Notes & Communication

Keep detailed notes on every work order for internal reference and customer communication. Notes create a valuable record of decisions, observations, and communications.

Types of Notes

ShopTrack supports different types of notes for various purposes:

Internal Notes

Visible only to your team. Use for observations, reminders, and internal communication that customers shouldn't see.

Customer Notes

Can be shared with customers. Use for updates, explanations, and information you want the customer to see.

Adding Notes

To add a note to a work order:

  1. Open the work order
  2. Click the Notes tab
  3. Click + Add Note
  4. Choose the note type (Internal or Customer)
  5. Enter your note text
  6. Click Save
Add Note Form
Add notes with rich text formatting. notes-add-form

Note Formatting

Notes support rich text formatting:

  • Bold and italic text
  • Bulleted and numbered lists
  • Headings
  • Links

Viewing Notes

Notes are displayed chronologically in the Notes tab, with the most recent at the top:

Notes List
View all notes in chronological order. notes-list

Each note shows:

  • Note content
  • Author name
  • Date and time
  • Note type (Internal or Customer)

Editing and Deleting Notes

To edit a note you created:

  1. Find the note in the list
  2. Click the Edit button
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click Save

To delete a note:

  1. Find the note in the list
  2. Click the Delete button
  3. Confirm deletion

Edit History

Note edits are tracked in the work order history. The original content is preserved for audit purposes.

Common Note Uses

Internal Notes

  • Technician observations - "Found corrosion on battery terminals, cleaned and treated"
  • Parts ordering - "Ordered impeller from West Marine, ETA Tuesday"
  • Customer preferences - "Customer prefers morning appointments"
  • Warnings - "Previous owner work - check all connections carefully"
  • Handoff notes - "Continuing tomorrow, water pump removed, waiting for parts"

Customer Notes

  • Status updates - "Completed engine service, starting electrical work tomorrow"
  • Recommendations - "Recommend replacing fuel lines next season"
  • Explanations - "Found additional corrosion that required extra time to address"
  • Approvals needed - "Discovered issue with lower unit seals, please approve additional repair"

Quick Notes from Other Tabs

You can quickly add notes from other work order tabs using the quick note feature:

Quick Note Button
Add notes quickly from anywhere in the work order. notes-quick

Pinning Important Notes

Pin important notes to keep them at the top of the list:

  1. Find the note
  2. Click the Pin button

Pinned notes appear first, regardless of when they were created. This is useful for critical information that should be immediately visible.

Best Practice: Document Everything

When in doubt, add a note. Notes create a valuable record for warranty claims, customer disputes, and future reference. It's better to have too much documentation than too little.

Note Notifications

Team members can be notified when notes are added to work orders they're involved with. Configure notification preferences in your profile settings.