Setting Up Service Call and Trip Charge Fees

Pool Office Manager allows you to set up automatic service call fees (also known as trip charges or fuel surcharges) that are added to invoices whenever certain service types are used. This is a two-step process that involves creating the fee itself, then linking it to your other service types.

How Service Call Fees Work

The service call fee feature uses two related settings found when editing any service type:

1. Service is a call/charge fee - Designates a service type AS the fee itself

2. Include a service call/trip charge fee - Links other service types to automatically include that fee

Step 1: Create the Service Call Fee

First, create a service type that will BE your service call fee:

1. Go to Settings then Service Types

2. Click Create service type

3. Enter a name like Fuel Charge, Trip Fee, or Service Call Fee

4. Set the Base price to your fee amount (for example, $5.00)

5. Scroll down to find the Include a service call fee dropdown

6. Select Service is a call/charge fee

7. Click Save

This service type is now designated as your service call fee and can be referenced by other service types.

Step 2: Link the Fee to Other Service Types

Next, configure which service types should automatically include the fee:

1. Go to Settings then Service Types

2. Click the three-dot menu next to any service type and select Edit service type

3. Scroll down to the Include a service call fee dropdown

4. Select Include a service call/trip charge fee

5. Click Save

6. Repeat for each service type that should include the fee

How It Appears on Invoices

When you create an invoice using a service type that includes the service call fee, the fee is automatically added as a separate line item. For example, if your customer has a Pool Cleaning service at $150 and you have a Fuel Charge of $5 linked to it, the invoice will show both line items with a total of $155.

Common Use Cases

Fuel Surcharge - Add a flat fuel fee to offset rising gas prices for all service calls

Trip Charge - Charge for travel time on repair visits

After-Hours Fee - Link to emergency service types only

Diagnostic Fee - Add to repair and troubleshooting service types

Tips

You can only have one service type designated as the service call fee at a time. If you need different fee amounts for different situations, consider creating separate service types with the fee built into the base price instead.