Overview:
Depending on your specific internal processes and Job setup, common uses of Service Logs could be:
Service Logs are created by a back-office person who allocates them to an employee who will perform the work and record all costs involved in delivering that work. This employee could invoice the Log once it has been completed, right from the Log. Or the invoicing could be done by a back-office employee once the work has been completed.
A mechanic at the workshop creates Service Logs to record any maintenance or fixes performed on a Plant Item.
Another common scenario would be in those cases where there are very small jobs done for different clients, that do not have a specific Job Code set up for it in Workbench, but rather a generic/catch-all Job for Small Jobs, where the Client could be the Internal company. The Service Log can be created against this ‘Small Jobs' generic Job code, and the particular Client selected in the Log to indicate who the work is being done for and to be able to invoice it to them. Typically, the work will be done and invoiced by the allocated person from the Service Log itself. Detail of billing of 'Small jobs’ can be found here.
Log statuses
A Service Log has three types of the status:
Process Status: Pre-defined stages indicating the progress of the Service Log. The sequential order may vary based on the setup of Jobs.
The billing status: A status aiding in determining the billing stage. Further insights can be found in the Log billing article.
The workflow status: An automatically generated value reflecting the combination of the log's status and its billing status. It dynamically updates with billing or processing changes.
These statuses are displayed in the ‘General tab’ as decribed below.
Screen Guide:
By default, all existing logs are displayed and sorted by On Hand (Hrs) column which is hidden by default on Grid Management. On the [Apply filter] button the option to create a tile can be used to create a shortcut on the home screen with the filters of your choice. Clicking on the Log Number will drill into the Log detail.
The two colour coding regimes are controlled by the Control Parameter ‘Log Maintenance Colour Coding’:
Response Time: the colour is determined by how close to the scheduled date/time the log is (log Scheduled field). The response times specified on the Log Priorities will be used to determine which colour to use. In this scenario, the colour may initially match the priority specified, but as it gets closer to the scheduled date/time the colour will change, but the priority itself will not change.
Once a log has Arrived On Site populated all colour coding is removed.
Priority: the colour is determined by the priority set on the Log, and the colour is defined on Log Priorities table.
Create a new Log
To create a new Log click either:
the [Add] button on the Service Logs screen or
the [Create Planned Logs] within an existing Log.
By default, all available tabs will display on Logs. These can be narrowed down by listing the desired tabs using the setting Log Maintenance Tabs. There are two possible options for the General tab, the standard one and a simplified option called GeneralAlt.
Note:
Permission Reopen Service Logs: This permission enables the Reopen button on Service Logs. Sets the Workflow Status back to Allocated.
For the configuration and setup of Service Agreements, Log Types, and Log Service Types, the Workbench legacy platform is still required.
Create new log by drag-drop emails.
You can also generate a new log by dragging and dropping an email directly from your inbox or a saved email with the .msg extension into the box at the top of the screen. The fields will be auto-filled using the contents of the email:
The company will be derived from the 'From' address of the email.
The 'Description' field will be filled from the email subject.
The log details will be populated from the message body.
Contact details will be filled from the sender email address.
Log detail (Tabs)
Invoicing a Log
You can do the billing from the Service Log screen via the button ‘Invoice’ in multiple ways:
Wait until all services are completed and send one invoice at once, or
Bill customers for each activity/transaction as it occurs (invoice incrementally as each activity is completed) by creating invoices before marking the service as 'Finalised.'
Use both methods: bill for each transaction as it happens and, upon completion of the service, send an invoice for any remaining items.
Once an invoice introduced, the process Job Sale Invoice will be applied.
Refer to the Log billing for more details.
Note:
Once flagged as Finalised, the log becomes read-only. If new transactions are required, the [Re-open & Unfinalise] button can be used to revert the status to Allocated, making the Log editable again.
Permission Reopen Service Logs: This permission enables the Reopen button on Service Logs. Sets the Workflow Status back to Allocated.