Creating and Tracking a Service Job

The Service module lets any business that receives an item, works on it, and returns it to the customer run jobs alongside its normal sales, whether that is a tailor altering a suit, a workshop servicing a machine, a furniture restorer, or a jeweller resizing a ring. Your shop continues to sell items as usual, while the workshop tracks the work, all in the same system.

This feature is optional and off by default.

INFO

Your admin must turn on the Service module before Jobs appears in the sidebar.

Turning the Service Module On

1. Go to Settings and select Service Jobs.
2. Toggle it on.
3. A Jobs menu appears in the sidebar. Nothing changes for a store that leaves it off.

A few more toggles appear once the module is on:

Setting	Default	What it does
Reserve advance deposits for their own job	On	An advance payment can only be used to pay for the job it was taken against.
Allow refunding an advance deposit a different way	On	A cancelled job's advance deposit can be refunded using a different payment method than it was taken in.
Let cashiers cancel a service job	Off	Only managers and admins can cancel a job, unless a shop owner turns this on.

See Advances and Billing for how these settings affect advances and refunds.

Marking Staff as Service Staff

Every user profile has a Service Staff toggle, off by default for everyone. It only appears once the Service module itself is turned on. To mark a staff member as service staff:

1. Go to Users and open the staff member's profile.
2. Turn on Service Staff.
3. They now appear in the assignment list when creating or updating a job.

Use this to mark whoever actually does the work, whether your business calls them technicians, service providers, tailors, stylists, or something else entirely.

Who Does What

Role	Can do
Cashier	Create jobs, add items, take advances, and bill the balance at pickup. Cancel a job and refund an advance only if a shop owner has turned this on in Settings.
Manager / Admin	Everything a cashier can do, plus cancel a job and refund an advance, always.
Admin only	See cost and margin figures, turn the module on or off, and mark users as service staff.

Creating a Service Job

1. Open Jobs and choose New Job.
2. Pick or add the customer.

   INFO

   If you cannot add or edit a customer here, your shop has that turned off for cashiers. See Customer Management for how an admin turns it on.

3. Enter the item, a short description of what was brought in (for example a laptop, a jacket, or a wall clock), and its serial number if it has one.
4. Enter the condition on arrival, any marks, damage, or anything handed in with it, such as a charger or a strap.
5. Enter what needs to be done, or what the customer says is not working.
6. Assign a service staff member and set a due date.
7. If the customer pays something up front, choose Take Advance, enter the amount, and click Collect Advance. This prints an advance receipt.
8. Save and print the ticket. The job gets a number like JOB-00042 and a barcode. Stick the ticket on the item.

Some jobs are done while the customer waits. In that case, skip the advance and bill everything at the end.

Working in the Workshop

1. Scan the ticket, or search for the job, to open it.
2. Move the job through its stages: Received, Diagnosing or Inspecting (whichever fits your business), Awaiting customer approval, Awaiting parts, In progress, Ready for pickup.
3. Add whatever the job uses:
   • An inventory part taken from your regular stock.
   • A one-off part you ordered specially for this job.
   • Labour, the service staff member's time.
   • An extra charge, such as transport or delivery.
4. Cost prices are visible to admins only. Other staff see selling prices only.

You can take more advances at any time while the job is open. Each one is its own receipt and adds to what the customer has already paid.

The Barcode on the Ticket

The barcode identifies the job. Scan it at the counter or the checkout screen to open the job instantly instead of typing the number, which is handy when several jobs are in the shop at once.

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FAQ

Q: What does the Service module do?

A: It lets you run service jobs next to your normal sales. You create a job, track the work, add parts, labour, and charges, collect advances, and bill the balance through the same POS, tax, and receipts you already use.

Q: Who can see it?

A: Only stores that turn it on.

Q: Why can only admins see cost prices?

A: Cost and margin are sensitive figures. Front counter and workshop staff work with selling prices only. Admins see cost for pricing decisions.

Q: Where do I choose how the invoice prints?

A: Go to Settings and select Service Jobs. You can pick a thermal printer (which uses your existing printer setup), A4, or a custom paper size. Your normal receipt printing settings are not affected.

Q: My shop only does retail. Does this affect me?

A: No. The module is off by default and stays completely hidden until an admin turns it on.

Q: Does the Service module work without internet?

A: Yes, for a job you already have open this session. You can create jobs, edit them, take advances, and bill at pickup while offline (see Advances and Billing). A job created offline shows a temporary number until it syncs. Everything syncs automatically when the connection returns, and a badge on the job shows anything still waiting.

Q: Why can't I start a brand new job for a customer I haven't served before, while offline?

A: Searching for a customer needs the network. If the customer is already selected on the job form when you lose connection, you can still save the job.

Q: What if two jobs are changed offline on different devices at the same time?

A: Each change is applied in the order it is received. If a change can no longer apply (for example, the job was already billed on another device), it is flagged so staff can check it rather than being silently lost.