Customizing Service
Checklists
Learn how to create and manage a universal service checklist that standardizes your company's service procedures, ensures quality control, and provides valuable documentation for every route stop.
Duration
20 minutes
Category
Settings & Administration
Part 1: The "Why": Standardizing Your Service for Quality and Consistency
How do you ensure every technician performs the same high-quality service at every pool, every time? A standardized checklist is the answer.
✅ The Service Checklist Feature
The Service Checklist in Upbuoy allows you to define a universal list of tasks that should be performed during a routine service visit. This isn't just a to-do list; it's a powerful tool for:
🎯 Quality Control
Guarantees that essential tasks (like testing water or emptying baskets) are never forgotten.
👨🎓 Training New Techs
Provides a clear, step-by-step guide for new hires to follow.
💬 Clear Communication
The completed checklist is included in the service completion email sent to the customer, showing them exactly what they paid for.
📋 Accountability
Creates a digital record of every task performed at every visit.
Part 2: A Guided Walkthrough of the Checklist Settings Page
🗂️ Navigate to Checklist Settings
From the sidebar, go to Settings > Service Checklist.
📋 The Checklist Table
This page displays your current universal checklist. Each item has several properties:
📝 Description
The name of the task (e.g., "Brush Walls and Steps").
🔄 Frequency
How often the task is due.
⚙️ Requirements
Special conditions for the task, like requiring a photo.
🔧 Actions
Edit or delete the item.
➕ Adding a New Checklist Item
Click the "Add Checklist Item" button. This opens a dialog to create a new task.
Description
Enter a clear, concise description of the task. Example: "Empty Skimmer and Pump Baskets."
Frequency
Every Visit:
This is the most common setting. The task will appear on every single route stop.
Custom Frequency:
Set a task to appear on a recurring schedule, such as "Every 4 Weeks" for a filter backwash. You can also set a specific start date.
Requirements (The Power Features)
Require to finish stop:
If you check this, a technician cannot mark the service stop as complete until this specific task is checked off. This is perfect for critical tasks like "Test Water Chemistry."
Require photo to complete checklist:
This is incredibly powerful. If checked, a technician must upload a photo to complete this specific task.
Use Case:
Create a task "Check Filter Pressure" and require a photo. The tech must take a picture of the pressure gauge, creating a perfect historical log of filter performance.
✏️ Editing an Existing Item
Click the Edit icon next to any item to open the same dialog and modify its properties.
🔄 Reordering the Checklist (Drag & Drop)
The order of the items on this page is the exact order they will appear in for your technicians on the service completion screen.
To reorder, simply click and hold the drag handle next to an item and drag it up or down in the list. The changes are saved automatically.
Part 3: Practical Examples & Best Practices
Here's how you can build a robust checklist for your business:
📅 Daily Essentials (Set to "Every Visit")
Test Water Chemistry (Mark as "Required to Finish")
Empty Skimmer and Pump Baskets
Brush Walls and Steps
Skim Surface Debris
Visually Inspect Equipment
Secure the Property upon Leaving (Mark as "Required to Finish")
🔄 Periodic Maintenance (Set to "Custom Frequency")
Task: Backwash DE/Sand Filter
Frequency: Every 4 Weeks
Task: Clean Salt Cell
Frequency: Every 3 Months
Task: Clean Cartridge Filter (Mark as "Required to Finish")
Frequency: Every 4 Months
📸 For Accountability and Documentation
Task: Photo of Pool After Service
Set to "Every Visit" and "Require Photo"
Task: Check Filter Pressure Reading
Set to "Every Visit" and "Require Photo"
Part 4: Key Concepts & Pro Tips
🔄 Universal vs. Work Order Checklists
This checklist in Settings is universal and applies to all recurring route stops. For one-time jobs, like a complex repair, you can create a job-specific checklist directly on the Work Order itself (as covered in Module 14).
📝 Keep it Concise
While it's tempting to add every possible task, an overly long checklist can slow down technicians. Focus on the most critical items that ensure quality and consistency.
📄 Customer-Friendly Task Descriptions
When tasks are completed, they can be displayed to customers using more professional, past-tense descriptions (e.g., "Emptied Skimmer Baskets"). This allows the customer-facing email to use clear, professional language that shows the value of your service.
Key Takeaways
A universal service checklist ensures consistency and quality across all technicians and visits.
Use frequency settings to balance daily essentials with periodic maintenance tasks.
Photo requirements create powerful documentation and accountability tools.
Required tasks ensure critical steps cannot be skipped or forgotten.
Drag-and-drop reordering allows you to optimize the workflow sequence for efficiency.
Next Steps
You've customized the physical tasks your technicians will perform. Now, let's customize the chemical side of their work by configuring the list of readings and dosages they can record.
Ready to configure chemical readings?
Proceed to Module 24: Configuring Chemical Readings & Dosages