjust default material markups and / or pricing tiers, labour rates, tax codes, discounts and fees, and STC and VEEC values (only available in Australia).

If you are using Simpro Premium in the United States, this is particularly important for selecting different part and labour tax codes to apply to the entire job.

You can also remove and re-apply the customer's membership discount. Learn more in How to Use Memberships in Workflows.

To schedule a service job:

1. Create a job as normal.
2. In the area to the right, enter the Job Duration, then search and select the applicable Zone.
   • The default Job Duration is 0.5 hours minimum. Assign a service fee to the customer to automatically populate this with additional time. Learn more in How to Set Up Service Fees.
3. Under Preferred Time, click a time allotment in the AM or PM of the day.
   • ​​Select Hide Weekends or click the blue arrows to alter the schedule view as required.
4. Click Calculate to filter Technician(s) to Schedule by Travel Distance to the job site.
5. Enter a Start Time and / or Finish Time for the technician(s), then click Select.
6. Click Save and Finish to create and exit the job or click Next to continue building the job. This creates a schedule block for each employee selected.
   • ​​If you have accessed Job Setup from Details > Settings within the job, click Update to save your changes.

Go to Schedule in a created service job to schedule employees, contractors, and teams to the job.

To schedule a job in the Schedule tab:

1. Access the job, then go to Schedule.
2. Under Available Resources, click the icon next to the resource you wish to schedule.
3. In the top left of the schedule view, select the schedule rate.
4. Click the time block to add a schedule block.
   • Click and drag the schedule block to move it to a different day or hour.
   • Click and drag the top and bottom edges to lengthen or shorten the schedule block.
5. When you have finished scheduling, click the icon in the top right.
6. Click Save and Finish > Save.

The cost displayed on the Schedule tab represents the actual direct cost of the scheduled hours. If the Schedule Rate scheduled has Overheads Included turned on, this is the sum of the employee's Pay Rate and Employment Costs with any schedule rate multipliers applied. If the schedule rate has Overheads Included turned off, this only includes the employee’s Pay Rate with any multipliers applied. Learn more in How to Create Schedule Rates.

Alternatively, click Help me decide to schedule a job using the same Filter Options as the Job Setup page.

If the quantity of hours scheduled is different to the quantity of hours being billed in Parts & Labour, or the scheduled labour rate type is different to the labour rate being billed to the customer, a warning appears. Click Update Time to match billed time to that of the scheduled hours and labour rate including time associated with service fees.

Sort technicians by availability

To sort technicians by availability:

1. Click Help Me Decide.
2. Enter the Job Duration, then search and select the applicable Zone.
• The default Job Duration is 0.5 hours minimum. Assign a service fee to the customer to automatically populate this with additional time. Learn more in How to Set Up Service Fees.
3. Under Preferred Time, click a time allotment in the AM or PM of the day.
   • ​​Select Hide Weekends or click the blue arrows to alter the schedule view as required.
4. Click Calculate to filter Technician(s) to Schedule by Travel Distance to the job site.
5. Enter a Start Time and / or Finish Time for the technician(s), then click Select.
6. Click Save and Finish to create a schedule block for each employee selected.

Go to Details > Settings in a service job to adjust the overall settings for the job and access the following options:

You can also enter a Job Name supplied by the customer to add additional reference information to the job, as well as an Order No. if required by the customer.

If required, adjust the date when the job was Created, as well as the Due Date / Time to receive system alerts.

The Completed Date field automatically defaults to the date the job was set to Complete and is available to edit, if required.

You can also assign a Technician to the job, as well as a Salesperson and Manager if the relevant employees have been designated in their card files.

To manually move the job to a different Stage or change the Status, select as applicable from the drop-down list. Alternatively, select Auto Adjust to change the Status using automatic triggers.

Search and select to apply project Tags to the job, select a different Cost Centre if required, and enter or update the Cost Centre Name.

You can also enter information in Custom Fields as defined in System Setup.

Jobs appears twice in Connect if you both assign and schedule the applicable technician.

Go to Details > Contractors in a service job to create a contractor work order. Once the contractor has completed and invoiced the job, you can record the invoice in Simpro Premium.

Alternatively, you can schedule a contractor in the Job Setup page or Schedule tab to automatically create a work order with the scheduled hours automatically applied.

Learn more in How to Manage Contractor Work Orders.

If the contractor works for an hourly rate, this should be defined in the Rates tab of the contractor card file.

US only: If you use Simpro Premium in the United States, the term 'contractor work order' is used instead of 'work order'.

In Simpro Premium, a service fee is an additional fee you charge on a job, such as a call-out fee, with or without labour included. Service fees set as a default in System > Setup > Labour > Service Fees or the customer card file are automatically added to a service job in Details > Parts & Labour > Parts.

To add a service fee to a service job:

1. Access the job.
2. Go to Parts & Labour > Billable.
3. Select a Call out / Service Fee, then click Add.
4. In the Parts table, adjust the Time, Markup / Sell Price and Qty of the service fee.
5. Click Options to remove the fee, reset pricing, change the tax code or make the fee non-billable.
6. Click Save and Finish.

Click Options > Remove Item to remove a service fee from a service job. Alternatively, select the service fee check box, then click Remove under the table.

If a catalogue item record is for a large quantity of a specific material, you can update it so that it can be added to a project in smaller quantities. For example cable that is purchased from the supplier in 100m coils and sold to customers in 1 metre lengths. Learn more in How to Estimate Pack Items.

To quickly add catalogue items, pre-builds, and take off templates to your project:

1. In the Parts & Labour > Billable tab, click in the Add a Part search field.
   • Note that this field is not visible if the cost centre is locked for items and prices
2. Filter by Catalogue items, Pre-Builds or Take Off templates. You can also add a one off item.
3. Search for the required catalogue item, pre-build or take off template by part number or name.
4. Click the item in the search results to add it to the Parts table.

Alternatively to add catalogue items, pre-builds, and take off templates from the different groups and subgroups:

1. Access the job.
2. Go to Parts & Labour > Catalogue / Pre-Builds / Take Off.
3. Locate the items in the applicable Groups and / or Subgroups.
4. In the Catalogue tab when you navigate to a group, click the drop-down arrow beside Create Subgroup and select Create Item to create a new item in the selected group.
5. Similarly, in the Pre-Builds tab click the drop-down arrow beside the ADD ITEMS and select Create Pre-build to create a new pre-build.
6. Note that if there are no items in the group or subgroup only the Create Item or Create Pre-build buttons are displayed.
7. Within each group / subgroup, enter the quantity per item, then click Add Items. If you have set images to be visible on the Catalogue or Pre-Build, you can Modify table View to verify the corresponding images in the table.
   • Alternatively, click Create Pre-Build / Create Item to create a new pre-build / catalogue item.
8. Click Billable to Manage parts and labour in a service job as normal.
• To manage parts and labour for pre-builds click Options > Open Pre-Build > Edit > Edit Pre-Build On Job #. This only adjusts the materials in the pre-build in that job. The original pre-build is not affected.
9. Click Save and Finish.

Use add-on pricing

If any items added in the Parts & Labour tab have add-on pricing enabled, all items use regular pricing by default. Learn more in Create a pre-build and Enable add-on pricing.

To use add-on pricing:

1. In the Parts table, click Options > Use Add-on Price.
   • Alternatively, select the check boxes for multiple items, then click Use Add-on Price in the footer options.
2. A icon appears next to the item name, and the Markup and Sell Price columns update.
3. Click Save and Finish > Save.

To change the item back to regular pricing, click Options > Use Regular Price.

Create one off items to cost non-catalogue expenses such as parking, government charges, and custom-engineered tools to a service job.

To create a one off item in a service job:

1. Access the job, then go to Parts & Labour > One Off Items.
2. Click Add One Off Item.
3. Select the item Type.
4. Select Billable to add the item to the customer invoice.
5. Select Inventory Item, enter a Part No. and select a Supplier as required to be able to order and track the item as you Manage stock within a service job.
6. Enter a detailed item Description.
7. Enter the Estimated Cost and Markup % / Sell Price.
   • If the item has associated labour, enter an Estimated Time in minutes.
8. Enter Discount % for the item to show customers the discounted percentage / amount. The Sell Price (inc disc) field will be auto populated based on the Discount %.
   • Alternatively, enter the Sell Price (inc disc) value to auto populate the Discount % field.
9. Enter the required Quantity.
10. Select a Sales Tax Code.
11. Click Finish.
12. Click Billable to Manage parts and labour in a service job as normal.
13. Click Save and Finish.

If the actual cost of an item becomes known while a job is in progress, go to Parts & Labour > One Off Items in the job, then enter the Actual Cost and the Actual Cost Date upon which the cost was incurred.

A labour rate that has been marked as default in the customer card file is automatically selected in the Labour table when the job is created. To add a labour rate, select as required from the Labour drop-down list, then click Add. You can then adjust the Markup, Sell Price and Time as required.

You can also adjust labour automatically to be based on hours added when you Schedule a service job from the Schedule tab. If the quantity of hours scheduled is different to the quantity of hours being billed in Parts & Labour, or the scheduled labour rate type is different to the labour rate being billed to the customer, you are prompted to update the billable labour from the Schedule tab.

Click Options on a labour rate to remove it or change the tax code if required.

You need to assign labour rates in the customer card file to add them to a job for the customer.

In the Parts & Labour tab the labour type that is selected inherits all cost and price changes made to the rate on the customer card. The cost centre must be unlocked and there must be zero hours entered for the labour rate to inherit changes. Alternatively, click the check box next to the labour type to remove the hours and force the labour rate to inherit any changes.

To allocate stock items to a service job:

1. Access the job, then go to Stock > In Stock.
   • Alternatively, access the job, then go to Parts & Labour > Stock.
2. Click the appropriate storage device.
3. Locate and enter quantities for the items, then click Add Items.
4. Click Billable to Manage parts and labour in a service job as normal.
5. Click Save and Finish.

To raise a purchase order within a service job:

1. Access the job, then go to Stock > Order.
2. Under Purchase Type, select:
   • Blank to order an item not defined in the job.
   • Stock Still Required to raise a purchase order based on items in Stock > Required that have already been specified for the job from a quote.
   • Purchase Order Number to raise a blank purchase order to be updated with items prior to receipting the supplier invoice.
3. Select a Purchasing Stage and Purchase Currency if applicable.
4. Select whether you wish to base Purchase Prices on the supplier or job.
5. Click Create Purchase Order.

Once you have created a Blank or Stock Still Required purchase order, you need to select the appropriate PO Type to order items:

Once you have selected the PO Type, you need to select the Storage Device and Stage, enter Optional information, and enter Supplier Notes and Private Notes or select a script to specify delivery information.

When you have finished creating the purchase order, including adding or specifying the required items, click Finish > OK. Alternatively, if there are multiple suppliers on the purchase order, click a purchase order in the confirmation box to exit the job and access the purchase order.

Learn more in How to Create a Purchase Order.

US only: If you use Simpro Premium in the United States, the term 'vendor' is used instead of 'supplier'.

You can create service jobs with multiple cost centres if the job requires works performed by different areas in your business. This process depends on whether you have single cost centre jobs enabled in System > Setup > Defaults > System > General > Service Jobs and Quotes.

This is also useful for selling the customer a membership so they can have discount on all new quotes and jobs raised against them, as well as recurring job or invoice templates if applicable. Learn more in How to Sell Memberships.

To create a service job with multiple cost centres when you do not have single cost centre jobs enabled:

1. Create the job as normal.
2. Click Next.
3. In Cost Centre List > Primary, select the Cost Centres from the drop-down box, enter a new Cost Centre Name if required, then click Add. Learn more in Rename a cost centre in a quote, job, recurring job, or recurring invoice.
4. ​​Once you have built your job you may wish to use the Stage, Budget Status and Name / ID filter options to narrow your selection.
5. Click Save and Finish.

To create a service job with multiple cost centres when you do have single cost centre jobs enabled:

1. Create a service job as normal.
2. Click Next.
3. Click Cost Centres in the breadcrumbs at the top of the job.
4. In Cost Centre List > Primary, select the Cost Centres from the drop-down box, enter a new Cost Centre Name if required, then click Add. Learn more in Rename a cost centre in a quote, job, recurring job, or recurring invoice.
   • Once you have built your job you may wish to use the Stage, Budget Status and Name / ID filter options to narrow your selection.
5. Click Save and Finish.

Navigate between cost centres

There are several buttons you can use to save a job, as well as navigate between multiple cost centres added to a job.

When you access and update an individual cost centre within a job, you can click the following buttons to save and navigate between cost centres:

When you access and update a job at the Cost Centre List level, you can click the following buttons to save and navigate:

If you make changes to an individual cost centre, click Continue to return to the Cost Centre List, and then click Cancel, your changes will not save at all.

Create tasks to keep an interactive to-do list for the job. Learn more in Create a task from within a quote, job, or customer card file. Then when a task is due or has been updated, the assigned technician(s) as well as any other nominated stakeholders, such as customers or employees, receive email notifications and Simpro Premium alerts.

You can also add task templates created in your System Setup to add sets of tasks frequently carried out for certain types of jobs.

The number of open tasks also appears in brackets in the Details > Tasks sub-tab. Learn more in View an open task count in a quote or job.

Retention is the percentage of payment held by the customer to ensure the job is completed to specific standards and to safeguard against defects in workmanship.

You may wish to Set up retention for a project for a service job that you plan to merge into a project job. This is useful for calculating the amounts to be withheld to assist in invoicing.

US only: If you use Simpro Premium in the United States, the term 'retainage' is used instead of 'retention'.

To create a quote from a job that was not initially quoted, you can convert a copy of the job to a quote.

To create a quote from a job:

1. Access the applicable job.
2. At the job level, go to Settings and click Copy Job.
3. In the new job, go to the Optional tab and, under Stage, select Quote.
4. Click Save and Finish.