Glossary: 93 terms in plain words
Each entry gives the definition first, then how the term works in a real service business, then a short example.
1
A
- A2P messagingA2P stands for application to person, meaning text messages sent by software to customers instead of typed by a person on a phone.
- ACHACH is the electronic bank-to-bank transfer network used in the United States to move money between checking accounts without a card.
- AI receptionistAn AI receptionist is software that answers business phone calls using synthetic speech, asks the caller questions, and records or routes the request.
- APIAn API, short for application programming interface, is a defined way for one program to request data from or send data to another.
- Arrival windowAn arrival window is a stretch of time, such as eight to ten in the morning, during which a technician is expected to show up.
- Audit logAn audit log is a time-stamped record of actions taken inside business software, such as who edited a price, deleted a customer or changed a job, and when.
B
- Before-and-after photosBefore-and-after photos are pictures of a property taken when the crew arrives and again when the work is finished.
- Booking widgetA booking widget is an embeddable block of code that places a booking form inside a page of the business's own website, so visitors can request service without leaving.
- Bring your own AIBring your own AI, often shortened to BYO, means a business connects its own account with an AI or phone provider to a software product, so the usage is billed by that provider directly.
- Buffer timeBuffer time is a block of spare minutes added before or after a job to cover cleanup, loading, parking, paperwork and small delays.
C
- Calendar syncCalendar sync keeps appointments in a scheduling product and a separate calendar, such as a phone or work calendar, matching each other.
- Call trackingCall tracking assigns different phone numbers to different marketing channels, such as a website, a truck wrap or a directory listing, and logs each call by number.
- CallbackA callback is a return visit to a customer to fix or finish something connected to work the business already did.
- Cancellation windowA cancellation window is the period before a scheduled visit during which a customer may cancel or reschedule without penalty, such as up to twenty-four hours ahead.
- CapacityCapacity is the amount of work a business can actually complete in a given period, measured in hours, jobs or visits, given its people, vehicles and rules.
- Card on fileA card on file is a payment card that a customer has agreed to let a business store, through its payment processor, and charge later.
- Carrier registrationCarrier registration is the process of telling mobile carriers who your business is and what texts you plan to send, so they will deliver them.
- Change orderA change order is a written amendment that records a change to the scope, price or schedule of work the customer already approved.
- ChurnChurn is the loss of customers over a period of time, counted as the number or share who stop buying or cancel a recurring service.
- CommissionCommission is pay calculated as a share of what an employee sells or completes, such as a percentage of a job's price or a fixed bonus per upsell.
- Confirmation requestA confirmation request is a message sent before a scheduled visit asking the customer to confirm that they will be there, usually by replying or tapping a button.
- Crew capacityCrew capacity is the amount of work one specific crew can finish in a day, based on how many people it has, what they are trained to do, and what equipment is on the truck.
- CRMA CRM, short for customer relationship management, is software that stores each customer's contact details, addresses, service history, notes and follow-up tasks in one place.
- CSV importCSV import is loading data from a comma-separated values file, which any spreadsheet can produce, into business software, for example a list of customers with names, phones and addresses.
- Customer portalA customer portal is a private web page where a customer can see upcoming visits, past service, quotes and invoices, and often reschedule, pay or send a message.
D
- Data exportData export is the ability to download your own records, such as customers, addresses, jobs, invoices and notes, in a usable file like a spreadsheet.
- Data migrationData migration is the process of moving your customers, job history, price lists and other records from an old system into a new one.
- DepositA deposit is a portion of the price paid before the work begins, used to secure a booking, cover early costs such as materials, or discourage last-minute cancellations.
- DispatchDispatch is the act of assigning a job to a particular technician or crew and sending them to it at the right time.
- Dispatch boardA dispatch board is a screen that lays out each technician or crew as a row or column and shows their jobs across the day.
- Double bookingDouble booking is when two appointments end up assigned to the same person, crew or resource for overlapping times.
E
F
- Field service managementField service management, often shortened to FSM, is the practice and software category for running work performed at customer locations rather than in a shop.
- Flat-rate pricingFlat-rate pricing means charging a fixed price for a defined task, such as replacing a faucet or cleaning a three-bedroom home, regardless of how long the work actually takes.
G
I
J
L
- Late cancellation feeA late cancellation fee is a charge applied when a customer cancels after the notice period set by the business, such as less than twenty-four hours before the visit.
- Lead pipelineA lead pipeline is a set of stages that each prospect moves through, from first contact to quoted, followed up, won or lost.
- Lead sourceA lead source is a record of how a new customer first found the business, such as a Google search, a neighbor's recommendation, a yard sign or a flyer.
- Lead timeLead time is the minimum amount of notice a business requires between a customer's booking request and the visit itself, for example one full day.
- Lifetime valueLifetime value, often shortened to LTV, is an estimate of the total revenue or profit one customer brings to a business over the whole time they stay a customer.
M
N
O
- Offline modeOffline mode lets a field app keep working without a data connection, so a technician can view jobs, add notes and photos and mark work complete, then sync everything when the signal returns.
- On-my-way textAn on-my-way text is a short message sent to a customer when a technician starts driving to their address, usually with a name and an estimated arrival time.
- Online bookingOnline booking is a web page or form through which customers choose a service, an address and a preferred time without phoning the business.
- Opt-in and opt-outOpt-in is a customer's recorded permission to receive texts or emails from a business, and opt-out is their request to stop, often by replying STOP.
- OverbookingOverbooking is accepting more appointments or jobs than the schedule can comfortably hold.
- Owner approvalOwner approval is a rule that a customer's online request does not become a confirmed visit until the owner, or a manager, reviews and accepts it.
P
- Payment linkA payment link is a web address, sent by text or email, that opens a page where the customer can pay a specific invoice by card or bank transfer.
- Payroll exportA payroll export is a file or report that packages each employee's hours, overtime and commissions from the scheduling or timekeeping system so a payroll service or accountant can process pay.
- Pending requestA pending request is a customer's online ask for a visit that the business has received but not yet accepted.
- Per-user pricingPer-user pricing charges a software fee based on how many people have logins.
- Prepaid walletA prepaid wallet is a balance a customer loads in advance, then draws down as they use metered services such as text messages or phone minutes.
- Progress billingProgress billing is a way of charging for a large job in stages, such as a share at start, another at a midpoint and the rest at completion.
- ProposalA proposal is a fuller sales document than a simple quote, combining the scope of work, pricing, optional upgrades, photos, terms and a way for the customer to accept.
- Push notificationA push notification is a short alert delivered to a phone or computer screen by an app or website, even when it is not open.
- PWAA PWA, short for progressive web app, is a website built so that it can be added to a phone's home screen and opened like an app, without an app store.
Q
- Quiet hoursQuiet hours are a daily span of time, such as late evening through early morning, during which automatic texts and emails are held until the window ends.
- QuoteA quote is a price offered for clearly defined work that the business agrees to honor if the customer accepts within a stated period.
R
- Recurring jobA recurring job is a visit that repeats on a set pattern, such as weekly lawn mowing, biweekly cleaning or quarterly pest treatment.
- ReferralA referral is a new customer who comes to a business because an existing customer or contact recommended it.
- Reminder cadenceA reminder cadence is the planned sequence and timing of messages sent before a scheduled visit, for example a few days ahead, the evening before and the morning of.
- Review requestA review request is a message, usually a text or email sent soon after a completed job, asking the customer to leave a public rating or comment on a review site.
- Role-based accessRole-based access is a security setup in which each user is assigned a role, such as owner, office manager or technician, and the role decides what they can see and change.
- Route densityRoute density is a measure of how close a crew's jobs are to one another.
- Route optimizationRoute optimization is the process of ordering a day's stops so the total driving distance or time is as small as practical.
- Route sheetA route sheet is the ordered list of stops a crew will make in a day, with each address, expected duration and key notes such as gate codes or pets.
S
- Scheduling softwareScheduling software is a program that stores a business's calendar, shows which times are open, and assigns visits to staff.
- SeatA seat is one licensed login to a software product, held by one person.
- Service agreementA service agreement is a written contract that sets out what work the business will provide, the price, how often, the length of the arrangement, and how either party can cancel.
- Service areaA service area is the set of locations a business agrees to work in, defined by zip codes, cities, neighborhoods or a radius from a base.
- Service plan and maintenance agreementA service plan, also called a maintenance agreement or membership, is a standing arrangement in which a customer receives scheduled visits at an agreed price, often billed monthly or yearly.
- Single sign-onSingle sign-on, or SSO, lets people sign in to several applications with one company identity, usually managed through a central provider.
- Slot holdA slot hold is a temporary reservation placed on a time while a customer completes a booking form or payment.
T
- Time and materialsTime and materials is a billing method that charges for the hours actually worked at an agreed hourly rate, plus the cost of parts and supplies used, usually with a markup.
- Time slotA time slot is a specific block on the calendar, with a start and an end, that a customer can pick when booking.
- TimecardA timecard is the record of when an employee started and stopped work each day, including breaks, used to calculate pay and often to assign hours to jobs.
- Toll-free numberA toll-free number is a business phone number with a prefix such as 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888, which can receive calls at no charge to the caller.
- Travel timeTravel time is the time a technician spends driving from one job site to the next, including parking and walking to the door.
- Two-factor authenticationTwo-factor authentication, often called 2FA, requires a second proof of identity in addition to a password, usually a short code from a phone app or text message.
- Two-way textingTwo-way texting is messaging in which a customer can reply to a business's texts and staff can answer from a shared inbox, rather than sending one-way notices.
U
W
- WaitlistA waitlist is an ordered list of customers who want a date or time that is already full and agree to be offered an opening if one appears.
- WalkthroughA walkthrough is a visit in which the business and the customer look over the property together, either before work to scope and price it, or after work to confirm it meets expectations.
- WebhookA webhook is an automatic message that one program sends to another the moment something happens, such as a new booking, a paid invoice or a cancelled visit.
- Work orderA work order is the record that tells a technician exactly what job to perform: the customer, the address, the tasks, the expected parts and any notes about access or past visits.