Understanding and Resolving Discrepancies in Work Order Time Entries

Introduction

When it comes to logging work hours in a work order management system like ServiceBox, accuracy is essential for both billing and payroll. Occasionally, discrepancies between logged time and expected time can occur, leading to confusion and potential errors. This article outlines how to identify and resolve such discrepancies and recommends best practices for permission settings to ensure accurate and consistent time entries.

Understanding the Issue

Discrepancies in time entries often arise when the time a technician logs at checkout doesn’t match the time recorded in the Time & Materials (T&M) section of the work order. This can raise concerns about manual adjustments and whether time entries have been altered after the fact.

Identifying the Discrepancy

Technicians may log in and out multiple times during the day. For example, a technician named Gerry logs in and out twice, but in the second instance, the checkout shows 2.0 hours, while the T&M tab reflects 2.5 hours.

Investigating Logged Time Changes

This discrepancy suggesting manual adjustments to his time entries. 

Basic users, like Gerry, possess permissions allowing them to modify their time entries directly on checkout, on the T&M tab, and even on the Timesheet post-checkout. This flexibility, while intended to empower technicians, inadvertently opens the door to discrepancies and inaccuracies.

Resolving the Discrepancy

To prevent these issues:

• Review Basic User Permissions: Ensure basic users cannot modify logged time after check-out or from the T&M tab.

• Contact Support: Email support@jobboxsoft.com to request permission changes that restrict time edits for basic users.

Conclusion

Discrepancies in time tracking can be minimized by clearly defining and enforcing permissions for your team. Reviewing user roles and locking down unnecessary access points will protect your billing integrity and ensure that ServiceBox continues to be a reliable work order and payroll management tool.