By using ServiceTrade's Parts Vendor item source feature, you can keep track of which Vendors you use for purchasing parts and know the status of each purchased (or to-be-purchased) part at the individual job item level.
This article walks users through the process of managing Parts Vendors and Parts Purchasing in ServiceTrade. To learn more about pricing items and parts read the following article: Managing Contracts (Prices, Rules, Terms & Conditions, Etc.)
Adding Parts Vendors to ServiceTrade
To use the parts vendor item source, you must first add at least one parts vendor to your ServiceTrade account. The process for adding parts vendors is the same as adding service vendors:
- Click on My Account in the navigation menu.
- Click on Vendors.
- Click Create Vendor.
- Fill out your data in the Vendor form fields.
- Check the 'Parts Vendor' checkbox.
Note: Any vendor in your ServiceTrade account can be a parts vendor (from whom you purchase parts), a service vendor (to whom you subcontract work or from whom you receive subcontracted work), or both.
Managing Job Items Purchased from Parts Vendors
Once you have added at least one parts vendor, you can now use ServiceTrade's job item sources feature to track parts purchases at the job item level.
- First, select 'Parts Vendor' as your job item source:
- You can now select your Vendor.
- Enter a Purchase Order number.
- Select the current status of the part being ordered.
- Enter an expected delivery date.
Note: The parts vendor, purchase order, and delivery date fields are optional.
Statuses for Parts on a Job
- Parts that have not yet been ordered will be shown with a gray shipping icon:
- Parts that have been ordered but not yet received will be shown with a blue shipping icon. If there is an expected delivery date, you can see it by hovering over the shipping icon:
- Parts that have been ordered and received will be shown with a green shipping icon. Again, if there is an expected delivery date, you can see it by hovering over the shipping icon:
- Overdue parts (that is, they have been ordered but not yet received, and their expected delivery date is in the past) are shown with a red shipping icon:
Searching for Jobs With Outstanding Parts
The job and job item lists support special searches to help you find jobs with outstanding parts that need attention.
To search the jobs list, open the 'Jobs with' dropdown, as seen below.
You can use the following special Parts searches:
- Parts to be Ordered - finds jobs with at least one job item whose status is 'To Be Ordered'
- Parts Ordered but not Received - find jobs with at least one job item whose status is 'Ordered'
- Parts Partially Received - find jobs for which at least one job item's status is 'Received', and at least one other job item's status is 'Ordered'
- Parts Overdue for Delivery - find jobs for which at least one job item's status is 'Ordered' and the delivery date is in the past.
- All Parts Received - finds jobs for which all the job items with a parts vendor item source have a status of 'Received.'
You can use these searches to drive your workflows internally. For instance, you can search for jobs with parts overdue for delivery to pursue those orders with your parts vendors, or you can search for all parts received to know which jobs are ready to be scheduled and delivered.
Searching for Jobs by Delivery Date Window
The job item list now supports searching by a delivery date range:
Note: The delivery date window is available only if 'Parts Vendor' is one of your selected item source types. If you choose several item source types and then provide a delivery date range, only parts of your search will return vendor-sourced items because only those items have a delivery date range.
Parts Management-Related Reporting
Below is a video walkthrough on how to use reporting in relation to parts management.