Creating a Work Type

Overview

In this article, we’ll be reviewing Work Types, their functionality, how to create them, and how to give one its own scheduling windows.

What is a Work Type?

A Work Type functions as the structure of a Work Order. It denotes what the job will require, how long it will take, and the procedure associated with it. These can vary from new installs, to site surveys, to special repairs.

What does a Work Type do?

Work Types serve four primary functions.

Qualification: Work Orders with a specific Work Type only allow technicians with the appropriate skills to be scheduled for this job. This helps ensure that you’re only sending qualified technicians to complete the work.

Time: Work Types can have a duration associated with them. This will help you improve your scheduling with your technicians, keeping in mind how long it takes to complete the Work Order. This also enables reporting by Work Type, meaning you’ll be able to see a report of how long it’s taking to complete these Work Types and if the duration is accurate.

Process: Work Types can have the entire procedure for the job associated with them, allowing the standardization of the process and providing a checklist for the technicians to follow, ensuring steps aren’t missed.

Scheduling: Work Types can carry their own scheduling windows, so a repair can be offered in a different arrival window than an install. See Setting custom scheduling windows below.

How to create a Work Type

Work Types can only be created and edited by users with the Workforce > Work Types > Edit permission enabled.

Work Types are created in a short, step-by-step form. Each step is checked before you can move on, so you only deal with one part of the Work Type at a time.

To start, open the Settings tab within the Workforce module. This opens the Work types section. From there, in the top right corner, click Add work type.

The Create work type page opens. The steps are listed on the left, and you move through them in order:

1. Basic information
2. Procedure
3. Scheduling windows
4. Notifications

You only see the steps your organization can configure. Scheduling windows appears only when custom scheduling windows are available to your organization, and Notifications appears only when work type notification settings are enabled. Whichever step comes last shows the Create button.

On each step, click Next to continue. The button stays disabled until every required field on the step is filled in. To go back, click the arrow next to the step title, or click a step you have already completed in the list on the left. Click Cancel at any time to return to the list of Work Types. If you have unsaved changes, you are asked to confirm first.

A. Basic information

1. Enter a name in the Work type field

2. Select the Duration of work

   Durations are set in 15-minute intervals, up to 4 hours.

3. Optionally, enter any details that won’t be covered in the procedure in Additional information

   This information is displayed above the steps when viewing the Work Type.

4. If your organization uses sub work types, select any that apply in Sub work types
5. Click Next

B. Procedure

The procedure is the checklist your technicians follow on site.

We recommend being as concise as possible when creating your steps, as the information will be viewed on a mobile screen.

1. Click Add step
2. Enter the step’s Name

3. Select its Type: "Check boxes", "Description only", "Dropdown", "Image upload", "Radio buttons", or "Text field input"

   For "Check boxes", "Dropdown", and "Radio buttons", click Add option to list the choices. "Check boxes" needs at least one option, and "Dropdown" and "Radio buttons" need at least two.

4. Optionally, add a Description

5. Check Required if the technician must complete this step

   This checkbox is not available for "Description only" steps.

6. Repeat for each step in your procedure
7. Click Next

While building the procedure, you can also:

1. Drag a step by its handle to reorder it.
2. Open a step’s Ellipsis menu to Duplicate or Delete it. A duplicated step is added at the end of the list.
3. Click Preview, in the bottom left, to see the procedure as a technician will. The button becomes available once the Basic information step and every procedure step are complete.

C. Scheduling windows

This step is pre-filled with your global scheduling windows. Leave it as is unless this Work Type needs different arrival windows, then click Next. To set custom windows, see Setting custom scheduling windows below.

D. Notifications

1. Under Email/SMS, choose Notify customers or Do not notify

   Notifications include the confirmation, advance reminders, and en route messages.

2. Under Client Portal, choose Show in Client Portal or Don't show

   If you choose Don't show, customers cannot cancel or reschedule this appointment in the Client Portal.

3. Click Create

Your new Work Type opens, and it appears in the list of Work Types.

Setting custom scheduling windows

Every Work Type uses the global scheduling windows from Settings > Appointments by default. You can give an individual Work Type its own set of windows when that kind of job needs a different arrival range — for example, two-hour install windows alongside four-hour repair windows. The custom set then replaces the global windows for every booking of that Work Type.

Scheduling windows can only be edited by users with the Workforce > Work Types > Edit permission enabled. No separate permission is required.

The Scheduling windows step only appears when your Appointment Method is set to Arrival Window, and when global scheduling windows have been configured. See Managing Appointments to set these up.

1. Create a new Work Type, or open an existing one and click Edit

2. Go to the Scheduling windows step

   Your global windows are shown read-only. Until you change something, the Work Type keeps following them.

3. Click the pencil icon to start editing the windows

4. Adjust the Start time and End time of each window, remove the ones you do not need with the trash icon, and click Add window to add more

   Windows cannot overlap, must end after they start, and you can define up to six per Work Type.

5. Continue to the last step and click Create or Save

As soon as the windows differ from your global ones, a banner confirms that these are custom scheduling windows that override the default settings.

Returning to the global windows

Click Reset to default in that banner, then click Reset to confirm. The custom windows are removed and the Work Type goes back to following Settings > Appointments.

What to expect once they are set

1. The applicable windows are read at every booking and rebooking, across checkout, the client portal, and internal assignment.
2. Work orders that are already assigned keep the window they were booked with. Editing the Work Type’s windows later does not move them.
3. A workflow override on checkout or the client portal still takes precedence over the Work Type’s windows.
4. Windows are same-day only and cannot vary by region or coverage area.
5. Duplicating a Work Type also duplicates its custom windows.

How do I edit, duplicate, and delete a Work Type?

Clicking a Work Type in the list opens its details: the duration, the number of steps, the additional information, the procedure, the scheduling windows, and the notification settings.

Editing a Work Type

Click the Edit button in the top right corner of the Work Type. Alternatively, from the list, open the Ellipsis menu on the right-hand side of the row and select Edit.

The same steps open, pre-filled with the Work Type’s current settings. Click Next through each step to reach the last one, then click Save. The Save button is only available once you have changed something.

Duplicating a Work Type

Click Duplicate in the top right corner of the Work Type, or select Duplicate from the row’s Ellipsis menu in the list. The steps open with every setting copied and "(Copy)" added to the name. Change what you need, then click Create on the last step. The original Work Type is not changed.

Deleting a Work Type

Open the Work Type (don’t edit it). At the bottom of the page, click Delete work type, then confirm.