Purchase of parts for a ticket
When a job needs parts you do not stock, a team lead orders them from the ticket: one request for quotation per vendor. The ticket waits for parts with its clock paused. It takes the agreed price as the cost and resumes when everything is received.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- A part is ordered by phone, and nobody links the purchase to the job it was for.
- The ticket sits open with the clock running while the part is on order.
- The part arrives at the store and the technician never hears about it.
- The customer is billed the old estimate, not what the part really cost.
How it works
- On the Materials tab, add the parts as Bought by Us for This Job, with the Vendor and, if known, the Unit Cost.
- A team lead presses Order Materials from Vendors. One request for quotation is made per vendor, or the parts are added to an open one of that vendor for the same ticket.
- The ticket moves to Waiting for Parts, which pauses its clock, and a note lists the orders. The customer sees Waiting for parts.
- Confirm the purchase as you confirm any purchase. The agreed price, after any discount, becomes the cost of the ticket's material, and the customer's price follows with the markup.
- Receive the parts as usual. They are issued from where they were received.
- When every ordered part is in, the ticket goes back to In Progress. A message says all ordered materials have arrived.
Everything it does
Ordering
- Only lines with the source Bought by Us for This Job that are not ordered yet
- Every line needs a vendor; the error names the lines without one
- Quantity, unit and description come from the ticket's line; the unit cost when it is typed
- Only team leads and above order
- The Purchases button on the ticket opens its orders, for people with purchase rights
Cost and price
- On confirmation, the purchase price less discount becomes the material's unit cost, while the line is still To Approve
- The customer's price is that cost plus the markup: contract, customer, issue type, then the Entity's 15 %
- The line is approved and billed like any material
Receiving
- Through stock receipts: the parts are issued for the customer from the location they were received into
- Without stock receipts: the received quantity typed on the purchase counts
- The ticket resumes only when all its ordered lines are fully received, and only if it is still Waiting for Parts
Who uses it
TechnicianAdds the parts needed, with the vendor.
Team LeadOrders from the vendors and approves the material lines.
Purchase teamAgrees the price, confirms the order and receives the parts.
CustomerSees Waiting for parts on the ticket and a message when the parts are in.
Where you use it
- Web: the ticket's Materials tab (Order Materials from Vendors) and the Purchases button
- Purchases and receipts: the usual purchase and inventory screens
- Not in the app: technicians add parts in the app, but ordering is on the web
- Not automatic: vendors are chosen by your team; nothing is ordered by itself
What you control
Settings
- Waiting for Parts stage, which pauses the clock
- Markup on bought materials: 15 % per Entity to start with; also per customer, issue type and contract
Approvals
- Ticket material: the team leads approve the bought parts like any material; costly lines can go to the service managers (Growth chain)
Notifications
- To the requester: the public message that all ordered materials have arrived, by email
- The customer's status shows Waiting for parts while the order is open
Questions
Does the clock run while we wait for a part?
No. Ordering moves the ticket to Waiting for Parts, a waiting stage that pauses the clock until it goes back to work.What if the vendor's price differs from our estimate?
On confirmation, the agreed price becomes the material's cost. The customer's price is worked out again with the markup, while the line is not yet approved.Can one ticket buy from several vendors?
Yes. One request for quotation is made per vendor, and the ticket waits until every part is received.Which plan has this?
Scale.Related features
WORKING A TICKETMaterials used on a ticketRecord every part used on a ticket and where it came from. It can be your stock, bought for the job, bought by the customer or supplied by them. Each source is priced its own way, and a team lead approves the lines before they are billed.QUOTES, BILLING AND PURCHASEVan stock, parts issue and returnsEach technician's van is a stock location of its own. Parts used on a ticket come from the van, else the team's store, else the warehouse. They leave the stock on approval. Unused parts go back, vans are refilled from the warehouse, and technicians see their van in the app.QUOTES, BILLING AND PURCHASEBilling of approved time and materialsApproved, billable time, parts and call-outs go on an order at the customer's prices, with contract discounts and markup. A draft invoice follows for your accounts team. A customer's ticket does not close while billable work is left unbilled, unless a service manager waives it with a reason.QUOTES, BILLING AND PURCHASEQuotes the customer accepts or declines onlineFor work the contract does not cover, the technician prepares an estimate on the ticket and a team lead sends it as a quote. The ticket waits and its clock pauses until someone of the customer with a high enough approval limit signs it or declines it online.REPORTSProfit by customer, contract and kind of issueSee what each job, customer, contract and kind of issue earned against what it cost you in labour and parts. For an AMC, see the fees invoiced plus the work billed on its tickets, less the cost to serve it.
See one of your own jobs run through it.
Tell us how a complaint reaches you today and what you bill for. We will show you the same job in SmartMy Desk.