Create a work order for the customer's item, add parts and labor, assign a technician, and move the job through statuses that can email or text the customer. Print a service tag at intake and collect a deposit or the final payment at pickup.

If your store repairs what it sells — or repairs anything at all — the Work Orders module tracks each job from intake to pickup. A work order records the customer, the items being repaired, the parts and labor you quote, the technician doing the work, and every note and status change in one record. Every work order also creates a sale behind the scenes, so repairs show up in your sales reports and can be paid for like any other transaction. Typical users are cell phone repair shops, jewelers, bike shops, and sporting goods stores that service equipment under warranty.

Create a work order

1. Open Work Orders in the left menu.
2. Click + New Work Order in the top right.
3. In the Customer field, start typing the customer's name and pick them from the suggestions. If they're new, click the blue new-customer icon next to the search field to create them on the spot — see customer profiles.
4. In the item field, type an item name or scan a barcode to add the item being repaired. If the item isn't in your catalog, click the blue new-item icon to create it — see creating items. You can add several items to one work order; remove one with the x next to its name.
5. Click Save. A customer and at least one item are the only required fields.

After saving, the full work order form opens with every section described below.

You can also create a work order from the register: turn on Create Work Order for Customer in Store Config → Sales, and a Create Work Order checkbox appears in the register's payment panel — but only while a customer is attached to the sale; with no customer the checkbox isn't offered at all. Completing the sale creates the work order. The companion setting Create Work Order is Checked By Default For Sale pre-checks that box on every sale.

Fill in the work order

• Technician — assign the order to an employee from the dropdown; use Change Technician to reassign at any time. The assigned employee is notified with the message "You have been assigned a Work Order". With Store Config → Work Order → Default Work Order Technician is Logged In enabled, new work orders default to the employee who is signed in, and the work orders list filters to that technician by default.
• Estimated Repair Date — click the field to pick a date and time from the calendar and clock picker. The estimated date prints on the sales receipt and the work order sheet, and can print on the service tag.
• Repair Items — the items under repair. Check Warranty Repair to mark the job as covered by warranty. Under Modify Repair Items you can add more items, remove one with the red x, and click the blue quantity or price values to edit them. Each line also has Approved by and Assigned to columns — click None and pick an employee to record who signed off and who is doing the work.
• Parts & Labor — add a line for each part used and each labor charge under Modify Parts & Labor. These lines bill on the sale.
• Estimates — enter Estimated Parts and Estimated Labor dollar amounts to quote the job before the exact lines are known. Estimates are for internal reference only; they do not print on the work order sheet or the sales receipt.
• Images — drag and drop photos of the item's condition, or click to upload. Multiple images are supported.
• Files — attach files of any type (a PDF receipt, a signed authorization) with Choose File. Where attached images and files are linked outside the app — on the printed work order sheet, for example — the links are signed URLs that open without signing in, and the viewer behind them serves only image formats plus .txt and .pdf files; other file types can only be downloaded from within the work order.
• Notes — type the note in the detailed note area, optionally pick the device's storage Location from the dropdown (see "Device locations" below), then select a Status for the work order — a status must be chosen to save the note. Notes print on the work order sheet unless you check Internal Note; no notes print on the sales receipt. Public notes display with a white background, internal notes in pink. Delete a note with the red trash can icon. To make every new note internal automatically, enable Store Config → Work Order → Notes Internal By Default.
• Additional Information — your work order custom fields appear here (see below).
• Work Order Checkbox Groups — click Change Group and tick each checklist that applies to this job (see below).
• Activity — a log of everything that has happened on the order, including checkbox changes. Entries can be removed with the delete icon if the employee has the Delete Log Activity permission.

Stock for repair items and parts can be deducted when the work order is created or updated: enable Store Config → Work Order → Take inventory out of system when creating/updating work order. Leave it off and inventory is deducted only when the sale is completed.

Edit, search, and delete work orders

The main Work Orders page lists every order with colored status boxes at the top showing how many orders sit in each status. You can search, filter by Status and Technician, and toggle Hide Completed Work Orders and Hide Cancelled Work Orders (each employee's choice is remembered). Column Configuration in the ellipsis (...) menu controls which columns display.

• Edit — click Edit next to an order. Technician, estimated repair date, estimates, parts and labor, notes, images, files, and custom fields are all editable directly. To change the customer or the repaired items, click Edit Sale in the top right, which opens the sale for editing (customer, employee, receipt comment).
• Delete — tick the checkbox on one or more rows and click Delete above the list, then confirm. Deleting requires the Delete permission.
• Undelete — open the ellipsis (...) menu, choose the deleted work orders view, select rows, and click Undelete.

Statuses that notify the customer

A work order starts as New and ships with the statuses In Progress, Out For Repair, Waiting On Customer, Repaired, Complete, and Cancelled. Statuses are changed manually — either on the order itself or with the Change Status dropdown above the list after selecting rows.

To manage statuses:

1. Open Work Orders, click the ellipsis (...) in the top right, and choose Manage Statuses (requires the Manage Statuses permission).
2. Click Add Status and fill in:
   • Name — what appears in status dropdowns and the queue.
   • Description — for your reference; if a notification has no template, the description is used as the message text when set.
   • Notify customer via email — off by default; when checked, changing an order to this status emails the customer automatically.
   • Notify customer via SMS — off by default; when checked, the customer is texted instead or in addition. SMS requires the Twilio integration — see email and SMS notifications.
   • Color — how the status displays in the queue and status boxes.
   • Sort Order — the position of the status in dropdowns.
3. Click Save. Edit changes an existing status everywhere it's used; Delete removes it permanently from all orders that had it and cannot be undone.

The default notification reads "Company would like to inform you that your work order ID status has changed to: status." To write your own message per status, open the ellipsis (...) menu and choose Manage Email Template. Pick a status that has email notification enabled, type the message, and use these placeholders, which are replaced with the order's real values when the email sends: %company_name%, %customer_name%, %work_order_id%, %sale_total%, %estimated_parts%, %estimated_labor%, %estimated_repair_date%, %warranty_repair%, %work_order_status%, %customer_notes%, plus one placeholder per work order custom field (for example %custom_field_imei% for a field named "IMEI"). A Default template applies to any notifying status without its own template.

Custom fields

Work orders support up to 10 custom fields. To set them up, open Work Orders, click the ellipsis (...), and choose Custom Field Configuration. For each field set:

• Name — the label shown on the work order.
• Type — Text, Dropdown (type each value and click Add New Value), Checkbox, E-Mail, Website, Phone Number, Date, Image, or File.
• Show on Receipt — off by default; check it to print the field and its value on receipts.
• Hide Field Label — prints the value without its label.
• Required — off by default; when checked, the field must be filled before any work order can be saved.

Click Save. Fields appear in the Additional Information section of every work order. See custom fields for how custom fields behave across the rest of the program.

Checkbox groups (repair checklists)

A checkbox group is a reusable checklist template — intake steps, bench procedures, quality checks — that you attach to work orders so every job is handled the same way.

1. Open Work Orders, click the ellipsis (...), and choose Manage Checkboxes.
2. Click Add Checkbox, enter a Group Name, and click Add to add steps under Pre Order and Post Order. Remove steps with the Delete column.
3. Click Save, then Done to return to the work orders list.

On a work order, click Change Group and select every group that applies. Checking and unchecking boxes is recorded in the order's Activity log.

Device locations

To track where a customer's device physically sits in your shop (a shelf, a bin, the bench), define locations in Store Config → Work Order: type each name into Work Order Device Locations and press Enter; press Backspace to remove one, and click Save. The location dropdown then appears in the Notes section of every work order. These are storage spots inside your store, not store locations.

Collect payment

A work order is a sale, so payment flows through the register:

1. On the Work Orders page, any order with a balance shows a Collect Payment button in the queue.
2. Click it to open the regular sale screen with the order's items loaded. Adjust parts and labor if needed, then take payment like a normal sale — deposits, split payments, and every payment type work; see payment types, tips, and split payments.
3. Once the order is paid in full, the Collect Payment button disappears from the queue.

Paying does not change the work order's status by itself. To advance it automatically when the sale completes, pick a status in Store Config → Work Order → Change Work Order Status on Sales Complete. The related setting Change Work Order Status from Sales lets cashiers change the status right from the sale screen: while a work-order sale is open at the register, the Suspend Sale dropdown lists one entry per work-order status instead of the usual layaway and estimate choices — pick a status and confirm, and the work order switches to that status as the sale suspends back into it.

With PHP POS Payments Premium terminals, you can also display terms on the pin pad and capture the customer's signature: set the text in each location's Pre Work Order Authorization Terms and Post Work Order Terms fields (in the location's settings), and buttons to capture the pre- and post-work signatures appear on the work order. Captured signatures are stored on the order. See PHP POS Payments.

Print the sheet, the receipt, and a service tag

• Work order sheet — open the order and click Print. Store Config → Work Order controls its content: Show Prices on Work Order Sheet, Show Payments on Work Order Sheet, Show Item Description on Work Order Sheet, and Show Condensed Receipt For Work Orders for a shorter layout. Work Order Terms and Conditions text prints on the sheet when set.
• Sales receipt — on the work orders list, click the order's name in the Work Order column to open its sales receipt, then use Print, Email Receipt, or SMS Receipt in the top right. To keep repair lines off customer receipts, use Hide Repair Items On Receipt and Hide parts and labor items on receipt in Store Config → Work Order.
• Service tag — open the order and click Service Tag to print scannable barcodes for the item and its parts. Adjust the height, width, and size values and click Submit to preview sample barcodes; click Print when it looks right, Reset Labels to restore the defaults, or Excel Export to download the barcode numbers, item names, and prices. What prints on the tag is controlled in Store Config → Work Order: Show Item Description Service Tag, Show Phone Number Service Tag, Show Custom Fields on Service Tag, Show Custom Fields Label On Service Tag, and Show Estimated Repair Date on Service Tag.

Send an item out for repair

When a job goes to an outside shop, click Send To Supplier on the work order, pick the supplier, and choose which of the order's items to send. When the repair comes back, use Receive From Supplier. The order records that the item left your store and returned.

For warranty work, check Warranty Repair on the order. With Store Config → Work Order → All Warranty Repairs Are Free enabled, item prices on warranty orders are zeroed so the customer isn't charged. Repair Item Taxable in the same section controls whether the repair item itself is taxed.

Export and import with Excel

• Export — select rows with the checkboxes (or the header checkbox for the whole page) and click Excel Export in the menu that appears above the list. The file includes Sale ID, Date, Status, Customer First Name, Customer Last Name, Customer Address, City, State, Zip, Email, Phone Number, and Work Order ID.
• Import — in the ellipsis (...) menu choose Import Work Orders. Download the Template for New Work Orders or Template for Existing Work Orders, fill it in, upload it, and map the columns. See importing your data for how mapping works.

Permissions

Access is controlled per employee in Employees — see permissions and templates:

• Work Orders module permission — shows or hides the module.
• Edit — change work orders.
• Delete — delete work orders.
• Search — view and search the work orders list.
• Manage Statuses — add, edit, and delete statuses.
• Delete Log Activity — remove entries from a work order's activity log.

Reporting and integrations

The Detailed Work Orders report (Reports → Work Orders → Detailed Reports) lists every job with its status, technician, amounts paid and due, and totals — see running reports. Note that the Work Orders report category is shown to employees who hold the reports permission View Suspended Sales.

Because every work order is a sale, repairs also appear in sales reports. Webhooks can fire on work order creation and edits — set New Work Order Web Hook and Edit Work Order Web Hook URLs in Store Config → Web Hooks; see the REST API and webhooks. If customers book repair drop-offs ahead of time, pair work orders with appointments.

Common questions

Why can't I save my note? A status must be selected in the note area before the note saves. Pick any status (even the current one) and save again.

Why did my customer see an internal comment on their printout? Only notes checked as Internal Note are hidden from the work order sheet. Verify the note shows in pink (internal) rather than white (public), or turn on Notes Internal By Default in Store Config → Work Order.

Does the customer get notified automatically when the repair is done? Only if the status you change the order to has Notify customer via email or Notify customer via SMS checked. Status changes themselves are always manual unless triggered by completing the sale with Change Work Order Status on Sales Complete set.

Why is Collect Payment still showing after I took a deposit? Collect Payment shows until the balance is zero. A deposit leaves a remaining balance, so the button stays until the order is paid in full.

Can I charge nothing for a warranty repair? Yes — check Warranty Repair on the order and enable All Warranty Repairs Are Free in Store Config → Work Order, or manually zero the line prices.

Where do I see how many jobs each technician has open? Filter the work orders list by Technician, or run Reports → Work Orders → Detailed Reports and group by the technician column in the export.

Do parts come out of inventory while the job is open? Only if Take inventory out of system when creating/updating work order is enabled in Store Config → Work Order. Otherwise stock is deducted when the sale completes.

Can I recover a deleted work order? Yes — open the ellipsis (...) menu on the Work Orders page, view deleted work orders, select the rows, and click Undelete.