After you start submitting requests and counter offers on behalf of your managed providers, they may start getting assigned to work!
Whether your managed providers are submitting their own work order details via the Field Nation mobile app, or you are taking actions on their behalf, understanding each step of the work order lifecycle can help you not only navigate the platform, but utilize features more effectively. Knowing what to do, and how to properly complete a work order via Field Nation can help you and your team avoid friction and confusion while completing work.
Step 1: 🔎 Review Again with your Managed Provider
Work orders should contain all the necessary information and instructions from the buyer needed for your managed provider to arrive at the correct time and complete the scope effectively. Going over the following information with your managed provider and making sure they have a copy on site with them, can help ensure they are ready and can deliver a positive outcome:
Is the buyers scope of work, which includes instructions, required deliverables, necessary equipment, as well as general buyer expectations. Ensuring your managed provider has read this before arrival can help them meet all the requirements.
To help assess travel distance, timely arrival, and knowing the possible duration of the assignment for effective time management.
It's essential to know that not all work order schedules are created equal. There are 3 different schedule types, and they all have slightly different criteria for what is considered an On Time check in:
🔐 Hard Start: A specific, buyer-defined day and start time. Check-ins that occur between 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after the hard start time are marked as On Time.
🕑 Arrival Window with a Hard Start: Provider is given a buyer-defined arrival window of hours/days to choose from, and then selects their own Hard Start time from within that window. Check-ins between 30 minutes before and 15 minutes after their selected start time are marked as On Time.
↔️ Arrival Window: A buyer-defined range of hours and/or days during which a check-in is allowed and will be marked as On Time. Check-ins any time outside of their designated arrival window (even 1 minute) will be marked as either Late or Too Early, since the provider does not have buyer/end client permission to be on site any time outside of the designated window.
Please note: If the buyer's arrival window does not require a Hard Start time but includes arrival hours over multiple potential days, you will have to select which day you plan to arrive, but you do not have to designate an exact start time. You're marked as on time if you check in any time on the day you selected, as long as it's within the buyers specified arrival hours.
This section is hidden until assignment because it often contains private or proprietary information that the buyer does not want the entire marketplace to have access to. This can include phone numbers for the buyer or site contacts, door codes, site access instructions, the help desk or bridge line numbers, etc.
Step 2: ☀️ The Day of the Work Order
There are features available in the mobile app that support proper documentation of things like travel, arrival, task completion, logging hours, deliverables and a summary of your work in real-time, from site. The ease and benefit of using these features is drastically improved if your managed provider are able to log in to the Field Nation mobile app and take the below actions themselves, with GPS enabled. The alternative is you, or a member of your team would log in and take actions on your managed providers behalf.
Marking "on my way" when leaving for the job site gives the buyer and end client visibility into travel status and possible ETA.
To document real-time provider arrival on site. Remember that "on time" is based on the work order schedule type and when the provider checks in. Checking in late or too early negatively impacts your Timeliness Score. Some work orders also include additional arrival instructions, like calling a bridge line, signing in at the front desk, uploading a photo of the building, etc.
Shows what the buyer needs completed in addition to (or in support of) what is listed in the service description/scope. Sometimes buyers require tasks be done in sequence but either way tasks help keep track of progress and can help support proper documentation and detailed closeout notes which buyers often consider one of the most important tasks. FYI: Leaving any work order tasks or required fields blank will prevent your company from being able to submit the work order for final buyer approval/payment.
To document real-time provider departure. Check out to finalize a time log and indicate to the buyer that you are done and/or leaving site.
Step 3: 🎯 Mark As Complete
There are features in the work order that support important steps like the submission of deliverables, documentation of additional charges or revisits, and marking the work order as complete for buyer review:
Required on every work order as a way to show your work; can include photos, signatures, paperwork, close-out notes, or any other details that help document what took place on site, including reasons for issues or delays. The service description or custom fields may also include specific instructions on when and how certain information and deliverables should be submitted.
You can request additional charges on any work order but they often will not be required as most are pre-negotiated via counter offer. These charges cover things like materials or travel (not labor), often when unexpected travel and materials were needed and agreed to after assignment. Requests for additional charges can include supporting documentation, such as a receipt or photo for ease of buyer review. A buyer can accept or deny any requests for additional charges submitted by the provider after assignment, but buyers cannot remove additional charges pre-approved via counter offer.
Intended for changes in labor cost, a pay change request is typically only necessary when unexpected shifts in the scope of work occur after assignment. Pay Change Requests can either raise or lower the overall payment amount, and are either accepted or denied by the buyer. If accepted, the work order updates automatically; if denied, the original pay amount remains.
Discounts in pay can be entered by a provider at any time after assignment if they so choose. Any discount added by the assigned provider is automatically deducted and does not require buyer review or approval.
Step 4: 💸 Approval and Payment
Once a work order assignment is completed and all deliverables, tasks and hours are entered, the work order can be submitted for approval. Buyer approval can only occur if the work order is in "Work Done" status (which is after a provider completes all required fields and selects "Mark as Complete" in the work order). Once the buyer hits ‘Approve’, then the work order gets queued for payment.
Payment is transferred to your Service Company account after the buyer's Payment Terms listed in the work order have passed. Most buyer Payment Terms range from 0–14 days, and payment is transferred on the first Friday after the terms have passed.
Providers with Field Nation Pro are exempt from buyer Payment Terms and can access On-Demand Pay for faster payment after buyer approval.