When
Required documentation is missing (photos, signature, form).
Then
The Forge holds the invoice, assigns the missing item to the owner, and does not send an incomplete record to accounting.
Integration workflow
Job to Invoice
Completed work sits for days before it is billing-ready. Field notes, photos, change orders, and hours live in different places, and the office assembles the invoice by hand.
Trigger
A field employee marks the work complete.
Participating systems
Dispatch / field-service system · Mobile crew app · The Forge · Accounting or invoicing system · Communication provider
Steps
What happens at each handoff
- 1
Field employee
Marks the work complete on the mobile app.
- 2
The Forge
Checks whether required photos, forms, time entries, signatures, and approvals are present.
- 3
The Forge
Assigns any missing information to the responsible person and holds the job at billing-review.
- 4
The Forge
Connects approved labor, materials, and change orders to the job record.
- 5
The Forge → Accounting system
Sends the billing-ready record to the accounting or invoicing system.
- 6
Accounting system
Creates the invoice; the resulting invoice number and status return to The Forge.
- 7
Management
Sees completed work that has not yet been invoiced on the operations dashboard.
- 8
The Forge
Triggers customer communication (payment link, thank-you, review request) according to the configured process.
Exceptions
When things go wrong
When
The accounting system is temporarily unavailable.
Then
The billing-ready record is queued, retried on policy, and surfaced as a pending item on the dashboard — no duplicate invoice is created.
When
The accounting system rejects the invoice (customer mismatch, tax code missing).
Then
The specific failure reason is surfaced to the office admin with the operational record attached; the exception is resolvable in one place.
When
A change order is added after billing-review starts.
Then
The Forge blocks the send, prompts for re-approval, and re-runs the billing-readiness check.
Source of truth
Which system stays authoritative
Data domain
Invoice and ledger
Authoritative system
Accounting system
Read source
Accounting API (invoice number, status, balance)
Write destination
Accounting API (create / update invoice)
Conflict policy
The accounting system is authoritative for invoice state. The Forge does not overwrite a manually-edited invoice.
Data domain
Operational job record
Authoritative system
The Forge
Read source
Field app / dispatch webhook
Write destination
Dispatch (status), field app (context)
Conflict policy
The Forge holds the connected operational state — labor, materials, change orders, and readiness.
Data domain
Employee time
Authoritative system
Payroll or timekeeping provider
Read source
Time-entry API
Conflict policy
The payroll provider remains authoritative for pay. The Forge uses approved entries for billing context.
Metrics unlocked
- Days from completion to invoice creation
- Completed work not yet invoiced (value + count)
- Invoices held for missing documentation (by crew, by customer)
- Change-order value captured vs. billed
Roles
- Operations manager
- Field employee, technician, or provider
- Office administrator
- Finance and accounting
Industries
- Home services
- Contractors
- Field service
- Professional services
Other workflows
Lead to Appointment
A lead arrives from an ad, form, or referral and sits unattended while someone remembers to book them.
Schedule to Payroll
Schedules, time entries, approvals, and job context live in separate systems, so payroll runs without the operational picture behind the hours.
Marketing Campaign to Revenue
Ad platforms report clicks and forms. The CRM reports opportunities. Scheduling reports appointments. Operations reports completed work. Accounting reports revenue. No system connects the full path.