Work Orders Documentation

Work orders are used for repairs, services, and custom work using existing Shopify inventory. Perfect for repair shops, device servicing, and maintenance operations.

Key Difference: Work orders use products that are already in stock and will deduct from Shopify inventory. If you're ordering items from vendors, use Special Orders instead.

Overview

Work orders in OrderMAX are designed for businesses that perform repairs, services, or custom work on items using parts and labor from existing inventory. Common use cases include:

Work Order Statuses

Work orders use a dedicated status workflow optimized for repair and service operations:

Creating Work Orders from Admin

Create work orders from the OrderMAX admin panel in your Shopify admin:

  1. Navigate to Apps → OrderMAX in your Shopify admin
  2. Click Work Orders in the left navigation
  3. Click the Create Work Order button
  4. Fill out the work order details:
    • Customer: Search and select the customer from Shopify
    • Priority: Set priority level (Low, Normal, High, Urgent)
    • Due Date: When the work should be completed
    • Estimated Date: Optional estimated completion date
  5. Add work order items:
    • Click Add Item
    • Search for Shopify products (parts, labor, services)
    • Enter quantity and price
    • Add serial numbers for tracked items
    • Add specifications or notes for the item
  6. Add notes:
    • Internal Notes: Only visible to staff
    • Customer Notes: Visible on invoices and communications
  7. Optional: Enter a deposit amount to collect upfront
  8. Click Create Work Order
Tip: Use the priority field to help staff identify urgent repairs. High and Urgent priority orders appear with visual indicators in the order list.

Creating Work Orders from POS

OrderMAX's POS extension lets you create work orders directly from your iPad or Android POS device:

  1. Open Shopify POS on your device
  2. Tap the OrderMAX Work Orders tile
  3. Tap the Create Work Order button
  4. Search and select the customer
  5. Set priority and due date
  6. Add items:
    • Tap Add Item
    • Search Shopify products or create custom items
    • Enter quantity, price, and serial numbers
  7. Add notes and deposit amount if needed
  8. Tap Create

The work order will immediately appear in both the POS extension and admin panel.

Important: Work orders created on POS are instantly synced to the admin. All team members will see the new work order in real-time.

Managing Work Order Status

Update work order status to keep customers informed and track progress:

From Admin Panel

  1. Navigate to the work order details page
  2. Find the Status dropdown
  3. Select the new status
  4. Optional: Add notes about the status change
  5. Click Update Status

From POS

  1. Open the work order in the POS extension
  2. Tap Update Status
  3. Select the new status from the list
  4. Tap Confirm

Automated Notifications

When enabled in Settings, customers automatically receive email notifications when the status changes to:

Inventory Reservations

Work orders can automatically reserve inventory using Shopify's native inventory system:

How Inventory Reservations Work

When inventory reservations are enabled (in Settings → Inventory), OrderMAX will:

  1. Check if parts are available in stock
  2. Move inventory from Available to Reserved in Shopify
  3. Prevent the parts from being sold to other customers
  4. Automatically release reservations when work is completed or cancelled
How it works: OrderMAX uses Shopify's inventoryMoveQuantities GraphQL mutation to move inventory between states: Available → Reserved → Fulfilled/Released.

Auto-Reserve Settings

Configure automatic inventory reservation in Settings → Inventory Settings:

Manual Inventory Management

You can also manually reserve or release inventory from the work order details page:

  1. Go to the work order
  2. Find the item in the items list
  3. Click Reserve Inventory or Release Reservation
  4. Select the location if you have multiple locations
  5. Confirm the action

Payment Tracking

Track deposits, payments, and balances throughout the work order lifecycle:

Collecting Deposits

Collect deposits at the time of work order creation:

  1. When creating the work order, enter a deposit amount
  2. Create a Shopify draft order for the deposit:
    • Click Create Draft Order
    • Select Deposit as the purpose
    • Enter the deposit amount
    • Click Create & Send Invoice
  3. Customer receives an invoice email with payment link
  4. Payment automatically records when paid through Shopify

Payment Status

OrderMAX automatically calculates payment status based on payments received:

Collecting Final Payment

When work is completed, collect the remaining balance:

  1. Update status to Completed
  2. Click Create Draft Order
  3. Select Full Payment or Partial Payment
  4. Select which items to include (or enter a custom amount)
  5. Create and send the invoice
Pro Tip: You can create draft orders directly from POS for quick payment collection at pickup time.

Tracking Serial Numbers

Track device serial numbers, IMEI numbers, or unique identifiers for each work order item:

Adding Serial Numbers

  1. When adding an item to a work order, look for the Serial/Lot Information section
  2. Enter the serial number in the Serial Number field
  3. Optional: Also add lot/batch numbers if applicable

Where Serial Numbers Appear

Use Case Example: For phone repairs, track IMEI numbers so you can verify you're returning the correct device to the customer.

Best Practices

For Repair Shops

For Multi-Location Operations

For Customer Communication

Next Steps