Air conditioner service request Workflow

Why should we automate air conditioner service requests instead of managing them manually?

Manually tracking service requests across emails, spreadsheets, and phone calls makes it easy to lose track of booking deadlines or forget follow-up communications. This workflow automatically creates a record with a reference number and status for every request, routes booking tasks based on urgency, and sends acknowledgement, booking, and completion emails without staff needing to remember each step. That reduces the administrative overhead of chasing bookings and keeping customers informed.

What is the return on investment of using this workflow compared to handling requests by phone and email?

The workflow removes repetitive manual tasks such as sending acknowledgement emails, tracking booking deadlines, and following up for feedback, freeing office staff to focus on scheduling and customer service instead of administration. Because every request has a status and timeline, staff spend less time searching for information about where a job stands. Over time this can support handling a higher volume of requests without a proportional increase in administrative effort.

How does the workflow decide how quickly a booking needs to happen?

When a customer submits the request form, the urgency they select routes the booking task automatically: urgent requests create an office booking task due in one day, while standard requests create a booking task due in three days. This ensures urgent jobs are flagged for faster action without office staff needing to manually prioritise incoming requests.

Who is responsible for each step in this workflow?

Office staff handle the booking tasks, entering the visit date and assigned technician, and later preparing a quote if further work is needed. The technician completes the service visit task, recording the fault found, work done, refrigerant added, parts used, photos, and outcome. Customers participate through the public request form and emailed forms, including the visit confirmation, work summary, findings, and feedback request, without needing an account.

What happens after the technician records the visit outcome?

The workflow routes based on the outcome the technician records. If the outcome is 'Fixed', the status is set to Completed, a work summary is emailed to the customer, and a feedback form is sent two days later. If the outcome is 'Further work needed', the status is set to Further Work Required, the customer is emailed the findings, and an office task to prepare a quote is created. If the outcome is 'Unable to complete', the status is set to Unable to Complete and the customer is emailed the findings from the visit.

Can the office quote task hold up the rest of the process if it's not completed quickly?

No. The 'Office: Prepare Quote for Further Work' task is fire-and-forget, meaning the workflow does not wait for it before considering that stage complete. The task still appears on the record's task list with a due date of two days, and the quote notes entered are kept with that task, but it doesn't block other activity on the request.

Can we customise this workflow to fit our own booking or follow-up timelines?

Yes. A workflow can be changed by describing the desired change in plain English or by editing its steps directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions are kept so changes can be reviewed. This means details such as booking due dates, feedback wait times, or email content can be adjusted as your business processes evolve.

What information does the request form collect from customers?

The public request form collects the customer's name, email, mobile number, site address, service needed, system type, brand, approximate age, a description of the issue, photos, preferred visit times, and urgency. This information is saved to the service request record as soon as it's submitted, giving office staff full context before booking a visit.

How is customer feedback collected and where is it recorded?

Two days after a job is marked Completed, the workflow sends the customer a feedback form asking for an overall satisfaction rating from 1 to 5 and any comments. Because this is an emailed form, the customer's answers are saved directly to the service request record, giving the business a record of satisfaction alongside the rest of the job history.

Does this workflow help us meet regulatory or compliance requirements for refrigerant handling records?

The workflow records the details staff and technicians enter, such as refrigerant added, parts used, fault found, and outcome, along with the status and timeline of each request. These records can support a business's own compliance and record-keeping practices, but each business should confirm its specific regulatory obligations independently.