GarageDoorBossPro Blog — Billing & Payments

Added on Site: Turning Rollers, Weatherstripping and a New Remote Into Invoice Lines

Garage door calls rarely stay the size they were booked. The homeowner called about a spring, and while the tech is there they mention the remote that only works from the end of the driveway, the gap under the door that lets leaves in, and the rattle the door has always had. Each of those is real work the customer wants. Each one is also an invoice line that gets lost if nobody writes it down.

The Add-On Problem

A typical booked repair is walked through in Invoicing a Spring Replacement Call: From the First Phone Call to the Paid Invoice. This guide covers what happens when that call grows.

On paper, add-ons go wrong in predictable ways. The tech scribbles “+ remote” on the ticket and the office does not know which remote or what to charge. The tech forgets to mention the weatherstripping at all. Or the add-on gets billed, but the customer does not remember agreeing to it. All three cost money or goodwill.

Add-Ons Come From Your Service List

In GarageDoorBossPro, everything on an invoice comes from your service list, and that includes add-ons. Rollers, weatherstripping, bottom seals, keypads, remotes, sensors, cables and lubrication can each be set up as services with your own prices. When the customer agrees to one, it goes onto the job as a line, with the same name and price every time.

That consistency matters. Two techs selling the same keypad should not end up with two different prices on two invoices.

How the Add-On Gets on the Job

The tech's job is to find the work and get the customer's agreement. The tech notes what was found and what the customer approved on the job, and lets the office know. The office adds the lines to the job before the tech taps Complete, so the invoice that gets created includes them.

A quick text back and forth is usually all it takes: “Customer at 412 Elm wants two new remotes and a new bottom seal.” The office adds the lines, and the tech finishes the work.

The Inspection Gives the Reason

The door safety inspection checklist in the tech app is the natural place where add-ons are discovered. The tech works through springs, cables and drums, rollers, hinges and brackets, tracks, door balance, the auto-reverse test, photo-eye sensors, opener force and limits, lubrication, the bottom seal and weatherstripping, the emergency release, and keypads and remotes. Anything that needs attention can be marked, with a written recommendation.

That record supports the bill. A line for new rollers next to a checklist that says rollers needed attention, plus a before photo, is an invoice the customer understands. The office can print the Garage Door Safety Inspection report for the homeowner so they have it in writing.

Ask Before Adding

The single most important rule for on-site add-ons is simple: the customer says yes before the work goes on the invoice. The tech explains what was found, gives the price from your service list, and gets a clear answer. “Your rollers are worn. New ones are $95 for the set. Want me to do those today?”

If the customer says not today, the recommendation stays on the inspection and can become an estimate later. The customer approves it online when ready, and the approved estimate becomes a scheduled job. Nothing is pushed, and nothing is forgotten. That flow is covered in From Approved Estimate to Invoice: Keeping the Garage Door Quote and the Bill in Agreement.

Common Garage Door Add-Ons

The add-ons that come up most on residential calls tend to be small and easy to agree to:

• Rollers, when the old ones are worn or noisy
• Bottom seal or weatherstripping, when daylight shows under or around the door
• Extra remotes, or a replacement keypad
• Safety sensor replacement or realignment
• Lift cables, when the old ones are frayed
• A tune-up on the rest of the door while the tech is there

Each one is its own line, so the customer sees what they added and what it cost.

The Remote Example

New remotes are a good example of why lines matter. The customer asks for two remotes. The tech programs them and the office adds “Remotes (2)” to the job. The equipment saved on the house can be updated too, so the next tech knows what is there. When the invoice is created, the remotes are on it, and the record on the house matches. The next time that customer calls about a remote, the office knows exactly what they have.

Every Agreed Add-On, Billed

Add-ons are some of the easiest money in a garage door day, and some of the easiest to lose. When the tech notes them, the office adds them from the service list and the invoice comes from the job, every agreed add-on gets billed. For the rest of the billing system, visit the garage door invoicing software page.