Service requests¶
Pro feature
Service requests are part of the Customer Portal, available on the Pro plan and above. Compare plans to see which features are included.
When customers need help, they can submit a service request directly through the Customer Portal instead of calling your office. Each request lands on your team's dashboard for review — your dispatchers decide whether to approve it as a new job, or decline it with a reason.
This keeps the customer in the loop while giving your team full control over what gets scheduled.
Where service requests appear¶
Incoming service requests show up in the Service Requests tab on your Jobs dashboard. The tab includes a badge showing how many requests are waiting for review, so your team can spot new requests at a glance.
The tab displays each request as a card with:
- Customer name and location — who submitted the request and where the work is needed
- Service type — the category of work requested (repair, maintenance, installation, inspection, emergency, or other)
- Description — what the customer described as the issue
- Urgency — whether the customer marked the request as normal or urgent
- Preferred date — when the customer would like the work done, if they specified one
- Submission date — when the request was created
You can filter the list by status to focus on pending requests, or review approved and declined requests from the past.
Review a service request¶
Approve a request¶
When you approve a service request, the existing Create Job form opens with key details already filled in from the request — including the customer, location, service type, and description. This saves time and reduces manual data entry.
Before confirming, you can adjust any field:
- Add a booking time — the customer's preferred date is pre-filled, but you choose the exact time slot
- Set the priority — the request's urgency maps to a job priority, but you can change it
- Set the SLA due date — leave it blank to apply the customer's default automatically (see below)
- Add skills or parts — attach any required skill categories, inventory parts, or assets
- Adjust the description — expand or refine the customer's original request
Automatic SLA from the customer record
If you leave the SLA due date blank, the new job inherits the default SLA hours configured on the customer's record. For example, a customer with a 4-hour default SLA produces a job whose deadline is set to 4 hours from approval time. If the customer has no default SLA configured, the job is created without an SLA deadline (you can add one later).
Once you click Approve & Create Job, the system:
- Creates a real job in your schedule, ready for assignment
- Updates the service request status to Approved
- Sends the customer an email confirming their request was approved
The new job enters your normal workflow — it can be auto-assigned by the dispatch engine or manually assigned from the dispatch board.
You're always in control
Approving a request does not skip any steps. The full job creation process runs exactly as if you had created the job from scratch — you just get a head start with pre-filled fields.
Decline a request¶
If a request cannot be fulfilled, click the decline button and provide a reason. The reason is required and should be clear and professional — it will be shared with the customer.
Common reasons to decline:
- The service type is outside your company's scope
- The location is outside your service area
- The request duplicates an existing job
When you decline a request:
- The request status changes to Declined
- The customer receives an email explaining that the request was reviewed and could not be fulfilled, along with your reason
Be thoughtful with decline reasons
Customers see the exact reason you provide. Keep the tone professional and helpful — suggest alternatives when possible.
Request statuses¶
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | The request is waiting for your team to review it |
| Approved | A job has been created from this request |
| Declined | The request was reviewed and could not be fulfilled |
Once a request is approved or declined, it cannot be changed. If a customer needs something different, they can submit a new request.
Customer notifications¶
Customers are kept informed throughout the process:
- On approval — the customer receives an email confirming that a job has been created and will be scheduled
- On decline — the customer receives an email with the reason the request could not be fulfilled
These emails are sent automatically. Customers can also check the status of their requests at any time by visiting the My Service Requests section in the portal.
Enable or disable service requests¶
Service requests can be turned on or off without affecting the rest of the Customer Portal:
- Go to Settings → Company Settings.
- Find the Customer Service Requests toggle in the portal section.
- Enable or disable as needed.
When disabled:
- The "Request Service" button is hidden from the portal
- Existing requests remain visible in both the portal and your dashboard
- No new requests can be submitted
Frequently asked questions¶
Do service requests create jobs automatically?
No. Every request must be reviewed by a dispatcher or company owner before it becomes a job. The approval step ensures your team stays in control of what gets scheduled.
Can customers cancel a pending request?
Currently, customers cannot cancel requests through the portal. If a customer contacts you about a pending request they no longer need, you can decline it with a note explaining it was cancelled at the customer's request.
What happens if I approve a request but the job gets cancelled later?
The service request status stays as Approved. Cancelling the job does not revert the request. The customer can submit a new request if they still need help.
How quickly should I respond to service requests?
There's no enforced deadline, but responding promptly improves the customer experience. The pending count badge on the Service Requests tab helps your team stay on top of incoming requests.
Can all team members review service requests?
Service requests are visible to company owners and dispatchers. Technicians do not see the Service Requests tab.
What's next¶
- Customer Portal — Learn how customers access the portal and what they can see.
- Creating a Job — Understand the full job creation process that runs when a request is approved.
- Dispatch Board — See how approved jobs appear on the scheduling board.
- Managing Customers — Keep customer records accurate for smooth request handling.