Work Records: Logging What Was Actually Done
Open a repair that finished last month and answer one question: what was actually done to that unit?
In most shops only the two ends survive. The complaint on arrival: “completely dead”. And the bill on departure: Rp 350,000. In between — three working days, some number of strip-downs, one part replaced and another tried then returned — there is no record at all.
Then that unit comes back next week with the same fault. And nobody in your shop can prove what was done the first time.
Work records are the part that fills that empty space. Not a single notes field, but a series of staged records — each carrying its own services and spare parts.
Strip-down and diagnosis is the first record. Waiting for a part is the second. Fitting is the third. Testing is the fourth. There is no upper limit — however deep you want the log to go, the form follows.
That freedom is exactly the trap, and this tutorial names the practical limit. Because a shop that writes four records for an oil change will stop writing anything within a fortnight.
Before you start
- The repair is already booked in through the normal flow. Work records attach to a unit that has been recorded.
- Service and part catalogues filled — each record picks from those lists.
Steps
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First, understand why this section exists
Intake records the unit that arrived and what the customer complained about. Work records log what your technician did to it. Two different things — and merging them is the most common reason profit per repair can never be calculated properly.
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Open Repairs → Jobs, then press (+) in the Work Records section
Note two similar words in the Indonesian interface: the menu is called Pekerjaan (Jobs), while Rekam Pengerjaan (Work Records) is a section inside it. The (+) button adds one new record. Do not create it in advance as a plan — a record is written after something has been done, because its content is fact: what was done, by whom, and what came of it. Plans logged as records make a repair history tell lies.
Work records are a section inside the Work menu. -
Set its status to Success, then attach the Service Details
Change the record status to Success once that stage is complete, then fill in Service Details per your shop service scheme. Each record carries its own list of services — so you can see which service happened at which stage, by which technician, on which date.
Mark the outcome, then attach the service detail. -
Enable Use Part, then choose the source
There are two sources: Product for a new part from stock, and Salvage for a used or pulled part. Stock is deducted automatically from here — the cashier records nothing twice. What was fitted on Tuesday is logged on Tuesday record, so when the unit returns with the same complaint you can point to exactly which part was fitted when.
Parts may come from new stock or from salvage. -
Create a new record for every new stage — and here is the loop
One repair may carry as many records as it needs. Stripping down and diagnosis is one record. Waiting for a part is the next. Fitting is the third. Testing is the fourth. There is no upper limit — however deep you want the log to go, the form follows.
A new stage means a new record. -
But do not overdo it: as deep as is useful, not as deep as is possible
This unlimited freedom has a trap. An oil change does not need four records. The practical rule: start a new record when the day changes, the technician changes, or the direction of the work changes. Otherwise, one is enough.
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Write down the unexpected findings, not only the work
The most valuable part of a record is often its free-text note: a screw somebody else has clearly opened before, dried spillage inside, a wire that had already been spliced. Notes like these protect your shop when a customer claims damage happened in your hands.
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Name who did the work — this is not about surveillance
Records carry the technician name. It serves two purposes: calculating commission fairly, and finding who needs training on which kind of job. If one type of complaint keeps returning from the same hands, that is a training need — not a telling-off.
Name who did the work — this is not surveillance. -
Close with a final record stating the work is done
The closing record is where the outcome goes: what was repaired, what was tested, and what the customer should still watch for. That last sentence is the one most often read aloud at handover.
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Read all the records back before handing the unit over
Before calling the customer, scroll from the first record to the last. You are checking two things: every part used has been logged, and no stage has been left empty. Those are the two that leak most often, and both eat your profit.
Re-read the whole record before handing the unit over.
What you end up with
Every repair carries a staged work history — who did what, when, with services and parts attached to their own stage — so profit, commission and warranty claims all rest on something you can point at.
If something goes wrong
A part was used but does not appear on the bill
A part fitted without being attached to any record genuinely is not counted. Open the relevant stage record, enable Use Part, then add it there — not in the free-text note.
The cost has run past the estimate — should I just continue?
No. Stop at awaiting confirmation and call the customer first. Carrying on quietly is the most expensive source of disputes in this trade — the confirmation stage tutorial covers the flow.
Technicians will not fill it in; every record is empty
Almost always because too much is being asked. Cut the requirement to three things: what was done, which part was used, and the outcome. A short record that always gets filled beats a thorough form that never does.
A job has already been logged as one giant record
Leave the past ones alone — splitting them later does not restore the correct dates. Start the new habit from the next repair.
A unit came back with the same fault and I cannot prove what was done before
That is a symptom of records not being filled, not a shortcoming of the system. From now on, make sure every part attaches to its record — that history is what you stand on when a warranty claim is disputed.
How many records is right for one repair?
There is deliberately no fixed number. The benchmark that works in most shops: one record per change of day or change of technician. An oil change needs one; a stripped-down engine might need five.