Automatic gate repair request Workflow

Why should we automate gate repair request handling instead of managing it by phone and spreadsheets?

Manually logging requests, chasing technician availability, and remembering to follow up on quotes or feedback is time-consuming and prone to gaps, especially during busy periods. This workflow captures every request as a record with a reference number and status, so office staff always know what stage a job is at without needing to check multiple sources. It also automates the acknowledgement, booking, and outcome emails that would otherwise need to be typed out manually for every job.

What is the ROI of using this workflow compared to handling bookings manually?

The main return comes from time saved on repetitive tasks — acknowledging requests, chasing booking details, and sending status update emails — which are now handled automatically by the workflow. Office staff spend their time on the booking task itself and preparing quotes, rather than on data entry and message drafting. Faster acknowledgement and urgency-based booking due dates also help reduce the risk of urgent jobs being delayed.

How does the workflow decide how quickly a job needs to be booked?

When a request is submitted, the workflow routes the office booking task based on the Urgency field the customer selected. Urgent requests create a booking task due in 1 day, while standard requests create one due in 3 days, giving office staff a clear, consistent deadline to work against for every job.

Who is responsible for booking the technician visit, and what do they need to provide?

The office booking task is assigned to a workspace member, and the workflow waits until they complete it before continuing. They enter the Visit Date and Assigned Technician, which are then saved to the record and used to send the customer their confirmed visit date by email.

What happens after the technician visits the site?

The technician completes a job task recording the fault found, work done, parts used, safety device test results, photos, and an overall outcome. The workflow waits for this task, saves the findings to the record, and then routes automatically based on whether the outcome is Fixed, Further work needed, or Unable to complete.

What happens if the technician marks the job as further work needed?

The record status is set to Further Work Required, and the customer is emailed the technician's findings along with a description of the work still needed. A task is also created for the office to prepare a quote for the further work, due in 2 days; this task is not one the workflow waits for, so the workflow continues while the quote notes are recorded on the task itself.

What happens if a job is completed successfully?

The record status is set to Completed and the customer receives an email summarising the work done. Two days later, the workflow automatically sends a feedback form asking for an overall satisfaction rating and any comments, giving the business a simple way to capture customer feedback without manual follow-up.

Can we customise the request form, booking timelines, or email content?

Yes. Fields on the request form, the due dates used for urgent versus standard booking tasks, and the wording of acknowledgement, booking, and outcome emails can all be adjusted by describing the change in plain English or editing the steps directly in the workflow editor. Earlier versions of the workflow are kept, so changes can be reviewed or reverted if needed.

Do customers need an account to submit a request or respond to updates?

No account is required at any point. Customers submit their initial request through a public request form, and later interactions — such as confirming details or providing feedback — are handled through forms emailed directly to them.

How does the business track the status of all open gate repair requests?

Each request is a record with a reference number, a current status such as New Request, Booked, Completed, Further Work Required, or Unable to Complete, and a timeline showing what has happened on the job. Table views and dashboards display records grouped by status, giving office staff an at-a-glance view of workload and outstanding jobs; businesses should confirm this level of tracking meets their own record-keeping obligations.