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Logging Technician Hours on a Customer Order

Learn the two methods for manually logging technician time on a Customer Order: Hours Only or Time In / Time Out.

Blackpurl gives dealerships two methods for manually logging technician hours on a Customer Order — logging hours only, or logging a specific time in and time out. This article explains both options and where to configure the setting.
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Before You Start

This article applies only to dealerships that use the manual log entry on the Customer Order > Service Jobs / Deal Service / Internal Service Jobs screen to record technician time. The technician hours method is controlled by a single shop setting described at the end of this article.
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The Two Logging Methods

Option 1: Hours Only

The Hours Only method lets users record how many hours a technician worked without entering a specific start or end time. This is the simpler of the two options.
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For example, if technician Cathy Price worked on a Service Job for 2 hours, the dealership records only the total hours — no clock times required.
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To log time using this method:
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1. On the Customer Order, click Log time.
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2. In the Log technician time dialog, select the Technician.
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3. Review the date and change it if needed.
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4. Enter the number of hours in the Hours logged field. The Time In and Time Out fields will be greyed out and are not required.
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5. Click Log time to save.
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Shows a dialog box titled 'Log technician time' with form fields. Left side has: Technician dropdown showing 'C P', Date


​Note: Blackpurl does not recommend the Hours Only method if your dealership reviews Technician Productivity reports. Without time in/time out data, productivity reporting will be incomplete.
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Option 2: Time In / Time Out

The Time In / Time Out method requires users to enter a specific start time and end time. Blackpurl calculates the total hours automatically based on those entries.
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When using this method, make sure the times entered do not overlap with other job clocking entries or manual entries already recorded in Blackpurl for that technician.
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Configuring the Technician Hours Method

To choose which method your dealership uses, navigate to System Settings > Settings and Controls > Shop Settings and locate the Technician hours method on jobs setting.
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Shows a settings interface with various options. Near the bottom is a section highlighted with a red border containing '


Use the dropdown to select either Hours Only or Time In / Time Out.
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Shows a dropdown menu for 'Technician hours method on jobs' with two options: 'Hours only' and 'Time-in/Time-out' (which
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