EAM for Business Central

Service Orders

Introduction

Round Order Quotes in Dynaway EAM for Business Central allow you to prepare, send, and manage quotes for recurring or scheduled maintenance rounds. This ensures clear communication, accurate pricing, and efficient approval processes for round-based maintenance work.

What is a Service Order?

A Service Order is a Work Order designated as customer-facing service work. Service Orders have additional customer-related fields and generate customer-facing documents (confirmations, completion certificates, etc.).

Service Orders are used for:

  • Field service calls to customer sites
  • Equipment service at your facility for customer-owned assets
  • Warranty work on sold equipment
  • Maintenance performed under service agreements
  • Any maintenance work that will be invoiced to a customer

Creating Service Orders

Method 1: From Work Order Quote (Recommended)

When a quote is approved and converted to a Work Order:

  • Service Order toggle automatically set to ON
  • Billable toggle automatically set to ON
  • Customer information pre-populated
  • All quoted resources and items included

Method 2: Direct Creation

For urgent service without prior quoting:

  1. Navigate to: Work Orders list

  2. Click New

  3. Fill General Information (similar to quotes):

    • Description
    • Asset No.
    • Category Code
    • Priority Code
    • Planned Date/Time

  4. Customer Section:

    • Toggle Service Order to ON
    • Toggle Billable to ON
    • Customer No.: Select the customer
      • Customer Name, Contact populate automatically
    • Maintenance Contract No.: Link to contract if work is covered

  5. Add Resources, Items, and Expenses as needed

Method 3: From Asset Card

If you're viewing an asset that requires service:

  1. Open the Asset Card
  2. Click Create Work Order in actions menu
  3. Work Order creation wizard opens
  4. Check Service Order checkbox
  5. Select customer
  6. Complete work order details

Service Order Fields and Options

Customer Information Section

Customer No. (Required):

  • The customer being billed for this service
  • Must be selected when Service Order toggle is ON

Customer Name:

  • Auto-populated from customer record
  • Display only

Maintenance Contract No.:

  • Link to active maintenance contract (if applicable)
  • Affects how work is billed (see Contracts section)

Billing and Shipping Addresses:

  • Sell-to Address: Customer's billing address
  • Bill-to Customer No.: Alternative billing customer (if different)
  • Ship-to Code: Select alternative shipping/service address
    • Use this for customers with multiple service locations
  • Custom Address: Override with one-time address if needed

Address Options:

  • Sell-to Address: Use customer's main address
  • Alternative Shipping Address: Use pre-configured alternate address
  • Custom Address: Enter one-time address for this service call

Service Order Toggles

Service Order:

  • When ON: Work order is customer-facing
    • Customer fields become required
    • Service confirmation available
    • Special handling in scheduling
    • Service history tracking

Billable:

  • When ON: Work order costs will be invoiced to customer
  • When OFF: Work order is internal (not invoiced)
  • Can be ON even if Service Order is OFF (for internal cost allocation)

Time and Material vs. Fixed Price

Time and Material (Default):

  • Customer billed for actual time and materials used
  • Resource hours, parts consumed, and expenses are totaled
  • Final invoice may differ from quote if scope changes
  • Best for: Variable scope work, emergency repairs, time-based contracts

Fixed Price:

  • Customer billed the agreed fixed amount
  • Actual costs tracked internally but don't affect customer invoice
  • Used when quote was accepted at fixed price
  • Best for: Preventive maintenance packages, annual inspections, warranty work

To Set Fixed Price:

  1. On Work Order, change pricing method to Fixed Price
  2. Enter Fixed Price Amount in Customer section
  3. Customer will be billed this amount regardless of actual costs

Adding Contracted Work

Understanding Contracted vs. Extra Work

Contracted Work:

  • Resources, items, or expenses included in a customer's maintenance contract
  • Not billed additionally to customer
  • Marked with Contracted checkbox
  • Tracked for contract usage reporting

Extra Work (Non-Contracted):

  • Work beyond the contract scope
  • Billed to customer in addition to contract
  • Contracted checkbox is OFF
  • Examples: Emergency repairs, additional parts, scope creep

Marking Resources as Contracted

On the Resources tab:

  1. Locate the resource line for work included in contract
  2. Check the Contracted checkbox
  3. Resource line is excluded from billing but tracked in ledger

Example Scenario:

Maintenance Contract includes 4 hours of PM labor per month

Resource Lines:
Resource      Quantity    Unit Price    Contracted    Billable Amount
TECH-01       4.0 HOUR    $85.00       ☑ YES         $0.00
TECH-01       2.5 HOUR    $85.00       ☐ NO          $212.50

Customer Bill: $212.50 (only the extra 2.5 hours)
Contract Usage: 4.0 hours consumed from monthly allowance

Marking Items as Contracted

On the Items tab:

  1. Locate item line(s) covered by contract
  2. Check the Contracted checkbox
  3. Item is excluded from additional billing

Example Scenario:

Contract includes all filters and lubricants for quarterly PM

Item Lines:
Item          Quantity    Unit Price    Contracted    Billable Amount
FILTER-100    2.0 PCS     $45.00       ☑ YES         $0.00
OIL-SAE30     5.0 GAL     $28.00       ☑ YES         $0.00
SEAL-KIT      1.0 EA      $185.00      ☐ NO          $185.00

Customer Bill: $185.00 (seal kit not included in contract)
Contract Usage: Filters and oil consumed from contract coverage

Contract Coverage Validation

The system helps ensure proper contract billing:

If Maintenance Contract No. is filled:

  • System can validate which items/resources are covered
  • Warnings appear if contracted items are unmarked
  • Reports show contract utilization vs. allowances

Best Practice:

  • Review contract terms before creating service order
  • Mark all covered work as Contracted
  • Leave extra/additional work unmarked
  • Document reason for extra work in comments

Executing Service Work

Scheduling and Assignment

Assign Technicians:

  1. On Resources tab, select appropriate technicians
  2. Use Resource Scheduling Board for visual scheduling
  3. Consider technician location, skills, and availability

Schedule the Work:

  • Planned Date: Service appointment date
  • Planned Time: Appointment time (if using time-based planning)
  • Coordinate with customer for site access
  • Verify asset availability (not in use during service)

Mobile Execution

Field technicians use Power Apps mobile to execute service orders:

Technician Can:

  • View work order details and customer information
  • Access asset history and technical documentation
  • Complete checklists (including signatures)
  • Record time spent on work
  • Document parts used (consumption)
  • Add photos of work performed
  • Add notes about work completed
  • Update work order status

Offline Capability:

  • Technicians can work offline
  • Data syncs when connection restored
  • Critical for remote field locations

Recording Work Progress

On the Work Order (desktop or mobile):

Time Registration:

  • Start timer when work begins
  • Stop timer when work ends
  • Time automatically records to resource line
  • Multiple timer sessions supported for interrupted work

Parts Consumption:

  • As parts are used, record on Items tab
  • Quantity Consumed: Actual quantity used
  • System reduces inventory automatically (when posted)
  • Can consume more or less than originally estimated

Expense Recording:

  • Record any additional expenses incurred
  • Subcontractor costs, permits, etc.
  • Enter actual costs as work progresses

Handling Scope Changes

If work scope expands beyond the original service order:

For Extra Work Not in Contract:

  1. Add new resource, item, or expense lines
  2. Leave Contracted checkbox OFF
  3. Customer will be billed for additional work
  4. Document reason in work order comments

For Significant Scope Changes:

  1. Consider creating a new quote for additional work
  2. Get customer approval before proceeding
  3. Create follow-up work order for additional scope
  4. Link work orders via comments or custom fields

Customer Communication

During Service:

  • Update customer on progress (via phone/email)
  • Notify of any additional work discovered
  • Send photos of issues found (via mobile app)
  • Confirm completion time estimates

Status Updates:

  • Use Set Next Status action to update work order status
  • Advanced statuses provide granular progress tracking
  • Customer portal (if configured) can show status

Completing Service Orders

Pre-Completion Checklist

Before closing the service order:

  • [ ] All work performed is documented
  • [ ] Time recorded for all technicians
  • [ ] All parts consumed are entered
  • [ ] Expenses recorded (if any)
  • [ ] Checklists completed (Before, During, After Work)
  • [ ] Photos uploaded (if applicable)
  • [ ] Customer sign-off obtained (if required)
  • [ ] Work quality verified

Posting Consumption

When Ready to Complete:

  1. Review all resource, item, and expense lines
  2. Verify Quantity Consumed matches actual usage
  3. Click Post Consumption (or select lines and use Post Consumption)

What Happens:

  • Inventory is reduced by items consumed
  • Costs post to General Ledger
  • Work Order Ledger Entries created
  • Time entries post to resource time tracking
  • Asset maintenance history updated

Partial Posting:

  • You can post consumption in stages
  • Useful for multi-day service jobs
  • Post each day's work separately for accurate cost tracking

Closing the Work Order

Final Closure:

  1. Ensure all consumption is posted
  2. Complete any required "After Work" checklists
  3. Click Post/Close button
  4. System validates:
    • All mandatory checklists completed
    • All resource time posted
    • Work order status allows closure
  5. Work Order converts to Posted Work Order

Posted Work Order:

  • Permanent historical record
  • Cannot be edited
  • Viewable by customer (via portal if configured)
  • Basis for invoicing (if billable)

Service Confirmation

After posting, provide completion documentation to customer:

Method 1: Email Confirmation:

  1. On Posted Work Order, click Send Confirmation by Email
  2. Email with PDF attachment generates
  3. Shows work performed, time spent, parts used
  4. Professional completion certificate

Method 2: Print Confirmation:

  1. Click Print Confirmation
  2. Options:
    • Include internal comments (usually NO)
    • Include external comments (usually YES)
    • Include costs (configurable)
  3. Print or save PDF to deliver to customer

What Customer Receives:

  • Summary of work performed
  • Asset serviced
  • Date and time of service
  • Technicians who performed work
  • Parts replaced
  • Service completion confirmation
  • Next service recommendations (if applicable)

Service Order Reporting

Available Reports

Service History by Customer:

  • All service orders for a customer
  • Date range filtering
  • Asset-level detail
  • Useful for account reviews

Service History by Asset:

  • All service performed on specific asset
  • Cross-customer if asset was transferred
  • Maintenance timeline visualization

Service Order Profitability:

  • Compare costs vs. revenue per service order
  • Identify profitable vs. unprofitable work
  • Analysis by customer, asset type, service type

Contract Utilization:

  • Track contracted vs. extra work
  • Monitor contract allowance usage
  • Identify customers exceeding contract limits

Key Performance Indicators

Monitor these metrics for service excellence:

Response Time:

  • Time from request to service order creation
  • Time from creation to scheduled service
  • Track by priority level

First-Time Fix Rate:

  • Percentage of service orders completed without return visit
  • Indicator of diagnosis accuracy and parts availability

Service Order Cycle Time:

  • Average time from creation to completion
  • Benchmark by service type

Customer Satisfaction:

  • Post-service surveys (external to BC)
  • Complaint tracking
  • Repeat business rate

Profitability Metrics:

  • Average margin per service order
  • Revenue per technician hour
  • Parts markup realization

Best Practices for Service Orders

Planning and Scheduling

Before Creating Service Order:

  • Verify asset location and accessibility
  • Check asset warranty status (affects billing)
  • Review asset history for recurring issues
  • Confirm parts availability
  • Schedule based on technician skills and proximity

Use Resource Scheduling Board:

  • Visual drag-and-drop scheduling
  • Avoid conflicts and double-booking
  • Optimize technician routes
  • Balance workload across team

During Service Execution

Document Everything:

  • Take "before" photos of issues
  • Take "after" photos of completed work
  • Record all observations and measurements
  • Note any deviations from standard procedures

Customer Interaction:

  • Confirm customer contact onsite
  • Explain work being performed
  • Point out any additional issues discovered
  • Get approval before expanding scope
  • Provide realistic completion estimates

Quality Assurance:

  • Complete all checklist items
  • Verify equipment operation before leaving
  • Clean up work area
  • Leave asset in better condition than found

After Service Completion

Follow-Up:

  • Send completion confirmation promptly
  • Follow up on customer satisfaction
  • Schedule any recommended follow-up work
  • Update asset records with service notes

Continuous Improvement:

  • Review actual vs. estimated time and parts
  • Identify recurring issues by asset type
  • Update standard job plans based on lessons learned
  • Refine quoting accuracy over time

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