For a lot of Calgary trades and oilfield service companies, the slowest part of getting paid isn't the customer. It's the gap between a crew finishing the job and the office sending an invoice. Here's how to close it.
Why field tickets slow down invoicing
- Paper tickets ride around in the truck until the end of the week.
- Handwriting has to be read and retyped by someone in the office.
- Missing details, like a PO or AFE number or a customer sign-off, send the ticket back to the field.
- Customers, especially larger operators, may reject invoices that don't match their coding requirements.
1. Standardize what every ticket must capture
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Customer and PO / AFE number | Without it, many customers can't approve the invoice. |
| Location (site, or LSD for oilfield work) | Ties the work to the right job and cost centre. |
| Crew, hours, and equipment | The core of the invoice lines. |
| Materials used | Easy to forget, and easy money to lose. |
| Customer sign-off | Prevents disputes later. |
2. Capture tickets on site, the same day
A phone photo of the signed ticket, or a short phone form, gets the information to the office the day the work is done instead of at the end of the week.
3. Check for missing fields before the office touches it
The most expensive ticket is the one that comes back. A quick check for a PO or AFE number, sign-off, and hours at the moment of capture is far cheaper than chasing it a week later.
4. Use software where it fits, build where it doesn't
For residential and light commercial work, field-service software like Jobber handles job forms and invoicing well. For oilfield and industrial work with custom tickets and operator requirements, a custom ticket-to-invoice tool is often the better fit.
5. Batch daily, not weekly
Even without any new tools, reviewing tickets daily instead of weekly can move invoices out days sooner.
How long does it take you today? Measure the days between job completion and invoice sent for your last ten jobs. That number is your starting point.
The free Admin Score shows where else your hours go, and what it's costing you.