Work Order Templates

1) What is a work order template?

Businesses use work orders to document what services a client has requested and the cost of those services. A work order template is a premade document that outlines the details typically included in a work order. Service businesses that need to produce a lot of work orders or are looking to save time on documentation and administrative work often use these templates.

A business creates a work order before work begins to document requests and ensure it can fulfill those requests and bill for them. Once the work is complete, clients receive an invoice.

2) When do you need a work order template?

The purpose of a work order is to clarify the work or service your business will perform. A work order template gives your business a premade format that you can reuse for different clients without having to reinvent the wheel every time. These templates cover a variety of types of work, including

• Facilities maintenance
• Automotive service
• IT services
• Landscaping
• Cleaning
• Inspections

With templates, your business can reduce the amount of administrative work required to track each project, increasing productivity and maximizing employees’ time.

3) What should a work order template include?

Your work orders will likely include elements unique to your business, such as your branding and specific industry terminology. However, there are a few key elements essential to any work order, such as

• Who is authorizing the job
• Who the job is assigned to
• Descriptions of tasks to be performed
• Materials and labor required
• Start and completion dates
• Estimated timeline
• Additional comments

Once you’re sure that you’ve included all the vital information in your work order template, then you can customize its appearance and other details to fit your brand. Customizing your template’s design by adding a logo or specific colors helps clients recognize your brand and associate it with your work.

4) How do you create a work order?

Understanding how to create a work order template is an essential part of any successful service business. Creating a work order template will save your team significant time by reducing their administrative work and streamlining documentation processes.

To create a work order, follow these steps:

1. Identify the task to be done.
2. Create the work order, ideally using a template. To do this In Jotform, just choose a template from the template library, click Use Template, then customize it to meet your needs.
3. Schedule the work order.
4. Assign the work to an employee.

Once the task is complete, add any final documentation about the job and close the work order.

Once you have a set work order template made, repeat this process and reuse the template as needed. Jotform has a number of work order templates to fit your needs, so you don’t have to build one from scratch.

5) Can a work order be used as an invoice?

Although work orders and invoices contain much of the same information, it’s important to keep these documents separate. The main reason you shouldn’t use work orders as invoices is to help you keep accurate records of a project’s progress.

By keeping work orders and invoices separate, you have specific documentation of a project’s timeline. Also, keep in mind that although you may create a work order based on a project’s original scope, you may have to include additional charges and account for complications on the invoice for financial purposes. This includes last-minute changes, additional resources, and going over estimated labor hours.

6) What are the benefits of work order templates?

Service businesses have enough to keep track of already, which is why generating new work orders for every client is such a hassle. Work order templates offer service businesses a quick, easy, and repeatable way to generate work orders for their clients. Using a template gives your team a consistent, repeatable way track work, keep everyone accountable.

Beyond being easy to use, online work order templates offer a digital solution that’s faster and more efficient than traditional paperwork. Using a consistent template for each work order also ensures that you’ve accounted for all details, saving your team the headache of having to follow up with clients.