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 (shown as an amber or yellow 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 while you wait on the customer, permits, parts, or something else, but it can resume later.

The most common flow: Quote → Work Order → Completed

When Jobs Get Created

There are two ways jobs are created:

1. Automatically (From Accepted Quotes)

When a customer accepts a quote and pays the deposit:

• If the quote was created from a job, that job's status updates to "Work Order"
• If the quote wasn't linked to a job yet, you get a prompt to either create a new job or link to an existing one

You're in control - the system doesn't automatically create jobs from every quote. This prevents clutter from quotes that never go anywhere.

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 Jobs page
2. Click "New Job"
3. Fill in customer, site, description
4. System assigns a job number automatically
5. Now you can create bookings or quote from this job

Job Numbers

Every job gets a unique number automatically:

• Starts at 1000 (your first job)
• Goes up by 1 each time (1001, 1002, 1003...)
• Never repeats
• Used for invoicing (invoice numbers match job numbers)

Example: Job #1045 for the Johnson residence AC install

You can't change job numbers - they're automatic to keep things organized.

What's Inside a Job?

When you open a job, you'll see several tabs:

Details Tab

• Customer name and contact
• Site address
• Job description (what the work is)
• Work details (technical notes, specifics)
• Current status

Bookings Tab

• All scheduled work for this job
• Quote visits
• Install days
• Follow-ups
• Create new bookings here

Quotes Tab

• All quotes linked to this job
• Can have multiple (original quote + variations)
• Shows which ones are accepted

Invoices Tab

• Invoices created for this job
• Job-linked invoices (use the job number)
• Payment status

Notes & Attachments Tab

• Text notes with timestamps
• Uploaded photos
• Documents
• Combined timeline (newest first)

Job Lifecycle Example

Here's a typical job from start to finish:

Monday:

• Customer requests quote for ducted AC
• You create Quote #550
• Quote gets accepted + deposit paid
• System creates Job #1050 (status: Quote)

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 to Work Order manually? Yes! Open the job and click the status dropdown. But usually it changes automatically when the customer accepts the quote.

What if I delete a job? Don't! If you need to cancel work, change the status to "Cancelled". Deleting removes all bookings, invoices, and notes permanently.

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? Job numbers are shared with standalone invoices. If you create a standalone invoice, it uses the next number. That's why jobs might go 1050, 1051, 1053 (1052 was a standalone invoice).

Job Status Tips

Use "Quote" when:

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

Switch to "Work Order" when:

• Customer approved and paid deposit
• 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

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
• Job Bookings - Schedule work and track progress
• Creating Invoices - Billing customers for completed work
• Using the Calendar - Scheduling your jobs