Key points
- Ostendo Jobbing: a flexible solution for complex operations: The Ostendo Jobbing feature provides a flexible solution to control job costing, field team scheduling, and progress invoicing.
- Tailored Job Types for every business model: Ostendo accommodates diverse workflows with Job Types such as Do and Charge, Progress Claims & Retentions, Asset Services & Rentals, and Internal & Non-Billable Jobs.
- Core functionality: real-time costing, structure, and mobility: Key capabilities include Real-Time WIP & Costing, Project & Task Structure, Mobility & Dispatch, Hazard & Safety Tracking, and Automated Timesheets.
- Smart quoting and field operations: The system supports multi-revision quotes, photo inclusions, templates, dynamic pricing rules, and converts approved quotes into active jobs linked to POs or manufacturing runs; field teams access mobile functionality for data capture.
- Case study: standardized field operations lead to efficiency gains: A security provider standardized dispatch and job costing with Ostendo, achieving centralized scheduling, real-time field data, automated cost tracking, and faster invoicing.
Managing complex workflows, unpredictable job costs, and scattered team schedules can overwhelm operational leaders. The Ostendo Jobbing feature provides a flexible solution to control job costing, field team scheduling, and progress invoicing.
Tailored Job Types for Every Business Model
Ostendo accommodates diverse workflows, from quick repair calls to multi-stage engineering projects. The platform categorizes operations using flexible Job Types:
- Do and Charge (Charge-Up): Tracks time and materials for quick-turnaround services.
- Progress Claims & Retentions: Manages long-term fixed-price jobs with structured deposit claims and milestone billing.
- Asset Services & Rentals: Handles recurring customer/company asset maintenance and simple equipment hire.
- Internal & Non-Billable Jobs: Tracks overhead, downtime, and internal maintenance costs without invoicing customers
Core Functionality Breakdown
Capability | Key Value |
|---|---|
Real-Time WIP & Costing | Tracks Work-In-Progress across actual vs. planned costs, utilizing standard, average, actual, or buy-price costing methods. |
Project & Task Structure | Breaks jobs into sequential tasks or consolidates multiple jobs under one master project for unified billing. |
Mobility & Dispatch | Dispatches work directly to employees or subcontractors via an interactive graphical Assignment Board. |
Hazard & Safety Tracking | Logs hazard alerts by Job Type or specific job sites, presenting compliance checklists directly to field technicians. |
Automated Timesheets | Interprets time entries automatically to apply break times and overtime rules for precise labor costing. |
Smart Quoting & Field Operations
Ostendo simplifies job estimation by supporting multi-revision quotes, photo inclusions, standard job templates, and dynamic pricing rules. Once approved, quotes convert into active jobs with direct links to purchase orders or manufacturing runs.
In the field, team members access mobile functionality on iOS and Android to:
- Issue materials and track real-time time entry.
- Capture job site data including photos, signatures, audio notes, and QA checklists.
- Allow subcontractors to log claims and time, auto-generating buyer-created invoices to prevent billing delays.
Ostendo Jobbing provides clear operational visibility, eliminating manual timesheets and guesswork around margins.
Case study
Standardizing Field Operations: How a Security Provider Streamlined Dispatch and Job Costing with Ostendo
Operational inefficiencies in field service operations rarely stem from a lack of hard work, they stem from fragmented systems. When scheduling lives on whiteboard calendars, job details are trapped in group chats, and labor hours are handwritten on paper, visibility breaks down.
A leading regional electronic security and field service provider faced this exact operational bottleneck. By implementing Ostendo Jobbing, they transformed disconnected daily routines into a single, standardized field service management system.
The Challenge: Fragmented Field Operations
Prior to centralizing their operations, the company struggled with disconnected processes across their office and field teams:
- Manual Dispatch: Jobs were assigned via inconsistent communication channels, leading to scheduling overlaps and missed job details.
- Delayed Billing: Job sheets took days to return from the field, delaying invoice generation and tying up cash flow.
- Inconsistent Data Capture: Field technicians lacked a standard procedure for logging safety hazards, work notes, and client sign-offs.
The Solution: Standardized Jobbing Workflows
By deploying Ostendo’s Jobbing framework paired with field mobility, the company established a best-practice operational workflow:
- Centralized Scheduling & Dispatch: Using the graphical Assignment Board, managers dispatch tasks directly to field technicians based on availability, location, and skill set.
- Real-Time Field Data Collection: Technicians receive job orders, track labor time, record job site hazards, and capture photo proof of completion directly on their mobile devices.
- Automated Cost & Margin Tracking: Materials issued on-site and mobile timesheets instantly update the central job order, allowing management to view real-time Work-In-Progress (WIP) and actual vs. estimated job costs.
The Impact: Efficiency, Transparency, and Faster Invoicing
Replacing fragmented manual processes with structured workflows delivered immediate operational gains:
Operational Area | Legacy Process | Ostendo Jobbing Solution |
|---|---|---|
Job Dispatch | Phone calls, emails, and physical job sheets | Interactive Assignment Board pushed directly to mobile devices |
Time & Cost Capture | Delayed paper timesheets and manual entry | Real-time mobile time capture with automated overtime interpretation rules |
Compliance & QA | Inconsistent paper checklists | Configurable mobile QA checklists, photo capture, and digital signatures |
Invoicing Cycle | Days spent reviewing paper forms | Immediate job closure triggering streamlined customer invoicing |
By standardizing job dispatch and adopting mobile field management, the organization streamlined daily administration, improved margin accuracy, and elevated customer service response times.
