Summary
We have found that there has been a need for customers to be able to have different prices for items in ServiceBox. We have developed a feature that we call Pricebook that will allow you to create custom price lists that you can assign to customers and job sites. This article explains this feature.
To enable the Price Book feature, you must select Settings -> Plan -> Features. and check the Price Book check box.
Creating a New Pricebook
A Pricebook can be added or edited in the Settings -> Customer -> PriceBooks. To create a new Pricebook, enter the name of a Pricebook. This Pricebook can then be assigned to one or more customers or job sites. If you ever need to edit a Pricebook, you can also edit the name of the Pricebook from this screen. If you want to assign a discount percentage to the complete invoiced amount enter the percentage in the discount box before saving the line. If you only want to adjust prices for certain labour or materials leave the discount box blank.
Adjusting Pricebook Items
Once a Pricebook is created, you will need to adjust the Pricebook item's unit cost and markup. We have designed this feature so it will be an additional unit cost and markup value for your current item list that you use on a day-to-day basis, but allow you to set these adjusted price lists to specific customers and job sites. If you wish to add a new item for a Pricebook, you will need to create the item for the default list and then apply a new price value to the Pricebook.
To edit the Pricebook items, open up either the Quote or Invoice Tab in Settings. Once you go into the “Quote Items” or “Invoice Items” sub section, you will see there is a dropdown for “Edit Price Book” select the Pricebook you want to adjust the values for.
Note: To add an item to a Pricebook it must be added to the default price list first. New items cannot be added directly from the Settings screen.
Once you select the Pricebook from the dropdown you will be able to edit the Pricebook values. You will see that there are additional columns that appear. If you edit the values by using the pencil icon then a new item unit cost and markup will be applied to the item but will be related to the Pricebook that you select. You can add and edit items for a Pricebook from here.
Pricebook Update Settings
We have included some unique settings for the way Pricebooks are updated and items added for Pricebook related customers. Depending on how your ServiceBox site is configured you may need to have unique settings for both Quotes and Invoice items. To view the settings for Pricebooks on Quotes go to Settings -> Quotes -> Quote Item Settings. To view the settings for Pricebooks on Invoices go to Settings -> Invoices -> Invoice Item Settings.
The Pricebook utilizes the settings under the "Quote Items" or "Invoice Items" heading. So if you want to be able to add or update items from the Quote or Invoice, then these settings need to be turned on. If they are turned off then the Pricebook settings will not be used. The settings for both sections is the same. Once you enable the Pricebooks feature you will see the following settings:
Assuming the settings are enabled to add or update items from the quote or invoice this is how the following settings for the Pricebook will behave. Also, these settings are only applied to those customers or job sites that have a Pricebook added (will explain more about this in a further section):
New Items - This is an item that does not exist in the default price list (so does not exist):
- Add Cost/Markup to Default Pricelist - If this is enabled then any new item will be added with the unit cost and markup to the default price list. (Default selection)
- Add Cost/Markup to the Pricebook - If this is enabled then any new item will be added with the unit cost and markup to the currently selected Pricebook. This will add a new item to the default price list, but there will not be a unit cost and markup entered (essentially both will be 0).
No Pricebook Price Set - This is an item that does exist in the default price list, but does not have a Pricebook set (for the selected Pricebook):
- Add Cost/Markup to the Pricebook - If this is enabled then any adjustment to the Unit Cost/ Markup will be added to the selected Pricebook. The Default Price List value will remain the same.
- Update Cost/Markup to the Default - This will adjust the Unit Cost/ Markup for the item in the default price list. (Default Selection)
Pricebook Price Set - This is an item that has a Pricebook value set (for the selected Pricebook):
- Do Nothing - Do not adjust the item unit cost and markup in the Pricebook. Pricebook item values will remain the same.
- Update Cost/Markup in Pricebook - If this is enabled, then any adjustment to the Unit Cost/ Markup will update the value in the Pricebook.
Applying a Pricebook to a Customer
Once you have created a Pricebook and set up all settings related to the Pricebook, now you can set a Pricebook to a Customer or Job Site. It is really quite simple. To add a new Pricebook open up a customer and edit the customer. You will see that there is a dropdown to select a Pricebook for the customer. Select the Pricebook that you would like and then save the customer. Now the Pricebook will be applied to all Quote and Invoices for that Customer. Any Pricebook that has been selected will appear in the details screen for the Customer.
Applying a Pricebook to a Job Site.
Once you have created a Pricebook and set up all settings related to the Pricebook, now you can set a Pricebook to a Customer or Job Site. It is really quite simple. To add a new Pricebook open up a job site and edit the job site. You will see that there is a dropdown to select a Pricebook for the customer. Select the Pricebook that you would like and then save the customer. Now the Pricebook will be applied to all Quote and Invoices for that job site. If a Customer has a Pricebook set and a job site related to that customer has a Pricebook set the Job Site Pricebook will be used for all Quotes and Invoices. Any Pricebook that has been selected will appear in the details screen for the Job Site.
Using a Pricebook in a Quote
If you have a customer or a job site that has a Pricebook, then this Pricebook will be applied to all items that are selected in the Quote. If you have a Pricebook that only has a few items that are modified in a Pricebook, then only those items will use the Pricebook price all other items will use the default price list. Once you create the Quote and go to the calculator tab, then you will see which Pricebook is being used:
At this point you can modify the Quote and add items as you normally would.
Using a Pricebook in a Work Order
If you have a customer or a job site that has a Pricebook enabled and you also have added in the ability to view unit cost in a Work Order, then you will see which Pricebook is being used on the current work order. Because we are going to display the price of the unit cost in the categories, we need to display which Pricebook is being used:
Using a Pricebook in an Invoice
If you have a customer or a job site that has a Pricebook enabled and then create a time and materials or a blank invoice for the customer or job site, then all values that are imported in will adjust according to the Pricebook selected. This is particularly useful when you have a few customers that have different labor rates than the default rate. So for example let's say you have it set that all techs have a default rate of $80 per hour so you have a labor item created called Labor with a unit cost of $80 and a markup of 0%. Now let's say you have another customer that has a discounted labor rate for the Labor item of $65 with a 0% markup. By creating a Pricebook with this adjusted value, then all Time and Materials invoices would draw the Pricebook labor rate of $65 for those labor items.
As with the Quote, you will see which Pricebook is associated with the invoice in the Using Pricebook field:
The Pricebook functionality will not affect the pushing of the invoice to Accounting.