Timesheets (Dispatcher View)
COMING SOON - Q2 2024
The Timesheet module allows back office admins (who we will call “Dispatchers” in this case although this work may be done by other back office users) to track view, edit, and review Timesheets submitted by technicians.
In order to view and approve timesheets from the Timesheets module, a dispatcher/backoffice user must first be added to the “Timesheet Admin” User Group. For more information, see the Timesheets Configurations section.
View and Edit Technicians’ Timesheets
Dispatchers with Timesheet Admin Access can view all open, pending, and closed timesheets for their technicians. Dispatchers can also add or edit activities on behalf of technicians, and re-open closed timesheets for further modifications.
To access and edit a Technician’s open timesheet – a timesheet that has not yet been submitted for approval – follow the steps below:
Go to the Timesheets > Open module
Select the timesheet you wish to view / edit by hovering over the row and clicking the “Edit” icon.
To edit existing activity, hover over the row you wish to edit in the Activities data grid and click the “Edit” icon. Make any changes then click “Save”.
To add new activity to the timesheet, click the “Add New” button from the same Activities data grid.
Select the Activity you wish to add from the pre-populated list of Activities.
If the Activity has been configured to link to a Task, select the Task ID from the dropdown menu to associate it with that task. If the Activity has been configured to link to a Work Order, select the Work Order ID from the dropdown menu to associate it with that Work Order. If the Activity has not been configured to be associated with a Task OR Work Order, this dropdown menu will not be visible.
Provide a Start Time and an End Time for the Activity to log the time spent on the task. This will automatically calculate and show the Duration (minutes), which represents the number of minutes spent on the activity.
Click Save
If the Timesheet is complete, you now have the option to submit the Timesheet on behalf of the technician. To do so, click the “Submit” button.
After the timesheet is submitted, a mobile notification is sent to the technician who you submitted the timesheet on behalf of to inform him/her that the timesheet was submitted.
If the Timesheet Template has been configured to require approval, it will move to the Pending Review module with the status = "Pending Review". If the Timesheet Template has NOT been configured to require approval, it will move to the Closed module with the status = "Approved".
Timesheet Validations and Conflicts
When a technician saves a manual Activity entry (either by creating a new one or editing an existing Activity), the system checks for conflicts using the following validation logic:
Time Conflicts for all Manual Activity: The Start and End Time for a manual activity entry can not overlap with any other activity in the same timesheet. If a conflict is found, the user is notified to either override the conflict or cancel and edit the entry.
Task Work Spanning Longer than the Task Duration: Task Work activities can not span for a during longer than the task duration
Overtime Activity During Shifts: The Start and End Time for manually added or edited Overtime activity can not overlap with the user’s Shift time. If a conflict is found, the user is notified to either override the conflict or cancel and edit the entry.
In all cases where a conflict is found, the users can select from two options:
Override: If the user selects this option, the entry will be saved but flagged to indicate the validation was overridden.
Cancel: If the user selects this option, the entry will NOT be saved – the user is taken back to the form where they can edit any fields to resolve the conflict.
Validations are only applicable to Timesheet Templates that are tracking via Tasks. Templates using Work Orders will not have any validation. For more information on configuring Timesheets for Task vs. Work orders, see the Timesheets Configurations section.
Exceeding the Max Billable Hours: One additional validation to keep in mind – technicians cannot submit a timesheet if it exceeds the total working hours defined by the Timesheet Template assigned to the technician. For more information on configuring Timesheet Templates, see the Timesheets Configurations section.
Bulk Submit from Open Timesheets
To save time, dispatchers can also bulk submit completed timesheets from the Open module. To do so, follow the steps below:
Go to the Timesheets > Open module
Select the timesheet records you wish to Submit
From the “Bulk Actions” dropdown, select “Submit”
Technician Timesheet Approval
If the Timesheet Template has been configured to require approval, Dispatchers are required to review each submitted timesheet and either approve or reject it. To do so, follow the steps below:
Go to the Timesheets > Pending Review module which shows all timesheets that have been submitted for review.
The Review side panel shows all of the activities captured in the timesheet. From here the reviewer has the option to Approve or Reject the timesheet.
To reject the timesheet, select “Reject” from the “Approve/Reject” dropdown menu.
Provide comments to explain your “Reject Reason” in the comment box and click “Submit”
If the Timesheet is marked as "Rejected" it will move back the the Open module with the status = "Open (Rejected)" and the technician who submitted the timesheet will receive a mobile notification that the timesheet was rejected.
To approve the timesheet, select “Approve” from the “Approve/Reject” dropdown menu.
If the Timesheet is marked as "Approved" it will move to the Closed module with the status = "Approved" and the technician who submitted the timesheet will receive a mobile notification that the timesheet was approved.
Bulk Review from Pending Approval
To save time, dispatchers can also bulk approve or bulk reject timesheets from the Pending Approval module. To do so, follow the steps below:
Go to the Timesheets > Pending Review module
Select the timesheet records you wish to approve or reject
From the “Bulk Actions” dropdown, select either “Approve” or “Reject”