Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Entering and Updating Service Agreements

This help topic covers the basics of managing service agreements. It will show you how to add and edit service agreements. There are definitions explaining each of the fields, buttons, and controls on the service agreement form. There are links to related topics at the bottom of the page. You may also wish to read Creating Planned Maintenance Service Agreement Work Orders.

The Purpose of the Service Agreement Form

This form will keep track of the type of service agreement (SA), beginning and ending dates, status and the value (how many visits are included) of the Customer’s service agreement with your company.

This form will include a list of the Customer’s equipment. This allows you to select what equipment is covered under this service agreement. There is a place to enter notes regarding what the service agreement is for and what it includes. These notes can be copied to work orders create from this service agreement. This form also offers a Planned Work Orders utility that makes created respective work orders fast and easy.

When and Where From to Enter a Service Agreement

The process of “entering a service agreement” is the recording of a service agreement in Total Office Manager.  This is typically done directly after the service agreement is sold to the customer.  After completing a sales form which includes a service agreement, the user is reminded that the “paperwork” should be completed.  If a new service agreement is opted for instead of editing an existing agreement, the “Add Service Agreement” form appears and is used to enter the agreement into the program.

Occasionally a service agreement may need to be entered (recorded) in the program on its own, without recording the actual sale of the agreement.  This is especially true of new users of the program who may want to enter all of their customer’s existing service agreements, while not concerned with entering the sale on which the agreement was sold.  When this is the case, open the “Add Service Agreement” form from the main menu by clicking Customers > New Service Agreement. (or use the Ctrl+M keyboard shortcut).

Service Agreement Item Type

  • To be able to sell a service agreement on an invoice, you will need to create one or more service agreement item types. To set up a service agreement ‘Type’ you would create an ‘Invoice Item’. Please see the topic “Service Agreement – Invoice Item” for further information.

Service Agreement Form Access

  1. First open the Service Agreement List from the main menu by clicking Customers | Service Agreements List.  Here, go to the Service Agreement List menu and select New Service Agreement.
  2. When selling a service agreement from an invoice or sale, this form will open automatically. Information will be copied from the invoice into the service agreement, saving you a lot time. From that point, the process is the same.
  3. There are many others ways to access service agreements.

Service Agreement Form Field Definitions

This table includes definitions of each label and control found on the Service Agreement form.

Agreement #:

The next available service agreement number will dynamically populate. You have the option of hi-lighting the number and typing in a new number if you wish.

Status:

This field will state if the service agreement is active or expired.

Customer:

Select from the drop down menu the customer, or create a new customer by clicking the hand icon to the right of the customer field.

Type:

Select from the drop down menu the type, or create a new Type by clicking the hand icon to the right of the customer field.

Location:

Will dynamically populate the customers address.

Term Begins:

Today’s date will dynamically populate this field; change the date by clicking on the drop-down menu to the right of the field.

Term Ends:

Date will dynamically populate according to the information that was set up in the ‘Type’ form. Example: 1 year SA would populate exactly one year from the term begins date.  Example: 05/20/2004 Begins 05/20/2005 Ends. You may also check the “Override” box and enter a date yourself (see below).

Override:

Check this box to change the “Term Ends” field.

Planned Visits:

Number of planned visits will dynamically populate according to the information that was set up in the ‘Type’ form. Example: 2 visits per year, 3 visits per year etc.

Term (Months):

The length of the contract in months will dynamically populate according to the information that was set up in the ‘Type’ form. Example: 12, 24, 36 months etc.

Completed:

Planned tune-ups or inspections from this SA that have been completed out of the total that have been planned for this service agreement.

Not Completed:

Planned tune-ups or inspections from this SA that have NOT been completed.

Other:

Work orders associated with this SA that are NOT planned tune-ups or inspections. In other words, these are work orders created and associated with this SA but had nothing at all to do with planned maintenance. The SA must be selected on the work order.

Description:

Used to enter additional information. Example: This agreement cannot be transferred to another person or company.

This SA is a Renewal:

Check this box if this Service Agreement was used to renew an existing service agreement for the same customer.

Pro Tip: Press and hold both the Shift and Ctrl keys, then single click on the “This SA is a Renewal” label. A box will appear allowing you to enter the number of the SA that is renewed. There is no lookup on this box. You will need to know the SA number. This number comes from the “Agreement #” field at the top of the form. This box will not appear if the service agreement is already a renewal.

Inactivate Item:

Check this box if you no longer want to use this service agreement. It will no longer be available in the various lists used to select it.

Save & Close:

Saves all changes and closes the form.

Save & New:

Saves all changes and clears the form so that you can enter a new one.

Cancel:

Closes the form and does NOT save any UNSAVED changes.

Service Agreement Menu Button Definitions

This table includes definitions of each option found under the Service Agreement’s Menu button.

Save:

Saves all of the information entered or changed but does not close the form.

Revert:

Goes back to how the form was BEFORE your last change.

Notes:

Allows you to enter important notes about this SA. These notes can be included in work order reports. Enter any general information that you might need to know about the Customer.

Delete:

Deletes this SA. This process can NOT be reversed.

Copy:

Creates a copy of the service agreement. You may then make changes to it and save. This is handy when created multiple SAs that are similar to one another.

Equipment:

From the Customer Equipment list (all ready entered), put a check mark in the ‘Add’ column for the equipment that pertains to this particular service agreement.

Customer:Job > History:

Selecting this option will pull up all the history transactions pertaining to the Customer.

Customer:Job > Edit:

Selecting this option will pull up the customer’s account information.

Customer:Job > Contact Log:

Opens the customer’s contact log for reading or editing.

Create Work Order:

This button automatically creates a work order using this service agreement and customer. This makes scheduling the maintenance events easier.

Create Planned Work Orders:

This button automatically creates a work order using this service agreement and customer for any planned maintenance that has not yet been completed. A form will open allowing you to customize these planned maintenance work orders.

Create Invoice:

Creates an invoice (balance due) using this customer’s information.

Create Sale:

Creates a sale (no balance due) using this customer’s information.

Create Credit:

Creates a credit (like a refund) using this customer’s information.

Create Estimate:

Creates an estimate using this customer’s information.

Step-By-Step Service Agreement Creation

  1. Open the Service Agreements List and Sort the list if desired.
  2. To enter a new service agreement, click Service Agreement List menu and select New Service Agreement.
  3. To edit a service agreement, right-click on an agreement in the list and click Edit Service Agreement from the pop-up menu.
  4. To delete a service agreement, right-click on an agreement in the list and click Delete Service Agreement from the pop-up menu.
  5. To inactivate a service agreement, right-click on an agreement in the list and click Make Service Agreement Inactive from the pop-up menu.
  6. When selling a service agreement from an invoice or sale, this form will open automatically. Information will be copied from the invoice into the service agreement, saving you a lot time. From that point, the process is the same.

Service Agreement Tips

  • Service agreements can be the heart of any good service department. You need service agreements! Contact our office for a complete service agreement kit that includes forms and video training tapes.
  • Create Service agreements in Total Office Manager to match all of the different types you sell in the field.
  • Service agreements may include a list of customer equipment that is covered by the agreement. You will check the equipment that is covered. You can always add or remove coverage by unchecking the box.
  • You can enter customer equipment “on the fly” from this form. You may also go to Customers | Customer Equipment List | Equipment List | New Customer Equipment and enter the customer’s equipment.
  • Remember that discounts and coverage are determined by the service agreement Invoice Item.
  • Many users ask about the box labeled “Other”. Here is a little more information about what that box is used for: Example: Let’s say that a service agreement customer has two planned work orders; one for May 1st and one for October 1st.  If a work order is created on June 25th for a problem with covered equipment, it would be an “Other” work order.  The customer would still receive the benefits from owning the service agreement (like a discount, or priority scheduling), but the work order is not part of the original planned work orders, so it is reported in the “Other” field.  When manually created work orders are associated to an existing service agreement (by using the “Serv Agmt” drop-down list) they will appear in the service agreement’s “Other” field.

Help Topics Related to Service Agreements

Service Agreements – Escrow Movements and Accounting

Batch Renewal of Service Agreements

Managing & Renewing Service Agreements

Selling a Service Agreement

Service Agreements List

How Do I Cancel a Service Agreement?

Service Agreements – Escrow Movements and Accounting

Invoice Items – Service Agreement

Preferences – Service Agreements

Please Check Our YouTube Channel for Service Agreement Related Videos
https://www.youtube.com/@Aptora8877