Losing $531K on Manual Billing? Automate Field Service in Odoo 18

HVAC company sends 12 technicians for field service calls daily. Job done—technician replaces compressor, works 3.7 hours. Writes on paper: "Replaced compressor, 3.7 hrs." Paper sits in truck 2 days. Gets to office—office staff manually creates invoice: Technician hours × $85/hr + $847 compressor cost. But timesheet says 3.7 hours, customer says "He left after 2 hours." Dispute. Re-do invoice. Takes 1.2 hours admin time. Happens 8 times monthly. Meanwhile, technician used $73 worth of refrigerant not recorded. Lost revenue. Billing accuracy: 67% (33% underbilling or disputes).

Your field service billing disaster: Paper timesheets (lost, illegible, disputed). Manual invoice creation = 1.2 hours per job × 240 jobs monthly = 288 hours. Materials consumed not tracked (technicians forget to report). Customer disputes ("He only worked 2 hours!") = re-invoicing + angry customers. Billing delays (paper sits in truck 2 days → invoice sent 5 days post-job). Underbilling (missed materials, rounded-down hours) = 8-12% revenue loss. No automated time tracking (technicians estimate hours = inaccurate). Can't link job to sales order (office guesses what was quoted).

Cost: Manual invoicing = 288 hours monthly × 12 × $67/hour = $231,552/year. Billing disputes = 8 monthly × 2.7 hours resolution × $87/hr × 12 = $22,464. Underbilled materials = 8-12% × $1.8M annual materials = $180,000 lost revenue. Delayed invoicing = cash flow impact (5-day delay × $42,000 avg outstanding = $7,000 working capital tied up). Customer dissatisfaction = 3 lost recurring contracts yearly = $67,000 revenue. Technician time reporting = 15 min daily × 12 techs × 252 days = 756 hours = $50,652.

Odoo 18 Field Service Billing fixes this: Link tasks to sales orders (quoted services auto-populate). Technicians track time via mobile (Start/Stop button, accurate hours). Materials recorded on-site (scan barcode, add to task). Invoice auto-generated from task (hours + materials, zero manual data entry). Customer sees breakdown (timesheet entries, material list, transparent charges). Payment tracking integrated. Here's how to configure field service billing so you stop losing $531K annually to manual chaos and underbilling.

What Field Service Billing Does

Integrated billing for field service: Link tasks to sales orders → Technicians track time/materials on-site → Invoice auto-generated from task data → Customer receives transparent breakdown → Payment tracked.

Step 1: Configure Service Product

Create service products with time-and-materials billing policy.

1. Go to Sales → Products → Products
2. Click Create
3. Product details:
   • Product Name: "HVAC Repair Service"
   • Product Type: Service
   • Unit of Measure: Hours
   • Sales Price: $85/hour
4. Go to General Information tab
5. Configure invoicing:
   • Invoicing Policy: Based on Timesheets
   • Create on Order: Task
   • Project: Field Service
   • Worksheet Template: Select template (optional)
6. Click Save

Step 2: Create Sales Order

1. Go to Sales → Orders → Quotations
2. Click Create
3. Fill order details:
   • Customer: Select customer
   • Invoice Address: Auto-filled
   • Delivery Address: Job site address
   • Payment Terms: Net 30
4. Add order line:
   • Product: HVAC Repair Service
   • Quantity: 3 hours (estimated)
   • Unit Price: $85/hour
   • Subtotal: $255
5. Add materials (if known):
   • Product: AC Compressor
   • Quantity: 1
   • Unit Price: $847
6. Click Confirm
7. Sales order status: Sales Order
8. Field Service Task auto-created (if product configured correctly)

Step 3: Create Field Service Task

If not auto-created, manually create and link to sales order.

1. Go to Field Service app
2. Click Create
3. Task details:
   • Title: "AC Repair - Customer Name"
   • Project: Field Service
   • Worksheet Template: Select if applicable
   • Assignees: Select technician
   • Customer: Select customer
   • Planned Date: Schedule date/time
   • Tags: HVAC, Repair, Urgent
4. After selecting customer, Sales Order Item field appears
5. Link to sales order:
   • Click Sales Order Item dropdown
   • Select: "SO123 - HVAC Repair Service"
   • System links task to quoted service
6. Add task description (what needs to be done)
7. Click Save

Step 4: Technician Tracks Time (On-Site)

Start Time Tracking

1. Technician opens Odoo mobile app
2. Goes to Field Service → My Tasks
3. Opens assigned task
4. Arrives on-site, clicks Start button
5. Timer begins (real-time tracking)
6. Performs work (diagnose, repair, test)
7. When done, clicks Stop button
8. Total time auto-calculated: 3.2 hours

Manual Timesheet Entry (Alternative)

1. In task, go to Timesheets tab
2. Click Add a line
3. Fill timesheet:
   • Employee: Auto-filled (current user)
   • Date: Work date
   • Hours Spent: 3.2
   • Description: "Diagnosed faulty compressor, replaced unit, recharged system"
4. Click Save

Step 5: Log Materials Used

1. In task view, click Products smart button
2. Product list opens (from Field Service inventory)
3. Select materials used:
   • Search: "AC Compressor"
   • Click product
   • Set Quantity: 1
   • Confirm
4. Add additional materials:
   • Search: "R-410A Refrigerant"
   • Set Quantity: 2 lbs
   • Confirm
5. Materials logged and linked to task
6. Inventory auto-decremented

Step 6: Mark Task Complete

1. Technician completes work
2. Verified system operational
3. In task, click Mark as Done
4. Task status: Done
5. Three new buttons appear:
   • Create Invoice: Generate customer invoice
   • Sign Report: Customer signs completion report
   • Send Report: Email report to customer

Optional: Customer Sign Report

1. Click Sign Report
2. Customer signs electronically (tablet/mobile)
3. Report includes:
   • Technician and customer details
   • Work performed description
   • Time breakdown (timesheet entries)
   • Materials used list
   • Customer signature
4. Signed report saved to task
5. Proof of completion for billing disputes

Step 7: Generate Invoice

1. Office staff (or technician) clicks Create Invoice
2. Odoo auto-generates draft invoice
3. Invoice pulls data from task:
   • Service Line: "HVAC Repair Service" - 3.2 hrs @ $85/hr = $272
   • Materials Line 1: "AC Compressor" - 1 unit @ $847 = $847
   • Materials Line 2: "R-410A Refrigerant" - 2 lbs @ $36.50/lb = $73
   • Subtotal: $1,192
   • Tax: $95.36 (8%)
   • Total: $1,287.36
4. Invoice includes timesheet attachment (transparency)
5. Review invoice for accuracy
6. Make edits if needed (discounts, adjustments)
7. Click Confirm
8. Invoice status: Posted (finalized)

Step 8: Send Invoice to Customer

1. In confirmed invoice, click Send & Print
2. Email composer opens
3. Email pre-filled:
   • To: Customer email
   • Subject: "Invoice INV/2024/0123 - HVAC Repair Service"
   • Body: Professional message with payment terms
   • Attachment: PDF invoice with timesheet details
4. Review and customize message if needed
5. Click Send
6. Customer receives invoice instantly
7. Invoice marked as "Sent" in Odoo

Step 9: Track Payment

1. When customer pays, click Register Payment
2. Payment details:
   • Payment Date: Today
   • Payment Method: Bank Transfer / Check / Credit Card
   • Amount: $1,287.36 (auto-filled)
   • Memo: Check number or reference
3. Click Create Payment
4. Invoice status: Paid
5. Payment recorded in accounting
6. Accounts receivable updated

Real-World Impact

Best Practices

FAQs