Field service glossary: AMC and service business terms explained

What is AMC (annual maintenance contract)?

A contract in which a service provider agrees to maintain a customer's equipment for a year, usually with a set number of preventive visits and a response commitment for breakdowns, in return for a fee.

In ServicePilot: ServicePilot manages AMC plans, covered sites, visit schedules and renewals. AMC Contracts in ServicePilot

What is Comprehensive AMC?

An AMC that covers both labour and spare parts, with agreed exclusions. The provider carries the cost of replacing covered parts during the term.

In ServicePilot: Record the coverage type on the contract. AMC Contracts in ServicePilot

What is non-comprehensive AMC?

An AMC that covers labour and routine service but not spare parts, which the customer pays for separately when needed.

What is preventive maintenance?

Scheduled service done before something fails, such as cleaning filters or testing a system, to reduce breakdowns.

In ServicePilot: Visits are planned from the contract schedule. Jobs & Scheduling in ServicePilot

What is breakdown call?

An unplanned request to attend because equipment has stopped working or failed. It usually carries a response-time expectation.

In ServicePilot: Log it as a service request with a priority. Service Requests & Complaints in ServicePilot

What is SLA (service level agreement)?

The commitments in a contract about service, such as how quickly the provider will respond to a call and how many visits are included.

What is AMC renewal?

Extending an AMC for another term before or when it ends. Renewing on time avoids a gap in coverage and keeps the revenue.

In ServicePilot: The AMC renewals report lists what ends next. Reports in ServicePilot

What is field service management (FSM)?

Running work done at customers' premises: taking requests, scheduling and dispatching technicians, recording what was done, and billing for it.

In ServicePilot: ServicePilot is field service management software. All features in ServicePilot

What is work order or job card?

A record of one piece of work: the customer, site, the task, who does it and when. In ServicePilot this is a job.

In ServicePilot: Every visit is a job with a status. Jobs & Scheduling in ServicePilot

What is dispatch?

Choosing which technician goes to which job and when, and changing the plan as the day changes.

In ServicePilot: The dispatch board shows a lane per technician. Dispatch Board in ServicePilot

What is no access?

A visit where the technician reached the site but could not carry out the work because they could not get in. It is recorded so the visit can be rebooked.

What is asset?

A piece of equipment a service business maintains for a customer, such as an air conditioner, lift or purifier, with its model, warranty and service history.

In ServicePilot: Assets are kept on the customer's site. Customers, Sites & Assets in ServicePilot

What is first-time fix rate?

The share of repair visits that solve the problem on the first visit, without a return trip. It is a common measure of technician and parts readiness.

What is service checklist?

A list of steps a technician follows on a visit, sometimes with photos required, so the standard of work is the same whoever attends.

In ServicePilot: Industry templates include checklists per service. Industry Templates in ServicePilot

What is SAC (Services Accounting Code)?

The code that classifies a service for GST. It is shown on a GST invoice next to the service. Maintenance and repair services have their own codes, so check the right one with your chartered accountant.

In ServicePilot: Each service carries a SAC code. GST Invoicing in ServicePilot

What is GSTIN?

The 15-character GST identification number of a registered business. It appears on invoices issued by and, where applicable, to a registered business.

What is GST invoice?

A tax invoice that shows the supplier's details, the recipient's details where required, a description of the service, its SAC code, the value, the GST rate and amount and a unique invoice number.

In ServicePilot: Invoices are numbered in your own series. GST Invoicing in ServicePilot

What is receivables ageing?

A report that groups unpaid invoices by how long they have been overdue, so the oldest dues are chased first.

In ServicePilot: See the receivables ageing report. Payments & Collections in ServicePilot

What is credit note?

A document issued to reduce or cancel part of a previous invoice, for example after a refund or a billing correction.

What is purchase order (PO)?

A document a business sends to a vendor to order goods at agreed terms. The goods are then received against it.

In ServicePilot: Purchase orders and goods receipts are in inventory. Inventory & Purchasing in ServicePilot

What is service due?

A repeat service that is coming up for a customer, such as a filter change six months after the last one.

In ServicePilot: The Service Due screen lists what is coming up. Service Due & Reminders in ServicePilot

What is branch?

A separate location or team of a business, with its own technicians and customers, reported on its own and with the owner able to see all of them.

In ServicePilot: Branches and roles control who sees what. Branches, Roles & Access in ServicePilot

What is role-based access?

Giving each person access to the parts of the system their job needs, according to their role, and no more.

In ServicePilot: Built-in roles and custom roles. Branches, Roles & Access in ServicePilot

What is technician turnover?

How often technicians leave and are replaced. It is high in many service trades and is why late assignment of jobs matters.

In ServicePilot: Assign late or let technicians take open jobs. Dispatch Board in ServicePilot