Service Intake (Subjects, Photos & Stages)
Service intake records what a customer hands you or asks you to work on: a ring to size, a watch to service, a washer that leaks, a kitchen with a blocked drain. You add it to a service line on a sale or a quote, write down what you see, take photos, and then move the line through stages (Intake, In progress, Ready, and so on) until it goes back to the customer. There is no separate repair screen: it all lives on the order. Every plan has it.
Overview
- The service subject is the customer's own thing or place. It is saved on the customer, so it can be picked again on their next visit. There are three kinds:
- Item handed to us: the customer leaves it with the store (a ring, a watch, a phone).
- Equipment in place: you service it where it is installed (a washer, a furnace).
- Site: a place and its state (a room, a yard, a building).
- What stays with the subject, and what belongs to this visit. The subject keeps its name, identifiers and details (metal, model, serial and so on). Each service line keeps this visit's findings, the customer's declared value and anything the customer supplied.
- One subject per service line. Two services on the same ring can share one subject; two rings on one order are two subjects.
- Photos go on the order's Photos tab, up to 20 per order.
- The stage is per service line and shows as a coloured chip on the order's Items tab. The order's own status (Processing, Completed and so on) works exactly as before; the stage is a separate, finer step for the service work.
- On the orders list, an optional Stage column and a Stage group in the Service job status filter show where the work stands.
Add a service subject on a sale or a quote
- Open Sales → New. On Sell, or on Others with Quote selected, add the customer and then a service with Add service.
- Under the service line, click + Add service subject. The subject form opens under that line. Product lines don't have the button.
- Pick the Kind (it starts on the one your business type uses most).
- Type a name in Subject, for example "Platinum solitaire, one center stone". For a saved customer, the subjects they brought before are offered as buttons under the box; pick one to use it again.
- Fill in Identifiers (serial, certificate, engraving, model, VIN, address or unit: whatever tells this one apart) and the detail fields your business type offers.
- Under This visit, write the Findings (one per line), the Customer's declared value, for insurance, and anything Customer-supplied (parts or materials the customer brought, like their own stone).
- Add photos with Take photo (opens the camera on a phone) or Upload. Pick Before or Damage first. The photos are kept on the page and uploaded when the order is saved.
- Click Create Order (or Create Quote). The order is saved exactly as it always is; then each subject is saved, the line is set to Intake, and the photos are uploaded.
If one of those steps fails after the order is saved, the success window lists it per line (for example "The order was created; 2 photos for line 1 did not upload: …") with Try again, which repeats only the step that failed. Try again before you leave the page: what you typed is kept only until you start another order.
Remove subject folds the form away and clears it. A service line with no subject saves and looks exactly as it did before this feature.
Your business type's fields, and your own details
The detail fields come from your business type:
| Business type | Fields offered |
|---|---|
| Jewelry Store | Metal, Stones, Size, Measurements |
| Appliance, electronics and furniture stores, appliance services | Brand, Model, Serial, Installed, Location in home |
| Plumbing, HVAC and landscaping services | Fixtures or units, Materials, Known issues |
| Auto repair | Make, Model, Year, VIN, Mileage |
| Every other business type | None: add your own |
Add detail adds a field of your own (a name and a value, such as "Chain length: 18 in") to that one subject. It is saved with the subject and shown the next time it is picked.
Photos and the required photo
- An order holds up to 20 photos: the ones taken on the sales form and on the Photos tab together.
- When the declared value is at or above $500, the line needs at least one photo before the order can be saved. The form says so under Photos and in the red line above the save button.
- A photo can be removed by the person who added it, or by an Owner or a Manager. A photo can't be edited: a wrong one is removed and the right one added.
The Photos tab
Open an order from Sales → List and choose Photos (the number next to it is how many the order has).
- Photos are grouped by the day they were taken and who took them. Each one shows its type (Before, During, Damage or After) and the minute it was taken, in your store's time zone. Click one to see it larger.
- To add more: pick the type, then Take photo or Upload (several at once). The type starts on Before for an order with no photos and on After once it has some. "N of 20" shows how many the order holds.
- Visible to customer starts off. Turning it on marks the photo as one the customer may see; nothing shows order photos to the customer yet (see below).
- Remove is in the larger view, for the person who added the photo and for an Owner or a Manager. It asks first.
Stages and Performed by
On the order's Items tab, each saved service line shows:
- a line under its name with the subject and how many findings were recorded, for example "Service · Platinum solitaire, one center stone · 3 findings";
- a stage chip (or Set stage when the line has none). Click it and pick a stage. It saves straight away, whether or not you are editing the order;
- a Performed by box: a person's or a vendor's name, typed freely. It saves when you press Enter or leave the box. Leave it blank to clear it.
The built-in stages, in order: Intake (grey), Quoted (purple), Approved (teal), In progress (blue), Quality check (amber), Ready (green), Completed (dark), On hold (red).
Add your store's own stage. An Owner or a Manager sees + Add stage at the bottom of the stage list. Give it a name (for example "Sent to setter") and pick one of nine colours. It is listed after the built-in stages, for every service line in the store, and the line you are on moves to it. Staff pick from the list but can't add to it.
Moving the order through its own status does not move the stages, and the other way round: set Completed on the line when the work is done.
What the prints show
Print invoice and Print quote from the order window, and the invoice you email from it, carry a short Status strip (Order status and Service status) and a "Stage: …" line under each service line, in your own stage labels. They never print Performed by, so a vendor's name does not reach the customer. The service sheet adds Order status and Service status to its header, a Stage column, and the subject, findings count and Performed by under each service line. Receipts and the Customer Portal's receipt are unchanged.
The orders list: Stage column and filter
- Column: in Sales → List, open Columns and add Stage. It shows the stage of the order's service line that is furthest from done, with "+N" when other lines have a stage too, and "—" when none has one. A line On hold always shows first, because it needs someone's attention. Sorting on Stage sorts the rows on the page (On hold first, then the stage order, no stage last).
- Filter: open Filters → Service job status. Under the job statuses is a Stage group with every stage your store shows, built-in and your own. Tick one or more to list the orders with a service line at any of them. It narrows on top of the job statuses you tick above it.
Tips & best practices
- Jewelry: photograph before you clean, and describe by appearance. Cleaning changes how a piece looks, and a before photo shows it exactly as it came in. Write what you can see rather than what you assume: "white metal, stamped 14K" rather than "14K white gold", a set stone by its count, colour, shape and approximate size rather than a carat weight, and "scratch on the band" rather than "dropped it". The field hints on the form say the same.
- Take the photos at the counter with the customer there, from more than one side, including any damage you point out to them.
- Name the subject so the next person recognises it on the shelf: "Seiko automatic, cream dial", not "watch".
- Pick the customer's saved subject on a repeat visit instead of typing a new one, so its details carry over.
- Keep your own stages few and clear ("Sent to setter", "Waiting on parts"). Every service line in the store sees them.
What isn't there yet
So you can answer customers and staff honestly:
- No messages to the customer about stages: no "ready for pickup" text or email, and no reminders.
- The Customer Portal is unchanged. The customer doesn't see the subject, the findings, the stage or the order's photos, even a photo marked Visible to customer.
- No hand-back step: no pickup dialog, signature or ID check when the piece goes back.
- No printed intake ticket or tag. The invoice, quote and service sheet show the order status, service status and each service line's stage (see above), but there is no separate intake ticket with the findings and a signature line yet.
- A subject is added only when the sale or quote is created. On a saved order you can change the stage and Performed by, but not add or change the subject or the findings.
- No screen for the stage list or the detail fields: you can't yet rename, recolour, hide or remove a stage, change the $500 photo threshold, or keep a detail for every subject from a settings page.
- Performed by is plain text, not linked to your team or to a vendor, and it has no cost.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| No + Add service subject button | It is on service lines only. Add the service with Add service, not as a product |
| "Line 1 needs a photo: the declared value is $800.00, at or above $500.00. Take or upload one before saving." | Add at least one photo to that line, or correct the declared value if it was mistyped |
| "Line 2: name the service subject, or remove it." | Type a name in Subject, or click Remove subject |
| The customer's earlier subjects aren't offered | They appear only for a saved customer: turn on Existing Customer and pick them. A new customer has none yet |
| "This photo format isn't supported here; use JPEG or PNG" | An iPhone HEIC photo in a browser that can't read it (Chrome, most Android browsers). Use Safari, or set the camera to "Most Compatible" (JPEG) |
| "This order already has 20 photos. Remove one to add another." | Remove a photo you don't need from the Photos tab first |
| + Add stage isn't in the list | Only an Owner or a Manager can add a stage |
| Two pieces need the same service on one order | The order form takes each service once, and one line takes one subject. Put both pieces on that line under one subject named for both ("Pair of stud earrings"), or use two orders |
| The stage chip says "Save the order to set this line's stage and who did the work." | The line was added while editing and isn't saved yet. Save the order, then set the stage |
What's next
- Sell services and create quotes: Sales → New
- Find, edit and filter orders: Sales → List
- Book the work on the calendar: Sales → Schedule
- Set up the services you sell: Catalog → Services
Detailed reference
Every field, rule, limit and message of service intake, for when you need the exact detail. Each panel starts closed: open the one you need.
Section: the subject form on a service line (Sell and Others → Quote)
| Control | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| + Add service subject | Opens the subject form under that service line | Service lines only. Same on Sell and on Others → Quote (not on Scrap) |
| Remove subject (X) | Folds the form and clears it, photos included | The line itself stays |
| Kind: Item handed to us / Equipment in place / Site | What sort of subject it is | Starts on the business type's usual kind: Item for jewelry, auto repair and most types; Equipment for appliance, electronics and furniture stores and appliance services; Site for plumbing, HVAC and landscaping. Helper lines: "The customer leaves it with the store." / "Serviced where it is installed." / "A place and its state: a room, a yard, a building." |
| Subject (placeholder "Solitaire ring · LG washer · Kitchen at 1420 Elm St") | The subject's name | Required once the form is open. Up to 200 characters |
| Saved-subject buttons under Subject | Pick one of this customer's earlier subjects (up to 6 shown, filtered by what you type) | Only for a saved customer. Picking one fills the kind, name, identifiers and details; changes you make then update that saved subject. Use a new subject instead starts a new one |
| Hint under Subject | "Type a name for it." · "Type a name for it. Once a saved customer is chosen, their earlier subjects are offered here." · "Reading this customer's saved subjects…" · "Type a new name, or pick one this customer brought before." · "Changes here update this customer's saved subject." | Changes with the situation |
| Identifiers | One free-text box: "Serial, certificate, engraving, model, VIN, address or unit: whatever tells this one apart." | Saved with the subject |
| Detail fields (business type) | One box per field, with its hint | Jewelry: Metal ("Color and stamp only, e.g. 'yellow, stamped 14k'; never the alloy as a fact"), Stones ("Count, color, shape and approximate mm; never a carat weight for a set stone"), Size ("Ring size or length, as measured at the counter"), Measurements ("Width, length or diameter in mm, as measured"). Other types: see the table on this page |
| Add detail: name (placeholder "Detail, like Chain length"), value, Add detail button | Adds a field of your own to this subject only ("Kept on this subject only.") | Name up to 40 characters. A name an existing field already has fills that field. A detail added here has an X to take it off again. Saved with the subject; a detail a picked subject already has is always shown |
| This visit → Findings | What you see, one per line | Hint: "One per line. Describe what you see, not how it happened: "Scratch on the band", not "Dropped it"." Blank lines are dropped |
| Customer's declared value, for insurance ($) | The customer's own figure | An amount, 0 or more. Not cost data: everyone who can see the order sees it |
| Customer-supplied | "Parts or materials the customer brought, like their own stone." | Free text |
| Photos: Before / Damage | The type the next photos are filed as | Before by default |
| Take photo / Upload | Camera (on a phone) / pick one or more files | Greyed out once the order would hold 20. "Uploaded when the order is saved." Each queued photo shows a small preview with its type and an X to drop it |
| Amber line "A photo is required: the declared value is $X, at or above $500.00." | The declared value reached the photo threshold and the line has no photo | The save is stopped until a photo is added |
Section: what saving a sale or quote does with the subjects
- The order or quote is created exactly as without subjects. Nothing about it changes: stock, payments, numbers and status work as before.
- Then, for each service line with its subject form open, in line order:
- the subject is saved for the order's customer (a picked subject is updated with your changes; a new one is created);
- the line gets the subject, this visit's findings, declared value and customer-supplied text, and the stage Intake;
- the line's photos are uploaded onto the order, linked to the subject, as Internal photos.
- A step that fails stops that line only. The order stands, and the success window lists what didn't save, one sentence per line, with Try again (repeats only the failed steps; a new subject is never created twice). When everything is saved after a retry: "Every service subject is saved on the order now."
- Converting a quote to a sale keeps every line's subject, findings, stage and Performed by.
- Taking a service line off an order takes its findings and stage with it; the subject stays saved on the customer.
- A subject's name, identifiers and details belong to the subject, so editing a picked subject on a later order changes it for every order that names it. Findings, declared value and customer-supplied belong to the line and never change on other orders.
Tab: Photos (order window)
| Control | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tab Photos + count | Opens the order's photos | The last tab of the order window, on every order (quotes included). The count is the order's live photos |
| Type: Before / During / Damage / After | The type the next photos are filed as | Before on an order with no photos, After once it has some, until you pick |
| Visible to customer switch | Marks the next photos as customer-visible | Off by default. No screen shows order photos to the customer yet |
| Take photo / Upload | Camera (phone) / several files | Each is shrunk in the browser to at most 1920 px on its long edge and saved as a JPEG of about 1 MB. "Adding photo N of M…" while it works; "N of 20" otherwise. Greyed out at 20 |
| Day groups | One heading per day, with who took the photos | Store time zone |
| Thumbnail | Type badge and the minute taken | Click for the larger view |
| Larger view | The photo, its type, "Fri, Oct 16, 2026 · 14:05 · Amy · Internal" and the file name | Shows Remove for the person who added it and for an Owner or a Manager |
| Remove → "Remove this photo for good? A photo cannot be changed, so a wrong one is removed and the right one added." → Keep it / Remove | Removes the photo from the order | The record of the photo is kept; the picture file is deleted |
| Empty state | "No photos yet. Photograph the customer's item or job before, during and after the work; each photo keeps the minute it was taken." | — |
| Read-only support view | Photos can be looked at, not added or removed | The add controls are hidden |
- Photos are private to your store. Each one opens through a link that lasts five minutes.
- Photos taken on the sales form are linked to their subject as well as to the order; photos added on this tab belong to the order as a whole. Both kinds show here and count toward the 20.
- Formats: JPEG, PNG and WebP; HEIC from an iPhone in Safari (turned into a JPEG first). Chrome and most Android browsers can't read HEIC.
- Intake photos are never deleted automatically.
Section: stage chip, Add a stage, and Performed by (Items tab)
| Control | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Summary line under a service line | "Service · " and the subject's name, then "N findings" | Only when the line has a subject or findings |
| Stage chip / Set stage | Opens the stage list: the built-ins, then "This store's stages", each with its colour dot and a tick on the current one | Saves on click, in the read view and while editing. "Saving…", then "Stage saved". Never part of the order's own Save |
| + Add stage | Opens Add a stage | Owner or Manager only |
| Add a stage dialog | "Your store's own step, listed after the built-in stages for every service line. This line moves to it." Name (placeholder "e.g. Sent to setter", up to 40 characters), Colour (Grey, Blue, Teal, Amber, Purple, Green, Ink, Red, Pink), a "Shows as" preview, Cancel / Add stage | A name the list already has is not added twice: the line moves to the existing stage |
| Performed by (placeholder "Person or vendor") | Who did the work, free text | Up to 200 characters. Saves on Enter or when you leave the box ("Saved"); blank clears it |
| A line added while editing | "Save the order to set this line's stage and who did the work." | The controls appear once the order is saved |
| Read-only support view | Shows the stage and Performed by | Changes neither |
- Built-in stages, in their order: Intake, Quoted, Approved, In progress, Quality check, Ready, Completed, On hold. They can't be removed. A store's own stages follow, in the order they were added.
- A line has no stage until one is set; the sales form sets Intake on a line that got a subject.
- Every stage change is recorded with the time and who made it (and Performed by at that moment). No screen shows that log yet.
- The stage and the order's status are independent: neither moves the other.
- The colours have a light and a dark shade each, readable on both themes.
Section: Stage column and Stage filter (Sales → List)
| Control | What it does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Columns → Stage | Adds the Stage column | Off until you add it; remembered in this browser, like the other optional columns. Standard view only |
| Stage cell | The stage chip of the service line furthest from done, then "+N" for the other lines that have a stage; "—" when no service line has one | On hold is shown before any other stage. A stage no longer on the store's list shows as its key, in grey |
| Sorting on Stage | On hold first, then the stage order (built-ins, then your own), no stage last | Sorts the rows on the page only |
| Filters → Service job status → Stage group ("A service line at any one of these") | Lists orders with a service line at any ticked stage | Every stage your store shows, each with its colour. Matched across every order in the date range, not just the page. Narrows on top of the job statuses ticked above it. Clear clears both |
| Chip Stage: Ready or On hold + X | Shows the ticked stages; X clears them | — |
The Service job status values above the Stage group (Scheduled, In Progress and so on) are about booked jobs on the schedule. The Stage group is about the service lines themselves.
Messages you may see
| Message | When it appears | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Line N: name the service subject, or remove it." | Saving with a subject form open and no name | Type a name, or Remove subject |
| "Line N: the service subject's name is at most 200 characters." | The name is too long | Shorten it |
| "Line N: enter the declared value as an amount, like 1200." | The declared value isn't a number | Type an amount |
| "Line N needs a photo: the declared value is $X, at or above $500.00. Take or upload one before saving." | Declared value at or above the threshold and no photo on that line | Add a photo |
| "… (N more service lines need attention below.)" | More than one line has a problem | Fix each line named |
| "Name the detail first, like Chain length." / "A detail name is at most 40 characters." | Add detail with no name, or too long a name | — |
| "An order holds up to 20 photos, so N were not added." | Too many photos queued on the form | Drop some, or add them later on the Photos tab after removing others |
| "The order was created; the service subject for line N did not save: …" (or "The quote was created; …") | Step 1 failed after the order was saved | Try again |
| "The order was created; this visit's details for line N did not save: …" | Step 2 failed | Try again |
| "The order was created; N photos for line N did not upload: …" | Some photos failed | Try again |
| "… the order's customer was not found in this store." / "… it was not found in this store." / "… no store is linked to this login." / "… check your connection and try again." | The reason after the colon in the three messages above | Read the reason; most often a connection drop |
| "These details are kept on this page until you start another one, so try again before you leave." | Under the list of what didn't save | — |
| "This photo format isn't supported here; use JPEG or PNG" | A HEIC photo in a browser that can't read it | Use Safari, or JPEG photos |
| "Only photos can be added here." | A file that isn't an image | — |
| "This order already has 20 photos. Remove one to add another." | Adding a photo to a full order | Remove one first |
| "N more photos were not added: an order holds up to 20." | A batch filled the order | — |
| "Photo too large (max 10 MB)" / "Only JPEG, PNG or WebP photos are allowed" | Rare: the browser could not shrink or convert the photo | Try another photo |
| "Photo storage is not set up for this store" / "Photo storage is not available right now" | Storage is unavailable | Try again later; contact support if it persists |
| "That order is not in this store" / "That photo is not on this order." / "That photo is not on this order any more." | The order or photo is from another store, or was removed | Close and reopen the order |
| "Only the person who added a photo, or a manager, can remove it." | Removing someone else's photo as Staff | Ask the person who added it, an Owner or a Manager |
| "The photo could not be removed. Try again." / "The photo could not be read. Try again." / "The photos could not be opened." | A failed request | Try again |
| "Blocked: you are in a read-only support view. Exit the support view to make changes." | Removing a photo in a support view | — |
| "That stage is not on this store's list. Pick another one." | A stage key the database refused | Pick a stage from the list |
| "Performed by is at most 200 characters." | Too long a name | Shorten it |
| "This line is no longer on the order. Close the order and open it again." | The line was removed elsewhere | Reopen the order |
| "Only a service line takes a stage or a performer." | A product line | — |
| "This store is open read-only. Nothing was changed." | A change in a read-only support view | — |
| "No store is linked to this login. Nothing was changed." | The login has no store | Finish store setup or ask the Owner |
| "The change wasn't saved. Check your connection and try again." | Any other failed save of a stage, Performed by or a new stage | Try again |
| "Give the stage a name." / "A stage name is at most 40 characters." | Add a stage with no name or too long a name | — |
| "Nothing was changed: your role can't change this store's stages and details. Ask the store's Owner or a Manager." | Adding a stage as Staff (if the button was showing) | Ask an Owner or a Manager |
Who can use what
| What | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Add a service subject, findings and photos on a sale or quote | Everyone who can create sales and quotes | — |
| Change a line's stage or Performed by | Everyone who can open the order | Not in a read-only support view |
| Add a photo on the Photos tab | Everyone who can open the order | Not in a read-only support view |
| Remove a photo | The person who added it, an Owner or a Manager | No time limit. Not in a read-only support view |
| Add a store's own stage | An Owner or a Manager | Staff don't see + Add stage, and the store refuses it from Staff |
| Plan | Every plan | No add-on |
Settings and limits
| Setting or limit | Value | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Photo-required threshold | $500 by default; "at or above" | The store's settings, sales.photoRequiredAbove. No screen to change it yet |
| Photos per order | 20 live photos (removed ones don't count) | — |
| Photo size | 10 MB after shrinking; shrunk to 1920 px, about 1 MB | — |
| Subject name | 1 to 200 characters | — |
| Performed by | Up to 200 characters | — |
| Stage name | 1 to 40 characters | — |
| Stage key | Made from the name in capitals with underscores ("Sent to setter" → SENT_TO_SETTER), up to 40 characters; _2, _3 added if taken | — |
| Stage colours | Grey, Blue, Teal, Amber, Purple, Green, Ink, Red, Pink | — |
| The store's stage list | Built-ins with any colour or hidden choice, then the store's own stages: service.stages (each a key, label, colour, built-in flag and an optional hidden flag) | The store's settings. Only + Add stage writes it from a screen today |
| The store's own detail fields and hidden fields | service.intakeKeys (own and hidden) | The store's settings. No screen writes it yet |
| Business type fields | intake on the business type: a default kind and its fields (key, label, hint) | Set by UpChannels per business type |
| Detail field key | Made from the name in camelCase ("Chain length" → chainLength), up to 40 characters | — |
Common questions
Is this a separate repair module? No. A repair, an install or an appraisal is a sale or a quote with a service line, as before. Service intake adds the customer's thing, this visit's findings, photos and a stage to that line.
What's the difference between the stage and the order status? The order status runs the order (Processing, Completed, Cancelled and so on) and decides stock and payments. The stage is the step the service work on one line has reached. They don't move each other, so set both.
Can the customer see the stage or the photos? Not yet. Nothing is sent to the customer, and the Customer Portal doesn't show subjects, stages or order photos, even photos marked Visible to customer.
Can I add a subject to an order I've already saved? Not yet. Subjects and findings are added when the sale or quote is created. On a saved order you can change the stage and Performed by.
Why does my declared value need a photo? At or above $500 the line needs at least one photo, so there is a record of how a valuable piece came in. The threshold can't be changed from a screen yet.
How do I change or remove a stage I added? There is no screen for that yet. A stage you added stays on the list.
Who is "Performed by"? Whoever did the work, typed freely: a team member or a vendor, such as a trade watchmaker. It isn't linked to the team list, the schedule's worker or a vendor record.
Can two pieces on one order each have a subject? Yes, when they are on different service lines (for example, sizing on one ring and an appraisal on another). The order form takes each service once, so two pieces that need the same service share one line and one subject.