Managing Jobs

Overview

Every site visit ultimately revolves around a job. Check-in ARTISAN lets you maintain detailed profiles for each job, including the job type, location, scope, photos, color-coded tags, and more. Well-maintained job profiles help you deliver consistent, professional service and keep your team informed about each job's specific requirements.

Adding a New Job

There are two ways to create a new job record:

From the Jobs section -- Navigate to Jobs in the sidebar and click Create. You will select the customer during creation.
From a Customer record -- Open a customer's profile, scroll to the Jobs relation manager, and click Create. The customer is automatically set.

The second method is generally faster when you are registering a new customer and their job at the same time.

Required Fields

Customer -- Every job must belong to a customer. This field is a searchable dropdown that lets you type to find existing customers.
Name -- The job's name or title (e.g., "Bathroom replumb", "Kitchen rewire", "Roof repair").

Optional Name Fields

Reference number -- An optional job reference number or permit number. Use this field to record permit identifiers, insurance claim numbers, or your own internal job codes (e.g., "PERMIT-2024-1892", "JOB-00412").

Job Type Selection

One of the most useful features of job profiles is the Job Type selector. This field lets you categorize each job by the trade or service involved, making it easy to filter your pipeline, assign the right technician, and report on your business activity.

Available Job Types

The job type list covers the most common trades and field service categories:

Plumbing -- Water supply, drainage, fixtures, pipe repairs and replacements.
Electrical -- Wiring, panels, outlets, lighting, and electrical inspections.
Carpentry -- Structural work, cabinetry, framing, decking, and woodwork.
HVAC -- Heating, ventilation, air conditioning installation and maintenance.
Painting -- Interior and exterior painting and decorating.
Masonry -- Brickwork, concrete, tiling, and stonework.
Roofing -- Roof installation, repair, and inspection.
Landscaping -- Garden work, drainage, fencing, and outdoor installations.
General Maintenance -- Mixed or unspecified maintenance and repair work.
Inspection -- Pre-purchase, compliance, or condition inspections.
Other -- Any trade or service not covered by the categories above.

If a job spans multiple trades (for example, a bathroom renovation involving both plumbing and tiling), select the primary trade and note the additional scope in the description or notes fields.

Locale-Aware Display

Job type labels are displayed in your interface language throughout the application. All team members see the same labels regardless of the language used when the job was first created.

Job Details

The job profile includes several fields for recording the specifics of each job:

Location / Address

A field for the job site address. This is distinct from the customer's billing address, since many trades businesses work at locations other than the customer's home (rental properties, commercial sites, etc.).

Description

A free-text field for a detailed description of the work to be performed. Include as much context as is relevant:

What problem was reported and by whom.
What the expected scope of work is.
Any access instructions or site constraints.
Materials or equipment that will be needed.

Job Scope / Size

Record the estimated scope or scale of the job. This helps with scheduling, quoting, and workload planning. Examples:

"Small: replace single tap washer."
"Medium: full bathroom suite installation, 2 days."
"Large: full rewire of 4-bedroom property, estimated 5 days."

Tracking job scope helps you understand your capacity and plan your team's schedule realistically.

Start Date

Record the planned start date for the job. This is separate from individual site visits (which are managed under Site Visits) and represents the overall job timeline.

Archived / Completed Toggle

When a job is completed or closed, you can mark it as archived rather than deleting the record. This approach:

Preserves the job's complete history (site visits, invoices, notes, photos).
Prevents the job from appearing in active dropdowns when scheduling new site visits.
Shows a visual indicator on the job's profile so staff members immediately know it is no longer active.

Archiving a job is the correct way to handle completed work while maintaining your data integrity. You can also use the archived toggle for jobs that were cancelled or put on indefinite hold.

Photos

Check-in ARTISAN supports multiple photos per job, giving you a visual record that is invaluable for documentation, quality assurance, and dispute resolution.

Uploading Photos

Click the photo upload area on the job's profile to add images.
You can upload multiple photos at once.
Supported formats include JPEG, PNG, and other common image types.

Reordering Photos

Photos can be reordered by dragging and dropping them into your preferred sequence. The first photo in the list is used as the job's primary image throughout the application (in lists, search results, and site visit views).

Recommended Photo Strategy

For the best results, consider maintaining the following photos for each job:

Site overview -- A general photo of the work area at the start of the job, used as the primary identification image.
Before work -- Taken at the start of the first visit to document the existing condition. Essential for insurance claims and dispute resolution.
In-progress -- Photos taken during the work showing key stages, hidden work (e.g., inside walls before closing up), or complex installations.
After work -- The finished result, which demonstrates quality and can also serve as marketing material (with the customer's permission).
Detail shots -- Close-ups of specific installations, problem areas, or anything that may need future reference.

Notes

The Notes field on a job's profile is a free-text area for any information that does not fit into the structured fields. Examples include:

"Access via side gate. Key held by tenant, call ahead."
"Customer wants all work done while they are home. Do not schedule early morning visits."
"Asbestos survey required before any ceiling work. Awaiting survey report from Dupont Environmental."
"Recurring maintenance contract. Next scheduled service: March 2025."

Notes are visible to all staff members, so they are an effective way to communicate important information about a job across your entire team.

Searching and Filtering Jobs

The Jobs section provides several tools for finding specific records quickly.

Search

The search bar at the top of the job list lets you search by:

Job name or title
Customer name (to find all jobs belonging to a specific client)
Reference number or permit number

Filters

The filter panel offers the following options:

By Job Type

Filter the list to show only jobs of a specific type. This is useful when you want to:

See all plumbing jobs in your current pipeline.
Check how many electrical vs. carpentry jobs you have active.
Assign the right technician based on their trade speciality.

By Archived Status

Toggle between showing active jobs, archived jobs, or both. By default, the list shows only active jobs to keep your working view clean and focused.

By Tags

Filter by one or more tags to quickly find jobs that match specific criteria. For example:

Show all jobs tagged "Urgent" at the start of the day to prioritize your dispatch.
Find all jobs tagged "Parts on order" to follow up with suppliers.
Filter for "Warranty claim" jobs before a customer call.

Combining Filters

Filters can be combined for precise results. For example, you could filter for "Plumbing" + "Urgent" tag + active (not archived) to see all active urgent plumbing jobs immediately.

Delete Safeguards

Just like customer records, job records have deletion safeguards to protect data integrity.

When You Cannot Delete a Job

A job cannot be deleted if it has:

Linked site visits -- You must first delete all site visits associated with this job.

If you attempt to delete a job that has site visits, the application will display an error explaining the dependency.

Recommended Approach for Completed Jobs

When a job is finished, use the archived toggle rather than deleting the record. Archived job records take up negligible space and preserve valuable historical data, including all intervention history, invoices, photos, and notes.

The Job-Customer-Site Visit Chain

Understanding how jobs connect to the rest of the system helps you use Check-in ARTISAN effectively:

Customer
  |
  +-- Job 1 (e.g., Bathroom replumb)
  |     +-- Site Visit A (initial assessment)
  |     +-- Site Visit B (main works)
  |
  +-- Job 2 (e.g., Kitchen rewire)
        +-- Site Visit C (full rewire)

A customer can have multiple jobs.
Each job can have multiple site visits.
Invoices are linked to customers (not jobs directly), but can reference specific site visits.

This chain means that when you select a job for a site visit, the system automatically knows which customer to associate. Similarly, when you open a customer's record, you can see all their jobs and, through those jobs, all their intervention history.

Best Practices

Keep Profiles Up to Date

Job details evolve as work progresses. Scope may expand, conditions may change, and new requirements may emerge. Make it a habit to review and update job profiles after each site visit.

Photograph Before and After Every Visit

Taking before and after photos at each visit creates a visual timeline that customers appreciate and that protects your business if any dispute arises. It takes just a minute and adds significant value, both commercially and legally.

Use Tags Strategically

Tags are most powerful when used consistently. Consider creating a standard set of tags for your business and training all team members on when and how to apply them. A well-tagged job list makes morning dispatch much faster.

Record Reference and Permit Numbers

Even though it takes an extra moment, recording permit and reference numbers demonstrates professionalism and ensures compliance. These numbers are often needed for insurance claims, council inspections, and warranty documentation.

Document Site Access and Constraints

If accessing a job site requires special arrangements (key collection, security codes, parking restrictions, access through a neighbor's property), record those details in the Notes field immediately. This prevents delays and frustration for your field team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer a job to a different customer?

Yes, you can edit the job's record and change the customer field. This is useful when a job was originally registered under the wrong customer, or when a property changes ownership mid-project.

What happens to a job's site visits when I archive it?

Existing site visit records are preserved. The job will simply not appear in active dropdowns when creating new site visits.

Can I add a job type that is not in the list?

If none of the available job types match your work, select "Other" and add specific details in the description or notes fields. Common job types can also be added to the system through your account settings.

Next Steps

With your customers and jobs set up, it is time to start scheduling site visits:

Site Visits & Calendar -- Learn how to create, manage, and organize your field interventions.