Service centres
ERP software for repair and service centres
Bill spares and labour on one invoice, keep spares stock by centre, follow up every maintenance contract (maintenance contract) customer on time, and settle technician claims from their phones.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for repair and service centres. One invoice carries spares and labour, each at its own tax rate, spares stock is kept by centre with reorder levels, and maintenance contract follow-ups, technician claims and payroll share the same books.
Illustration of an expense claim on a phone with a receipt photo and Approve and Reject buttons.
A day in a service centre
A service centre sells two things at once, a part and the time it takes to fit it, and both have to land on the bill.
At Coolcare Appliance Services in Johannesburg the phone starts ringing at nine. An air conditioner is not cooling in Sandton, a washing machine is leaking in Randburg, and an office wants its quarterly maintenance contract visit. Three technicians leave in vans with a bag of capacitors and relays.
By evening the counter has a pile of handwritten bills. One fan motor came from the main centre and one from the branch, so nobody is sure what is left in either. A technician paid for parking and a part from a local shop out of his own pocket. The maintenance contract visit due next week is on a calendar only the owner reads.
SimpleERP puts that day into two records that matter most. The invoice carries the spares and the labour together and takes the parts out of the right centre's stock. The customer's ledger keeps every invoice, payment, call and planned maintenance contract visit in one place.
Billing
Spares and labour on one invoice
A service invoice mixes parts and labour, and SimpleERP prints each line with its own rate and tax. Rates in the example are illustrative, so confirm yours with your accountant.
- Tax per line, with a summary by rate on the print.
- Labour as a service, so it never touches stock.
- Free-text lines for a one-off job that is not in your service list.
- Bank details on the print, so the customer can pay at the counter or on the doorstep.
| Line | Kind | Taxable value |
|---|---|---|
| Fan motor, 1 pc | Spare | $65.00 |
| Capacitor 35 µF, 1 pc | Spare | $12.00 |
| Repair and service labour | Service | $40.00 |
| Tax 15% | $17.55 | |
| Invoice total | $134.55 |
Inventory and purchase
Know which centre has the part before the technician leaves
Each centre or van store is a warehouse, so a capacitor shows as two at the main centre and none at the branch, and the low-stock list tells you what to order before a job waits for a part.
- Reorder level per spare, with a low-stock list that turns shortfalls into purchase orders by supplier.
- Purchase orders and supplier bills from your distributors receive parts into the right centre at the bill cost.
- Transfers move spares from the main store to a branch or a technician's van.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Customers and CRM
Every customer's history in one ledger
The customer record shows every invoice, payment and credit note with a running balance, and an activity tab with every call, visit note and follow-up logged against that customer.
- Transactions and statement for a apartment block or body corporate or office that pays by the month.
- Log calls, visits and notes against the customer, so the next technician knows what was done last time.
- Receivables ageing by customer, with a reminder written for you to copy and send.
Illustration of receivables ageing: 2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
maintenance contract follow-ups
maintenance contract visits that do not depend on someone's memory
Add a follow-up with a due date against each maintenance contract customer, and it appears in the follow-up inbox under overdue, today or upcoming for whoever is assigned to it.
- Follow-up inbox with overdue, today and the next seven days, for each staff member.
- Snooze or mark done in one tap, and log the visit as a note on the customer.
- maintenance contract invoices raised as a normal invoice with a service line when the contract renews.
Expenses and payroll
Technician claims and pay, sorted from a phone
A technician photographs the receipt for parking, fuel or a part bought on the spot, submits the claim from their phone, and a manager approves it before the accountant reimburses and posts it.
- Claims move from submitted to approved to reimbursed, with a reason when rejected.
- Attendance from the phone, with shifts and grace minutes for the morning start.
- Payroll from attendance, with your deductions and advances recovered month by month.
Illustration of the daily attendance sheet on a phone with a Mark all present button.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the parts every service centre needs when you sign up, so day one is about your spares and services.
- A chart of accounts with inventory and cost of goods sold already mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a spare or a service.
- Units such as pieces, sets and metres, and document numbering on your financial year.
- Ten expense categories, including travel and repairs, and salary components with a default shift.
- Seven ready-made roles, including an Employee role that sees only its own attendance, payslips and claims.
By job
Repair and service centres by job
Inventory for service centres
Spare parts counted by back room and technician kit at average cost, with reorder levels and purchase orders to each parts dealer.
Read moreAccounting for service centres
Parts margin, service and maintenance contract income, technician cash and dealer dues in one double-entry ledger for repair and service centres.
Read morePayroll for service centres
Technician pay from phone check-ins, travel allowance and incentives, fuel and parts claims, and advance recovery posted to the books.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
An invoice posts the sale, the tax and the cost of the spares; a claim posts the expense; a follow-up keeps the next visit on someone's list.
Invoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howCRM
Leads, a deal pipeline, today's follow-ups and conversion to customer and quotation.
See howExpenses
Business expenses with receipts, and staff claims from submit to approve to reimburse.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for service centres yet
These come up often with repair and service businesses, so here they are up front.
- Job cards that track a device from intake to delivery. Many centres log the complaint as a note on the customer and bill when the job is done.
- Device serial numbers or warranty tracking. Write the serial number in the invoice line description if you need it on the bill.
- Technician scheduling or a dispatch board. Assign follow-ups to a technician and work from the inbox.
- SMS or chat updates sent by the system. The reminder text is written for you to copy and send yourself.
- maintenance contract contracts that raise invoices on their own. Raise each maintenance contract invoice when it falls due.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Import your spares from a CSV file with tax rates and opening stock per centre, then add your labour and maintenance contract services with their tax rates.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which tax rate applies to repair work and spare parts?
In most VAT and GST countries both carry the standard rate. Under US sales tax, parts are usually taxed while repair labour often is not, depending on the state. SimpleERP lets each line carry its own rate. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Does SimpleERP have job cards for devices brought in for repair?
No. There are no job cards, device serial numbers or warranty records yet. Many centres log the complaint as an activity on the customer, keep the serial number in the invoice line description, and raise the invoice when the device is returned.
Can I keep spares stock separately for each centre?
Yes. Create a warehouse for each centre or van, and every invoice line takes the part from the warehouse you pick. Transfers move stock between them.
Is it suitable for a centre with five technicians, or one with fifty?
Both. Every member gets a login with a role, and there is no limit on members. Technicians can use the Employee role to mark attendance, file claims and see payslips from their phones without seeing your books.
We keep bills in a notebook and a spreadsheet. How do we move?
Import your spares with opening stock from a CSV file, add customers with opening balances, and start billing from today. Old notebook bills stay where they are.
Related
Keep reading
Auto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, invoices that mix parts and labour, and garage credit with ageing.
Read moreElectrical and electronics
Fast billing of electrical goods, stock by warehouse, panel assembly from BOMs and electrician credit.
Read moreIT services and agencies
Pipeline to retainer invoices, payroll for a salaried team and a laptop register.
Read moreMoving to SimpleERP
Import masters, balances and open bills from spreadsheets or your old software, checked first and undoable, then run both systems for a month.
Read moreExpenses
Business expenses with receipts, and staff claims from submit to approve to reimburse.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.