Profit21 NL

Operations

Service Orders

Track service work from intake to invoicing — managing parts, labor, status, and customer billing through every stage of the service lifecycle.

Service Order Lifecycle

Every service order progresses through a defined set of statuses. P21 advances most automatically, but a few require manual action:

  1. 1New → Approved — Auto on save. Parts can be added.
  2. 2Approved → WIP — Auto when you print/email the Service Order form.
  3. 3WIP → On PO — Auto when item is added to a service PO for a 3rd-party repair.
  4. 4WIP → Completed — Manual. All parts must be allocated; cannot be on an open PO.
  5. 5Completed → Invoiced — Auto when you create an invoice. Pick ticket must be generated first.

A service item cannot be marked Completed if any parts are unallocated or the item is still on an open service PO. Completing a service order is a prerequisite for generating a pick ticket and invoicing.

Forms Generated During Processing

Service orders generate several forms at different lifecycle stages. Each can be printed, faxed, or emailed from the Front Counter tab in Service Order Entry:

Service ReceiptProof of receipt from customer at intake — given to customer when they drop off the item.
Service Order FormInternal work order for the technician — lists the item, required labor, parts, and bin locations. Printing this moves status from Approved → WIP.
Parts Pick TicketDirects warehouse to pull parts needed for the repair. Can also be generated post-save via the Pick Ticket Report.
Service Pick TicketGenerated when service is complete and item is ready to return to customer. Triggers the shipping and invoicing workflow.
InvoiceCustomer bill showing service items and charges. Can only be created after the item is marked complete. Downpayment invoices can be issued at any time via the Remittances tab.

Enable Expedite Forms Processing to skip manual pick ticket generation — P21 handles it behind the scenes and moves the order to Complete automatically. Useful for front-counter quick-turnaround repairs.

Labor: Worked vs Charged Hours

P21 separates what a technician worked from what you charge the customer:

Hours WorkedTime actually spent by the technician. Used to calculate your cost (worked hours × technician rate).
Hours ChargedTime billed to the customer. Defaults to Hours Worked but can differ — e.g., flat-rate billing or warranty adjustments.
Rate TypeRegular, overtime, or holiday rate applied to Hours Worked when calculating technician cost.

Labor can be entered in Service Order Entry (per order), in Quick Service Order Edit (simplified two-tab view), or in Quick Time Entry (per technician across multiple orders — useful for managers entering from timesheets).

GL Effects at Invoicing

When you mark a service item complete and generate an invoice, P21 posts the following (when tracking costs by job):

CreditService WIPCost of parts used
CreditService RevenueTotal price charged to customer
CreditApplied LaborTotal labor cost for technician
DebitAccounts ReceivableTotal price of the service item
DebitService COSCombined cost of parts + labor

Service POs (3rd-party repairs) have their own GL flow: WIP is debited on receipt and cleared when you voucher the vendor invoice. GL accounts are configured in Company Maintenance → Service Order tab and in Technician Maintenance.

Multi-Location Labor

If a technician from one branch performs work on an order entered at a different branch, P21 can direct the labor source location to match the technician's branch rather than the order's branch.

When combined with product group GL assignments, this gives you line-level revenue and cost recognition by both location and service type — letting you analyze service order profitability per branch and per product category (pumps, condensers, engines, etc.).

This affects the Profit & Loss Statement only, not the Balance Sheet. Enable via system settings before use.

Reading the Service Orders Table

This table shows service orders from the last two years, most recent first. Key columns:

Status"Open / WIP" = work in progress; "Completed – Not Invoiced" = done but not billed; "Invoiced" = complete
ItemsNumber of service items (distinct pieces of equipment) on this order
PriceTotal amount charged to the customer for parts + labor
CostTotal internal cost — parts at cost + technician labor at pay rate
LocationThe P21 location (branch) where the service order was entered
Need InvoicingKPI above — orders marked Complete but no invoice generated yet. These represent unbilled revenue.

To process a service order in P21, navigate to Orders › Service Order › Transaction › Service Orders. For a simplified view, use Quick Service Order Edit or Quick Time Entry for labor updates.

Service Orders — Last 2 Years