Completing a Service Stop
(For Technicians)
Master the service completion screen, which is the primary tool technicians will use in the field to record their work, document chemical readings, and communicate with the office and customers.
Duration
30 minutes
Category
Field Operations & Work Orders
Part 1: The Technician's Digital Door Hanger
The Service Completion screen is the modern-day equivalent of the paper door hanger. It's a single, powerful page where a technician records everything they did during a service visit.
Universal Completion Interface
Whether the stop came from a recurring Route Schedule or a one-time Work Order, the completion process is the same. This consistency makes the app easy for technicians to learn and use.
Why Accurate Completion Records Matter
🛡️ Proof of Service
Creating a legal record of work performed.
📧 Customer Communication
Populating the automated service completion emails.
💰 Billing
Justifying charges, especially for "plus chemicals" pricing models.
🧪 Water Chemistry History
Tracking a pool's chemical trends over time to anticipate issues.
Part 2: A Guided Walkthrough of the Service Completion Page
When a technician clicks on a stop from their daily dashboard, they are taken to this page. It is designed to be mobile-first and easy to use in the field.
Step 1: Review Customer & Service Information
At the top of the page, the technician sees key information:
Customer Name and Address.
The type of service they are there to perform (e.g., "Weekly Service," "Filter Clean").
A "Call Customer" button for quick contact.
A Live Service Timer, which starts automatically when they open the page, helping to track time on-site.
Step 2: Record Pool & Conditions
This section captures the state of the pool upon arrival.
Pool Size (Gallons)
If unknown, the tech can enter an estimated volume. This is critical for the LSI Calculator.
Water Clarity
Choose from options like "Clear," "Cloudy," or "Green."
Water Level
"Low," "Normal," or "High."
Algae Present
"Yes" or "No."
Step 3: Enter Water Chemistry Readings
This is where the technician records their water tests. The Readings Settings page determines which readings are available.
📱 Smart Cards
Each reading (pH, Chlorine, etc.) is presented on its own "Smart Card." The tech can tap to expand it and select a value from a pre-defined list.
🧮 LSI Calculator
As readings are entered, the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) automatically calculates in real-time, showing if the water is corrosive, balanced, or scale-forming.
💡 Smart Recommendations
Based on the readings, Upbuoy may suggest chemical additions (e.g., "pH is low, add Soda Ash"). The technician can apply these suggestions with a single tap.
Step 4: Log Chemicals Added
Here, the technician records every chemical they add to the pool.
⚡ Quick Add Buttons
Common chemicals (Chlorine, Acid, etc.) are available as quick-add buttons.
✏️ Manual Entry
For less common chemicals, they can manually add an entry, specifying the chemical name, amount, and unit (e.g., "gallons," "lbs," "oz").
💰 Cost & Price
The system automatically calculates the cost (what you paid for the chemical) and the price (what you charge the customer) based on the settings you configured in the Readings & Dosages settings.
Step 5: Complete the Checklists
This section is the technician's to-do list for the stop.
🔧 Service & Equipment Checklist
This list comes from the universal checklist you configured in Settings > Checklist.
🧽 Pool Cleaning Checklist
A separate list for standard cleaning tasks.
✅ Tapping to Complete
The technician simply taps each item to mark it as complete. Completed items are visually distinguished, providing a clear sense of progress.
Step 6: Add Photos & Notes
📸 Photos
The tech can tap "Add Photo" to use their phone's camera. This is perfect for taking a "before and after" shot or documenting a problem.
📝 Notes for Customer
This is a crucial field. The notes entered here will be included in the service completion email sent to the customer.
Example:
"Everything looks great! Pool is clean and balanced. Please remember to clean out your skimmer basket between visits."
🚨 Internal Notes (Alert Office)
If there's an issue the office needs to know about (e.g., "Pump is making a strange noise, recommend a repair"), the tech can add it here and check the "Alert Office" box to create a notification.
Step 7: Complete Service
Once all information is entered, the technician clicks the final "Complete Service" button. This action:
Saves all the service data, creating a permanent record of the work performed.
Marks the service stop as "completed."
(If enabled) Automatically triggers the service completion email to the customer.
Redirects the technician back to their daily route dashboard, where the stop will now show as completed.
Part 3: Key Concepts & Pro Tips
📱 Offline Capability (A Note for Development)
For a real-world app, this page must work offline. Technicians often have poor reception in backyards. The app should save data locally on the device and sync with the server once a connection is re-established.
⚙️ Configuration is Key
The options available on this page (chemicals, readings, checklist items) are all configured by an administrator in the Settings menu. A well-configured system makes the technician's job faster and more accurate.
📸 The Power of Photos
Encourage technicians to take photos consistently:
A photo of the completed service is the best proof of work.
A photo of a problem is the fastest way to communicate an issue to the office.
Key Takeaways
The Service Completion screen is the technician's primary tool in the field, designed for mobile-first use.
Both recurring route stops and one-time work orders use the same completion interface for consistency.
Accurate completion records serve as proof of service, customer communication, billing justification, and chemical history tracking.
Photos and detailed notes are crucial for documentation, problem communication, and customer satisfaction.
Next Steps
You've now seen how a recurring service and a one-time work order both end up on the same powerful completion screen. The next logical step is to explore how to manage non-recurring jobs that require more detail than a simple route stop.
Ready to explore advanced work order management?
Proceed to Module 14: Advanced Work Order Management