Understanding Jobs and How They Work

What is a Job?

A job is a container for all the work you do for a customer on a specific project. Think of it like a folder that holds:

• The quotes you sent them
• The bookings (scheduled work)
• The invoices you create
• Notes about the job
• Photos and documents

Everything related to that customer's project lives in the one job.

Jobs vs Quotes vs Bookings

It's easy to mix these up at first. Here's how they're different:

Quote = What you're offering to do and how much it costs
Job = The actual project/work container
Booking = When the work is scheduled on the calendar

The flow:

1. Create a quote for a customer
2. Customer accepts quote
3. System creates or links to a job
4. You create bookings (schedule the work)
5. You create invoices (bill the customer)

Job Statuses

Every job has a status that tells you what stage it's at. Quote Visit (amber badge) means you've sent a quote but the customer hasn't accepted yet, or the quote just got accepted but work hasn't started. You can schedule quote visits during this stage, but there's no confirmed work yet.

Work Order (blue badge) means the customer accepted the quote and the work is approved and ready to go. This is your "confirmed work" status - time to schedule the actual install or repair work.

Completed (green badge) means all work is done, bookings are finished and the invoice has been sent or paid. Cancelled (red badge) means the job won't be completed.

On Hold (purple badge) means work is paused temporarily. When you put a job on hold, you choose a hold reason (like "Waiting on parts" or "Weather delay") and set a hold until date. When that date arrives, the job is automatically released back to its previous status. The system also applies an automatic "Pending Quote" hold when you send a linked quote. See Putting Jobs on Hold for the full details.

The most common flow: Quote Visit → Work Order → Completed

Every status change is an action in the More Actions menu at the top right of the job. There is no status dropdown, so each change can do the right thing to invoices and holds on the way through.

When Jobs Get Created

There are two ways jobs are created:

1. Automatically (From Accepted Quotes)

Once a quote reaches Paid, a green Create / Link Job button appears on it. Clicking it opens a modal where you either convert the job the quote came from, attach the quote to an existing job or create a fresh one.

You are in control. No job is created off the back of a quote on its own, so quotes that go nowhere never clutter your job list. See Linking Quotes to Jobs.

2. Manually (You Create It)

Sometimes you need to create a job before you even quote:

• Customer called directly wanting work done
• Repeat customer with simple request
• Emergency work (no time for quoting)

To create a job manually:

1. Go to the Jobs page
2. Click New Job
3. Choose a Job Type (Work Order Visit or Quote Visit), pick the Customer and write a Job Description
4. The system assigns a job number automatically
5. Now you can schedule bookings or raise a quote from the job

Job Numbers

Every job gets a unique number automatically:

• Starts at 1000 by default. You can change the next number in Settings → Job Preferences
• Goes up by 1 each time (1001, 1002, 1003...)
• Never repeats
• The job's invoice takes the same number

Example: Job #1045 bills on invoice 1045, and a second partial invoice on it would be 1045-2.

You cannot change a job's number once it is assigned.

What's Inside a Job?

A job has seven tabs: Details, Phases, Bookings, Billing, Purchases, Quotes and Forms. The customer, site and status live in the header above them.

Details

Job description, work details (which print on the invoice), job category and the job's upcoming bookings. The fields are editable in place.

Phases

Splits a large job into stages such as Rough-in and Fit-off, each with its own status and billing.

Bookings

Every booking on the job, with New Booking to add one.

Billing

The job invoice and any partial invoices, with their payment status. Note the tab is called Billing, not Invoices.

Purchases

Supplier orders and expenses booked against the job.

Quotes

The quotes linked to this job, with their link type and status. Read-only.

Forms

Job forms and signatures captured on site.

Notes & Attachments

Not a tab on a wide screen. At 1400px and wider it is a permanent panel down the right-hand side; below that it becomes an eighth tab. See Job Notes and Attachments.

Job Lifecycle Example

Here's a typical job from start to finish:

Monday:

• Customer requests quote for ducted AC
• You create Quote #550
• The customer accepts and the deposit is settled, either paid by card or not required
• You create Job #1050 from the quote (status: Quote Visit)

Tuesday:

• You schedule a site visit (Quote stage booking)
• Status stays "Quote" until site visit done

Wednesday:

• Site visit complete, send final quote
• Customer accepts
• Job status changes to "Work Order" (turns blue)

Thursday:

• You create booking for install next week
• Booking shows as blue (Work Order job)
• Assign 2 staff members

Next Monday:

• Install booking starts
• Staff mark "In Progress" then "Done"
• Job still "Work Order" (not complete until invoiced)

Next Tuesday:

• Create invoice from job
• Send to customer
• Customer pays
• Mark job as "Completed" (turns green)

Done! Job #1050 is complete.

Jobs Without Quotes

You can have a job without quotes:

• Emergency call-out (fix now, quote later)
• Regular maintenance customer (they just want it done)
• Simple repair (quoting seems silly)

To do this:

1. Create the job manually
2. Skip the quote step
3. Create bookings directly
4. Invoice when done

Multiple Quotes Per Job

Sometimes one job has several quotes:

Original Quote: Initial ducted system ($15,000)
Variation Quote: Customer wants bigger compressor ($17,500)
Adhoc Quote: Add extra zones ($3,000)

All three quotes live in the same job. When you invoice, you can pull from all of them.

When to Create a New Job

Create a NEW job when:

• It's a different property/location
• It's a separate project (even same customer)
• It's months later and unrelated to previous work

Use the SAME job when:

• Adding variations to existing work
• Follow-up to previous job
• Multiple visits for one project

Example:
Smith residence AC install = Job #1050
Smith office AC install = Job #1051 (new job, different location)
Smith residence - add zones = Still Job #1050 (same location, related work)

Common Questions

Do I need to create a job for every quote? No! Quotes can exist without jobs. The job gets created/linked when the quote is accepted. If the quote never gets accepted, no job clutters your list.

Can I have a booking without a job? Yes - these are called Tasks. They're calendar placeholders for non-customer work (meetings, admin, breaks).

What's the difference between Description and Work Details? Description is a short summary (e.g., "Ducted AC install"). Work Details are technical specifics (e.g., "3-phase, 14kW, 8 zones, roof access via ladder").

Can I change a job from Quote Visit to Work Order manually? Yes, but not from a status dropdown, because there isn't one. Open the job, click More Actions and choose Change to Work Order.

Can I delete a job? No. There is no delete anywhere in the portal, by design. If work is not going ahead, use More Actions → Cancel Job, which keeps the record and takes the job out of your active lists.

Can two jobs have the same customer? Absolutely! One customer can have many jobs (different projects, different times).

Why is my job number skipping numbers? Not because of invoices. Standalone invoices run on their own counter with an INV- prefix, starting at 5000, so they never take a job number. A gap in your job numbers means a job was created and then cancelled, or the next number was changed in Settings. See Understanding Invoice Numbers.

Job Status Tips

Use "Quote Visit" when:

• Still quoting or getting approval
• Customer is deciding
• Haven't started work yet

Switch to "Work Order" when:

• Customer approved the quote and the deposit is settled
• Work is confirmed
• Ready to schedule actual install/repair

Mark "Completed" when:

• All bookings done
• Invoice sent
• Nothing left to do

Use "On Hold" for:

• Waiting on customer decision
• Parts on backorder
• Weather delays
• Permit approval pending

To put a job on hold, open the job and use the More Actions menu to find Put On Hold. That is the only route, and it makes you give a reason and a release date. See Putting Jobs on Hold for full details on hold reasons, expiry and automatic release.

Don't overthink it! The main thing is Quote → Work Order → Completed. The others are edge cases.

Related Articles

• Creating and Managing Jobs - How to create jobs and edit details
• Putting Jobs on Hold - Hold reasons, expiry and automatic release
• Quote Visits - The quote visit workflow from site assessment to sent quote
• Creating Bookings - Schedule work and track progress
• Creating Invoices - Billing customers for completed work
• Using the Calendar - Scheduling your jobs