Service Requests Tab

The Service Requests tab is where you to enter and manage important information about the customer’s visit.

There are three main sections:

• Customer Request - Where you enter customer requests.
• Services - Where you select the requested inspections and services.
• Times - Where you manage the arrival, promised, and wait times for the customer visit.

NOTE: By default, tickets open to the Parts/Labor tab; however, you can set R.O. Writer to open to the Service Request tab instead.

Customer Requests

The Customer Request dropdown list at the top of the window contains a list of common customer requests.

Many repairs begin with customers describing symptoms of what is wrong. Rather than make you type as fast as the customer talks, R.O. Writer includes the most common customer requests in a dropdown list on the Service Requests Tab.

You can select a customer request in the list that matches what the customer is describing to add it to the description. This makes customer intake faster, easier, and more accurate.

Customer requests appear on printed repair orders and customer invoices. If you do not want these descriptions to print, you need to manually delete the text in the Description field.

NOTE: You can edit the content of customer requests to suit your business in the Service Request Options setting in Configuration.

To Add Customer Requests

Complete these steps:

1. While talking to customers and asking them about the problem they are experiencing, click inside the Customer Request dropdown list.
   

   NOTE: If you don't see the request you need in the dropdown list, you can type a description into the Customer Request field.

2. Move through the list,
   • Click the down arrow OR press the down arrow key on the keyboard.
   • Press the letter of the area. For instance, if the customer is describing a brake problem, press the “B” key and the list jumps to the customer requests that begin with “B”.
3. When the request is highlighted, click the Add Request button. The description box displays the details of the selected request.

The Add Request button is active only when an item is selected in the Customer Request list.

4. The Save button in the lower right corner of the window enables and disables quickly. Requests are saved automatically.
5. You can continue to select items in the dropdown list and click Add Request.
   • Each item is added in the sequence you select them.
6. Your selections are saved automatically until you manually delete them.

To Add Text to Customer Requests

You can click anywhere inside the description box and start typing. You can modify the existing description and add more details of your own.

When you click inside the description box

• The cursor begins flashing.
• The Save button activates.

You must click Save before closing the ticket window. The text remains if you click away from the Service Request tab while the ticket window is open and return. However, if you close the ticket window without clicking Save, your text edits will not be saved.

To Type in Customer Requests

If you would like to add customer requests without using the Customer Requests dropdown list, you can simply type in the description box.

You must click Save before closing the ticket window. The text remains if you click away from the Service Request tab while the ticket window is open and return. However, if you close the ticket window without clicking Save, your text edits will not be saved.

To Spell Check Customer Requests

The text in the description box prints on customer invoices. Use the spell check tools to make sure that the text is spelled correctly before finalizing.

When a word you type is misspelled, a red, squiggly line appears under the text. Right-click on the word with the red, squiggle line. A menu appears with suggestions.

You must click Save before closing the ticket window. The text remains if you click away from the Service Request tab while the ticket window is open and return. However, if you close the ticket window without clicking Save, your text edits will not be saved.

Times

This section helps you manage customer arrival, wait, and promised times during the customer visit.

The Save button activates when you make a change to this section.

Arrived

The Arrived time is the time the customer entered the shop. Having it helps you track how long certain jobs take to complete in your shop. R.O. Writer enters the current date and time when the ticket is created.

If you need to edit this time, you can

• Type in the date and time.
• Click the Now button to update it to the current date and time.

Promised

The Promised date and time is the date and time you are promising the completion of the job. You can use this for internal tracking.

The Promised time fields are disabled by default. To enter a promised time, check Promised and enter the date and time.

• The Promised column in the Work in Progress (WIP) Window or Estimates in Progress Window:
  • Displays the date and time promised.
  • Is highlighted in red when the promised time has passed.

Waiting

Check Waiting if the customer is waiting in the shop. The Promised column in the Work in Progress (WIP) Window or Estimates in Progress Window is says "Waiting" in green.

Saving Requests and Times

Customer requests and times are saved immediately. As soon as you enter text in the description box, the content is saved immediately. The Save button in the lower right corner is disabled by default.

The Save button is active only when

• The cursor is active in the description box of the Customer Request section.
• A change has been made to the Times section.

When you click the Save button,

• The Customer Request section and the Times section are saved. (The Save button is disabled until another change is made to either one of these sections.)
• The selections the Services sectionare not saved.

Services

Services are usually complementary system checks or inspections your shop wants to provide. Services are created and assigned to labor operations in the Service Request Options Configuration setting.

To Post Services to Tickets

When you select a service and click the Post Labor button, the labor assigned to the service posts automatically.

Click the Parts/Labor Tab to see the labor in the Jobs section.

Required Services

You can make some services required in the Service Request Options Configuration setting. This function is ideal for mandatory inspections or checks. You can also use required services if you want technicians to perform certain services on every vehicle, such as checking the air conditioner.

Required services

• Are always posted to new estimates and repair orders. The service always appears on the printed work order for the technician.
• Are not posted to new phone quotes, tire quote quotes, or tire comparison quotes. Requires services are added when you convert quotes to estimates or repair orders.
• Appear in the Services section already checked and disabled.

You cannot uncheck a required service. If you do not want to perform the service after it is posted, you have to delete or decline the labor on the Parts/Labor tab.

• Right-click on the labor and click Delete on the popup menu.
• Decline the labor on the Editing Labor window after speaking with the customer.