1. Classic User Guide
  2. Work Orders

13 Work Orders

Work orders are labor services requested by a customer and performed by the retailer or an outside contractor. They may be further sub-classified as repairs or alterations.

The system provides work order tracking functionality that allows a retailer to take in merchandise from the customer and associate it with a POS tracking record. The record identifies the product, its value, condition, customer information, and the work to be done. The kinds of work that are performed on a product are called work order tasks.

  • Repair service is typically found in retail environments that sell and service watches, athletic equipment, and footwear. Repair services usually focus on the repairing, setting up, or fitting of products for the retail customer. An example of a repair is fixing a flat tire at a bicycle shop. A setup example is a Hot-Tub purchase in which installers are required to connect the filter and heating systems.

    Repairs may vary depending on the service being performed. For instance, a sporting goods outlet may track the service associated with the sizing and drilling of a bowling ball as a repair service. The similarities of this process and their actual repair activities allow retailers to utilize the same POS function to perform multiple activities.

  • Alteration services are primarily found in clothing retail locations. Retailers provide an important service by altering the garments that they sell to their customers. This service may be a billable activity to the customer, or it may be without cost. Some retailers extend this offer to non-customers or even to customers who have a product for alteration that was not purchased through a particular outlet; this is generally performed as a value-added service to loyal customers.

  • Tasks are the detail operations that are performed on a Work Order item and can be selected from a list. The system also maintains a fixed rate of cost for the task, a description, and a free-form comment field that may be used to describe the task to be performed. For example, a comment may contain the specific text to engrave or embroider on an item.