We are investigating the service module and I some question about the differences between regular jobs and service jobs.
regular jobs produce something, a part number whether it be on the fly or part master. From a video I just watched, it looks like the service job has to produce a part number too. Do you have to make a dummy number to handle it? And is it really different then just making a job to a non-qty bearing part number to stock?
How do you complete a service job? Do you have to ship or receive to inventory like a regular job? Without the module available to test and I can’t really see what the differences are.
All of the field service stuff that it comes with looks cool, but we wouldn’t be using most of it so I’m trying to figure out if we can use workarounds to just use regular jobs tied to HDCases, or if getting the module would be helpful in collecting and tracking activities that have to do with customer service.
By the way @mchinsky has super helpful video that I watched, now I am just looking for some of the specifics.
The service Job is linked to a Service call. We typically put a brief description of what the Job entails, like General Maintenance or Start Up. You have to have something in the part number field. This Job acts as a way to accumulate costs for parts and labor that can be turned into an invoice when you use the Service Call. Expenses are loaded into this service Job as well and will show up on the customer invoice that way separate from the parts and labor.
When you have completed the Service Job, you close it by closing the Service Call. After the Call is closed, it is available for invoicing. You would need to Get Service Calls in the Actions menu for Invoice Entry.
We went live a few months ago with Epicor E10 (cloud) and I am still struggling with some of the Field Service Module options. I was wondering if either of you had some few moments to pass on some best practices with the module, so I can get the benefit out of the module I was looking for. Billable calls vs non-billable calls. Standard fee vs billable hourly. Installation vs service call. and guiding the revenue to different departments like sales categories on sales orders.
I apologize in advance if my question seems too much like a fishing request.
Thanks
Not to send you on a fishing trip, but the best way to see what happens is to try things out and follow the money as you go along. The Field Service module(s - yes, there are more than one) can be used in many ways depending on the needs of your company. Do you have a mobile fleet? Do you keep inventory on the road? Do you have the Time and Expense module? All of these affect how the module will work for you.