Blog
Practical advice for service companies with technicians
Scheduling, work orders, parts, maintenance and invoicing: how to keep the work of your technicians and your office in line.
65 articles7 topics
New
New
Planning & interventions
Acceptance report for works: how to hand over an installation to the customer, with an example
The heat pump is running, the technician is tidying up and the customer quickly asks how the thermostat works. A month later, they call: the unit is noisy, the manual is lost and, according to them, the insulation of the outdoor pipe was never finished. Nobody knows any more what was measured, explained or promised at acceptance.
10 min readRead the article
All articles by topic
Planning & interventions
- Planning & interventions
Acceptance report for works: how to hand over an installation to the customer, with an example
10 min read
- Planning & interventions
Customer not at home for an intervention: how to prevent a wasted trip, and how to handle one
8 min read
- Planning & interventions
First time fix rate: what it means, how to calculate it and how to avoid a second visit
9 min read
- Planning & interventions
Project tracking for installers: who does what, and what is really finished?
8 min read
- Planning & interventions
Route planner with multiple stops: how to plan a workable day for your technicians
9 min read
- Planning & interventions
Scheduling technicians without the schedule being out of date by ten o’clock
6 min read
- Planning & interventions
A shared inbox for service requests: who replies, and what becomes an intervention?
5 min read
- Planning & interventions
Site report: what goes in it, with an example for your installation projects
10 min read
- Planning & interventions
SLA and response time: what deadline do you promise, and how do you meet it?
8 min read
- Planning & interventions
Taking a breakdown call: which questions do you ask the customer?
10 min read
- Planning & interventions
Technician schedule in Excel: a weekly template to copy, and where it falls short
10 min read
In the field
- In the field
Digital work order: what changes, what the app must do and how to make the switch
10 min read
- In the field
The intervention report to the customer: what belongs in it and where they find it again
4 min read
- In the field
LMRA before the intervention: what it is, what goes in it and how your technicians do it
5 min read
- In the field
No signal in the basement: how technicians work offline without losing the work order
5 min read
- In the field
What goes on a work order? A checklist for the technician and the office
7 min read
- In the field
Writing a work instruction for technicians: structure, example and checklist
8 min read
Maintenance & installations
- Maintenance & installations
Boiler maintenance certificate: what each region requires, and how to track the certificates of all your customers
10 min read
- Maintenance & installations
Is heat pump maintenance mandatory? What the regions require, and how to organise maintenance for your customers
11 min read
- Maintenance & installations
Drawing up a maintenance contract: the clauses and an example for boilers, heat pumps and air conditioning
10 min read
- Maintenance & installations
Maintenance schedule in Excel: the columns, the formula and a template to copy
9 min read
- Maintenance & installations
Preventive maintenance: how to draw up a maintenance plan for your customers’ installations
9 min read
- Maintenance & installations
A QR code on an installation: what it is for, where to stick it and what the person scanning sees
9 min read
- Maintenance & installations
The service history per installation: why the file starts with the unit, not with the technician
5 min read
- Maintenance & installations
Tracking maintenance contracts without missing a single preventive visit
5 min read
Sales & customers
- Sales & customers
Customer database in Excel: which columns, which sheets and an example to copy
10 min read
- Sales & customers
A customer portal for a service company: what customers look for in it, and what never belongs there
9 min read
- Sales & customers
Customer retention in a service company: why customers stay, examples and a five-step plan
10 min read
- Sales & customers
Following up a quote without being pushy: when, how, and an example email
6 min read
- Sales & customers
Following up leads in a service company: phases, agreements per phase and a weekly review
10 min read
- Sales & customers
Handling customer complaints in a service company: a six-step procedure, with a sample reply
11 min read
- Sales & customers
Measuring customer satisfaction in a service company: CSAT, NPS and CES, with a short survey to copy
10 min read
- Sales & customers
Order form: when is it mandatory, what must be on it and what does an example look like?
9 min read
- Sales & customers
Warranty on construction work in Belgium: which warranty applies, what goes in the quote and how do you handle a claim?
10 min read
- Sales & customers
Writing a quote for an installation or repair: what it must contain, with an example
10 min read
Invoicing & finance
- Invoicing & finance
Tracking cash flow in a service company: the cash position, the weekly figures and a fixed routine
9 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Charging travel costs to the customer: which model, which amount and how to announce it in advance
10 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Checking a VAT number for a new customer: VIES or KBO/BCE, and what to look at
10 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Retention period for invoices in Belgium: how long does a service company keep what?
9 min read
- Invoicing & finance
E-invoicing mandatory since 2026: what Peppol means for a service company
9 min read
- Invoicing & finance
From work order to invoice, without retyping hours and parts
5 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Issuing a credit note: when, what goes on it and how to settle it
7 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Sending a payment reminder: when, how and sample texts
8 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Calculating a technician’s hourly rate: from wage cost to the hour on the invoice
10 min read
- Invoicing & finance
Time and materials or fixed price: what it means, when to choose which, and what to put in writing
11 min read
Stock & parts
Team & organisation
- Team & organisation
AI for SMEs with technicians: what is possible today, and what should you watch out for?
9 min read
- Team & organisation
API integration and webhooks explained: what they are and what to ask before anything is connected
9 min read
- Team & organisation
Automating processes in a service company: where do you start, and what stays human work?
8 min read
- Team & organisation
Choosing field service software: the checklist for every demo
10 min read
- Team & organisation
Business data in the cloud: nine questions to ask before you choose software for your service company
5 min read
- Team & organisation
Email going to your customer’s spam: how to put SPF, DKIM and DMARC in order
10 min read
- Team & organisation
F-gas certificate for technicians: who needs it, the rules per region and keeping track
10 min read
- Team & organisation
KPIs for a field service team: the figures for every day, week and month
5 min read
- Team & organisation
What is field service management (FSM)? An explanation for a service company with technicians
9 min read
- Team & organisation
Switching software without retyping everything: importing customers, sites and installations
5 min read
- Team & organisation
Onboarding a new technician: an onboarding plan for the first month, week by week
10 min read
- Team & organisation
Calculating overtime for technicians in Belgium: overtime pay, compensatory rest and a worked example
10 min read
- Team & organisation
Implementing new software in a service company: a step-by-step plan for the office and the technicians
8 min read
- Team & organisation
Software for installers: what it must do every day, from quote to maintenance visit
10 min read
- Team & organisation
Leave planning for technicians: approving leave without the service grinding to a halt
8 min read
- Team & organisation
A skills matrix for technicians: know who can do which job, and who needs to learn what
9 min read
- Team & organisation
Technician time tracking: from the day in the app to the payroll export
4 min read
- Team & organisation
User roles and permissions in a service company: who sees what, with an example matrix
8 min read