Field Service Suite FAQ
Answers to common setup and operating questions about Field Service Suite.
For what the app is and how to set it up from scratch, see the
Field Service Suite Overview.
Setup
Do I need to configure anything before my team can start using Field Service Suite?
An administrator enables the app from the Apps Marketplace. It stays off until then. Once enabled, work orders, estimates, invoices, and dispatch are available immediately. Optional modules (Pricebook Pro, Fleet Pro, Customer Portal, GPS & Routing, Accounting Sync, and Live Assist) are separate toggles in the Settings tab. AI features default to on; disable them from Settings if you prefer to start without AI recommendations.
What are the optional modules and how do I enable them?
Six modules, each toggled independently in Settings:
- Pricebook Pro — versioned service catalog with margin analysis
- Fleet Pro — vehicles, maintenance scheduling, and inspection checklists
- Customer Portal — magic-link self-service for your customers
- GPS & Routing — live technician map and daily route plans
- Accounting Sync — push invoices and payments to QuickBooks or Xero
- Live Assist — remote video help on a work order (requires the Live Assist app and a meeting-provider integration)
Only an app admin can change these toggles. That means a business admin, super admin, or a user with an explicit app-admin grant.
Permissions and access
Who can create and edit work orders, estimates, and invoices?
Any user with access to the app can view work orders, estimates, invoices, and the dispatch board. Creating and editing requires Manager or above. The Settings tab is restricted to app admins only. Reports, GPS & Routing, Customer Portal admin, and Accounting Sync all require Manager or above.
Why can’t I see the Reports, GPS & Routing, or Accounting Sync tab?
Those tabs require two things: your role must be Manager or above, and the corresponding module must be enabled in Settings. The Pricebook and Fleet tabs appear for everyone with app access once their module is on, but write actions within them still require Manager or above.
Can I fill out a vehicle inspection without being a manager?
Yes. Any team member with access to the app can create and complete vehicle inspections, as long as Fleet Pro is enabled. The standard checklist has 17 items across five categories (exterior, under-vehicle, safety, mechanical, interior). Only creating vehicles and scheduling maintenance requires Manager or above.
Day-to-day
How does payment collection work?
Record a payment manually against any invoice using one of seven methods: card, debit, ACH, cash, check, financing, or other. If you connect your own Stripe account, card payments made through Stripe are recorded automatically. The invoice balance updates as soon as the payment webhook arrives. Refunds processed in Stripe also sync back and adjust the balance.
Do service agreements create work orders and invoices automatically?
They can. Each agreement has an auto-schedule setting. When it is on, a daily job checks whether a visit is due and creates a work order with status Scheduled. The same job generates a Draft invoice for each billing period that comes due, with a 30-day payment term. One visit and one invoice are processed per agreement per day, so missed periods catch up over consecutive runs.
How do customers approve an estimate I send them?
The customer receives an email with a link to a shareable proposal page. They view the options, select one, and approve with an e-signature. Viewing the proposal marks the estimate as Viewed automatically. Approval requires the estimate to be in Sent or Viewed status. Once the Valid Until date passes, the estimate changes to Expired and can no longer be approved.
What notifications does Field Service Suite send, and how do I control them?
The app sends notifications for nine events: work-order assignment, dispatch, status changes, completion, estimate sent, estimate approved, invoice sent, payment received, and customer service requests. Each has its own toggle in Settings. Users receive notifications in-app and optionally by email, depending on their personal notification preferences. When no preference is set, the default is in-app only.
How do I sync invoices and payments to QuickBooks or Xero?
Enable the Accounting Sync module and connect an accounting integration. Then open the Accounting Sync tab to push invoices and payments individually or in bulk. Draft and voided invoices are excluded automatically. A payment can only sync after its parent invoice has been synced. Each sync is logged with a status so you can see what went through and retry failures.
Can I use Field Service Suite from my phone?
Yes. Mobile-optimized views are available for work orders, estimates, invoices, fleet, service agreements, and the pricebook. Technicians can capture photos, videos, and customer signatures from the work-order page on a phone. Vehicle inspections work on mobile too. The mobile views are web-based and require an internet connection.
When something looks wrong
I was dispatched to a job but I can’t mark it as invoiced or cancelled — why?
Only a Manager or above can set a work order to Invoiced or Cancelled. Technicians can move a work order through all other statuses — Scheduled, Dispatched, In Progress, On Hold, and Completed. Ask your manager to handle invoicing or cancellation.
My customer says they didn’t receive the portal login email
Check three things: the customer record must have a primary contact email, the customer must be Active (not Inactive), and the customer must not be sample data — sample-data customers are skipped during bulk sends. The login email is rate-limited to five requests per hour per customer, so a recent re-send may be queued. Portal login emails are transactional and always deliver regardless of marketing preferences.
Why did my estimate change to “Expired”?
A daily job marks any estimate in Sent or Viewed status as Expired once its Valid Until date passes. Set a longer validity period before sending to prevent this. Approved and converted estimates are never expired. If the customer still wants to proceed after expiry, duplicate the estimate and re-send.
A customer paid through Stripe but the invoice balance didn’t update
Check that the invoice has a Stripe payment intent linked. The webhook matches payments by that intent, so an invoice without one will not receive the payment automatically. Events stuck in processing for more than 15 minutes are retried automatically. If a completed payment with the same Stripe intent already exists, the duplicate is skipped to prevent double-recording.
Licensing and limits
Does Field Service Suite require a licence?
Yes. An administrator enables it per tenant from the Apps Marketplace. The app is not available to any user until an admin turns it on.
How does the customer portal login work?
Customers log in through a magic-link email — there is no username or password. The link is valid for 24 hours and is single-use: once clicked, the token is consumed. A portal session lasts 4 hours; after that the customer must request a new link. You can send links individually or in bulk from the Customer Portal admin tab, up to 100 customers per batch. The login page never reveals whether an account exists.
What are the limits I should know about?
| Area | Limit |
|---|---|
| Pricebook CSV import | 5 MB file size, 5,000 rows max, aborts after 10 errors |
| Pricebook category nesting | 10 levels deep |
| Portal magic-link validity | 24 hours, single-use |
| Portal session duration | 4 hours |
| Portal bulk send | 100 customers per batch |
| Portal login rate limit | 5 requests per hour per customer |
| Tax rate | 0–100% |
| Work-order number format | Configurable prefix (default WO) + 5-digit sequence |
| Invoice number format | Configurable prefix (default INV) + 5-digit sequence |
| Estimate number format | EST + 5-digit sequence (not configurable) |
| Vehicle inspection checklist | 17 standard items across 5 categories |
More help
- Field Service Suite Overview
- Ask AI — the assistant answers Field Service Suite questions from these articles.