Now, this is a question that I often struggle with while I configure a new implementation for Service Management. When do you really need a new order type, versus just re-purposing an existing order type? There are some obvious instances where you need a new order type. For example, revenue bearing vs. non-revenue bearing fits that bill. As a general rule, I typically aim for 4 different service order types for a facility.
- In-House Repair
- Field Service
- Exchange Order – this is optional if a company will use this process
- Sub Service Order – this is optional if needed for many companies
Now the line becomes gray when you suddenly start talking about warranty vs. non-warranty. In general, many companies do not know in advance if something is warranty, so generally I do not split these up. Even exchange versus standard in-house repair is often overkill. I only break these up sometimes to give the service shop better visibility of what needs to be handled first, because typically you want to handle the customer repairs first, the exchange items second.
I’d love to hear your opinion on this topic. I’m actually mentally battling right now on the best approach to take. The give and take between less orders types and better visibility for reporting and prioritization. Maybe I’m biased, since I’ve written a dashboard of my own, but I generally drift toward less order types. What do you do?
Thanks for reading,
As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to check out our SAP Service Management Products at my other company JaveLLin Solutions,Mike