Reasons for Labor Rates Mismatch: Invoice Template Upload

Owned by Joseph Yarborough (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jul 07, 2023 by Anastasia Medovkina
8 min read

When you submit invoices via the line-item template, if it contains labor rates that are either below of above the agreed upon rates, they will be prompted to resubmit the invoice with a “reason(s)” for the rates mismatch.

⦿ How to Use the Line Item Invoice Template for Reason for Rates Mismatch

  1. Navigate to the Invoice screen, by selecting the Invoice link on the top of the interface.

  2. Click the Download/Upload menu and select Upload Invoice Template.

  3. If you are submitting an invoice for the United States or Canada select the l.14 link, to download the Excel optimized spreadsheet. All others select the l.15 link.

  4. Open the spreadsheet. (If you are not using Excel, ensure that the program you are using can save in the “xls” format)

The spreadsheet has 27 fields where values can be entered, however, not all fields are required for all invoices (your client(s) will determine which fields are required and communicate the requirements to you, directly). The following list outlines the type of content/values that can be entered into each field and whether or not they are system (ServiceChannel) required, based on the work done and or the client/ service provider agreement as listed in the service provider’s Fixxbook. 


Formatting Alert: UTF-8 Format Required
When uploading information in the form of Spreadsheets, Templates, Text Documents and or copied and pasted to Service Automation or Provider Automation, the Content must be UTF-8 formatted. Content that is not UTF-8 formatted may be misread by our system and cause errors in how your data is interpreted.


 Windows Specific

Windows Specific

Open file in Notepad

Choose Save As

There are three items to update in the Save dialog that comes up.

Save as type: change this to All FilesFile

Name: name your file and add the .csv extension to it - e.g.: myupdates.csv

Encoding: click on the dropdown and choose UTF-8

Save!

 MAC Specific


Mac Specific

  1. Open file in Number
  2. Hover over Export

  3. In the submenu that appears, choose CSV
  4. Click on Advanced Options to show the Text Encoding dropdown
  5. Select Unicode (UTF-8) from the dropdown menu

  6. Click Next Export!




 Google Sheets Specific

Google Sheets

  1. Click File
  2. Click on or hover over Download As

  3. Choose the option Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)

  4. After clicking on that option, your file will be automatically downloaded to your computer



 Click here to expand and view Invoice field definitions and values

Field

Required

Value/Format

Location/Content/Restrictions

Template Version

Yes

Uppercase I

I.14 or  I.15

Provided on first line of the template.

User ID

Yes

Not case sensitive

Info used to log into Service Automation.

PIN

Yes

Numeric

IVR Pin number used to login to work orders. Can be found on work orders.

Invoice #

Yes

Alphanumeric  

You can use the work order number or a self generated alphanumeric combination.

Invoice Date

Yes

mm/dd/yyyy

If the client has not set restrictions on the date parameter, invoices can be dated as far back as the date of work completion to the current date.

Tracking Number

Yes

Numeric

Unique number assigned to each work order.

Record Type

Yes

Record Type referrers to the information on a particular row and are always capital letters. Options are:

●      L  for labor charges

●      M for material charges

●      S for sum  of column totals and for non-labor or non-material charges

N/A

Skill Level

Yes, for Labor charges

Case Sensitive:

●      Supervisor

●      Technician

●      Helper

Based on the worker type(s) that worked on the work order. Each Tech type must be entered on a separate row.

Labor Type

Yes, for Labor charges

Case Sensitive:

●      Regular

●      Overtime

●      Double Time

Based on the type of time worked.

# Of Techs

Yes, for Labor charges

Numeric

Combined number of each type: Supervisors, Technicians and or Helpers who worked on the work order. Each Tech type must be entered on a separate row.

Hourly Rate

Yes, for Labor charges

Numeric

Based on agreed upon amount listed in Service Provider’s Fixxbook account. See Client Rates in Fixxbook.

Total Hours

Yes, for Labor charges

Numeric

Based on the combined number of hours for the “Tech” type.

Labor Amount

Yes, for Labor charges

Numeric

Total hours for the Techs listed in the row.

Travel Charge

Only if Travel Charges have been agreed upon

Numeric

Based on the Travel Charge agreed upon in Fixxbook. See Client Rates in Fixxbook.

Material Description

Only if there are Material charges

Alpha

Description of Materials used on work order. Enter each “Material” used on a separate “M” row.

Part #

Only if there are Material charges

Alphanumeric

The Part (Serial or Manufacturer) number.  Enter each “Part” used on the corresponding “M” row.

Price Per Unit

Only if there are Material charges

Numeric

Price for quantity of one. Enter each “Price Per Unit” used on the corresponding “M” row.

Qty (Quantity)

Only, if there are Material charges

Numeric

Number of Parts used. Enter the “Qty” used on the corresponding “M” row.

Material Amount

Only, if there are Material charges

Numeric

Total amount for Material. Each “material type” must be entered on a separate “M” row.

Freight Charge

Only, if there are Freight charges

Numeric

Total freight charge. Entered on Summary row.

Other Charges - Description

Only, if there are Other  charges that do not fit into one of the other categories

Alpha

Enter either one of the following if applicable for your Client: Agreed Price, As Agreed, Credit Memo, Discount, Disposal, Management Fee, Markup, Overhead & Profit, Rental Fee, Shipping & Handling, or Subcontractor Cost. Enter each on a separate “L” row.

Other Charges Amount

Only, if the are other charges

Numeric

Enter each on a separate “S” row.

Invoice Tax

Only if it has been agreed that the Service Provider charges taxes for services rendered or materials.

Numeric

Invoice taxes should be entered in the Summary Record Type (S) row.

Tax 2

Only if it has been agreed that the Service Provider charges taxes for services rendered or materials.

Numeric

The invoice second tax amount, (typically GST for Canada). Multiple taxes are required for some Canadian Location.

Invoice taxes should be entered in the Summary Record Type (S) row.

Tax 2 Name

Only if it has been agreed that the Service Provider charges taxes for services rendered or materials.

Alpha

The second tax name for Canada: PST, QST or HST. The tax name is validated based on the location province:

●      Alberta (AB): GST

●      British Columbia (BC): GST or PST

●      Manitoba(MB): GST or PST

●      New-Brunswick (NB): HST

●      Newfoundland and Labrador (NL): HST

●      Northwest Territories (NT): GST

●      Nova Scotia (NS): HST

●      Nunavut (NU): GST

●      Ontario (ON): HST

●      Prince Edward Island (PE): HST

●      Quebec (QC): GST or QST

●      Saskatchewan (SK): GST or PST

●      Yukon (YT): GST

Tax percentages in the International Line Item Invoice Templates are to be entered for each section separately in the Summary (S) row. They are: Labor Tax %, Trip Tax %, Material Tax %, Freight Tax %, and Other Charges Tax %.

Invoice total

Yes

Numeric

Total of all charges. Invoice Totals should be entered in the Summary Record Type (S) row.

Invoice Description

Yes

Alpha

Entered on (S) row.




⦿ How to Submit the Invoice Template via Provider Automation

  1. On the Invoices List, click Download / Upload and select Upload Invoice Template.

  2. Click Browse a file and select the completed invoice template.

  3. Click Upload.

  4. Wait for the file to be validated.

  • When the file processes, the Template Uploaded window appears. Click Download to check the report.

  • If the template contains errors, the Validation Failed window appears. Click Download and open the report.

⦿ How to Submit the Invoice Template by Email

  1. Complete the required invoice template.

  2. Save it as an .xls formatted file.

  3. Email the file to invoices@servicechannel.net.

  4. An email will be sent to you indicating whether or not your invoice has been validated.

Note: Only one file can be attached to each email.

What to Expect after You Submit the Template via Bulk Upload

After you upload the completed invoice template, it will undergo a validation process that will look to see if:

  • the required fields are completed

  • the labor rates match the agreed upon amount

  • the values entered on the template, are in the correct format

  • a supporting document (if required by your client) has been attached.

Invoices submitted via the template bulk upload, will be validated immediately. If the validation process returns errors, you will be immediately instructed to download the Processing Results, which contains additional information as to why the template could not be processed.

The Processing Result file is a copy of the template that was submitted with additional columns added, which contains information needed to correct the entries. Below is an examples of the returned Processing Results.

What to Expect when Submitting an Invoice by Email

When submitting an invoice by email, the invoice will be processed by ServiceChannel and a link to the validation report will be sent to the email on file. Additionally, if the are any discrepancies in the data submitted, a link will be sent indicating that there were errors. If you encounter a returned invoice, check the document for errors then resubmit it, along with any supporting documentation.

Troubleshooting Upload Errors

The following is a list of errors commonly made/experienced. Match the error code you received to the list below, make the required corrections, and then resubmit the invoice.

 Click here to expand and to view a list of Troubleshooting Upload Errors and Solutions


Error Message

Description

Invalid Templ. Vers. Supported Vers.

Template version #' field is set incorrectly

No Pin

Pin' field is blank

Pin is not numeric value

Pin' field has any value except numeric

Template version {0} for selected location '{1}' is not allowed.

Template version is not allowed for selected location (for ex. when 15 template version is chosen for US / Canada location)

Invalid Other Charges Qty

Other Charges Qty is not a number or is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Other Unit Cost

Other Charges Unit Cost is not a number or is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Other Charge Description

Other Charges Charge Description is not formatted correctly

Invalid Labor Tax Percentage

Labor Tax Percentage' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Travel Tax Percentage

Travel Tax Percentage' field is invalid:

a) Value is not number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Material Tax Percentage

Material Tax Percentage' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Freight Tax Percentage

Freight Tax Percentage' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Other Charge Tax Percentage

Other Charge Tax Percentage' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Labor Tax

Labor Tax' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Travel Tax

Travel Tax' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Material Tax

Material Tax' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Freight Tax

Freight Tax' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Other Charge Tax

Other Charge Tax' field is invalid:

a) Value is not a number

b) Value is a number but not formatted correctly

Invalid Total

Total is invalid:

a) Total column is not a number

b) is number but not formatted correctly

c) Total is not equal to (Labor Total + Trip Charge + Material Total + Freight Charge + Other Charge + Tax)

OK (ID={0})

Invoice is generated successfully. It has record ID = {...}

Empty Other Charge Description

Other Charge Description' field is blank though some 'Other Charges' is chosen

There are more than one Summary lines for the invoice

An invoice has 2 or more "S" lines

Invalid Record Type

Record Type is invalid:

a) the field is blank;

b) has any value except "L", "T", "M", "S";

c) value name is "L" / "T" / "M" / "S", but it is set incorrectly (for ex. "L" record type for "S" line info)

Invoicing is disabled

Invoicing is disabled

Invalid Tax

Tax is invalid

Invalid Tax2

Tax2 is invalid

Err:Total is null

Total is null

Err:This invoice is set to auto-invoice

The invoice is set to auto-invoice (the WO has Auto-invoice checked in the settings)

Err:Electronic Signature Agreement Required

Electronic Signature Agreement is required

Err:Work order not found

 Work Order is not found

Err:Wrong Work Order currency

Work Order currency is incorrect

Err:Work order currency not found

 Work Order currency is not found

 Err:Invoicing disabled

 Invoicing is disabled for the user

 Resolution text required in Invoice Text field

 Invoice Text' field is blank though the field is required according to settings

 Resolution text required in Text field

 Text' field is blank though the field is required to settings

 Resolution text required in Invoice Description field

Invoice Description' field is blank though the field is required to settings

Below are a Few Important Notes to Remember when Submitting the Invoice Template:

  • Work orders must have status of COMPLETED and the extended status should be either CONFIRMED or No Extended Status.

  • None of the column names can be changed. If they are changed, you will receive errors when submitting your invoice.

  • No blank rows are allowed between invoices on the template.

  • The template versions begin with the letter I (uppercase for i).

  • Money values in a template shouldn't have more than 2 digits after a point.

  • Tax values will be rounded to 2 digits after a point.

  • Empty money values in a template are treated as 0 [zero].

  • If an invoice has an incorrect tax, the invoice will still be created, but it will be in a disputed state.

  • Be sure to save your file as Compatible 97-2003 XLS format.

  • Do NOT reply to the ServiceChannel Invoices email address.

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