How Things Connect
Imagine you’re a customer named Tom. You call a fencing company about a broken gate, and you want to understand exactly how that phone call turns into a finished repair.
This is what happens behind the scenes, and how each part of your business flows naturally into the next.
The Story of Tom’s Gate Repair
1. Customer Meets Job
It starts with a name. Tom Baker calls your office.
In your system, you find Tom. If you’ve worked with him before, his account’s already there with his address and phone number. If this is the first time, you add him as a new customer. This is the customer record.
Now, what does Tom need? He says his back gate is broken. You create a job under Tom’s account. The job belongs to Tom. Every job is linked to the customer who needs it.
You note on the job: “Back gate is broken. Needs repair or replacement. Customer is unsure which.”
2. Job Needs Assessment → On-Site Review
You can’t give Tom an accurate quote yet. The gate might have a simple hinge problem, or the whole frame might be rotted. The situation isn’t clear from a phone call.
You set the job’s status to “To Review” and create an on-site review task. You assign one of your crew members (let’s call her Lisa) to visit Tom’s property.
On the schedule, you see Tuesday afternoon open for Lisa. Tom’s location is on her route. You assign the review to that slot.
3. On-Site Review Flows Into the Job
Tuesday comes. Lisa arrives at 404 Maple Drive. She sees that the gate’s wooden frame is damaged. She takes a photo with her mobile device.
On Rivvex’s mobile app, she fills out an inspection form:
- Problem found: Right jamb is rotted at the base. Hinges are intact.
- Recommended fix: Replace the jamb and reattach the gate. No need for a full gate replacement.
- Estimated cost: $420 for materials and labor.
- Estimated time: Half a day.
She takes 2 more photos (one of the rotted section, one of the whole gate) and hits Submit.
All of this data travels back to the job record. The status changes from “To Review” to “Quotable.”
4. Job Becomes a Quote
Back at the office, the job is waiting for you. You open it and see Lisa’s report with the photos, the assessment notes, and her cost estimate.
You click Create Quote. The system pulls the details from Lisa’s report:
- Description: Replace gate jamb and reattach gate
- Price: $420
- Timeline: 1 half-day
You type a brief note to Tom: “Hi Tom, we’ve assessed your gate. The gate jamb is rotted and needs replacing. The rest of the gate is fine.”
You send the quote to Tom. You get a notification in Rivvex when he opens it.
5. Quote Accepted → Job Approved
On Wednesday, Tom accepts the quote on his phone. Rivvex sends you a notification: “Quote Accepted: Tom Baker.”
The job’s status changes to “Approved.” You and Tom have a commitment: he agrees to the price, you agree to do the work.
6. Approved Job → Scheduled
You look at the schedule. Thursday has a gap in the morning for the same crew that includes Lisa. You schedule the repair for Thursday at 9:00 AM and assign it to her.
The schedule shows the job at the right time and place.
You send Tom a scheduling confirmation. He gets an email or text: “Your gate repair is scheduled for Thursday at 9:00 AM. We’ll be in touch the day before to confirm.”
You and the crew get it in the schedule.
7. Day of Execution
Thursday morning, Lisa checks her mobile app for today’s assignments. The gate repair for Tom is at the top of her list.
- She marks the job as “En Route” when she leaves for the site.
- She arrives and marks it as “In Progress.”
- She replaces the jamb, reattaches the gate, and checks the latch works.
On her mobile app, she marks the work as done and asks Tom to come out. He verifies the gate works. He signs on the device to confirm.
Lisa marks the status as “Pending Sign-off”, or she can mark it as “Day Completed” if the office needs to do a final step.
She takes a photo of the repaired gate and uploads it to the job record.
8. Completed Work → Invoice
Back at the office, the job is complete. The status shows: Work finished, customer signed off.
You prepare an invoice. The system pulls the accepted quote amount ($420). The invoice includes the scope of work and the price.
You send the invoice to Tom’s email. The invoice includes your company’s logo and a professional layout.
9. Invoice Sent → Payment
2 days later, Tom pays the $420 through the link on the invoice. The payment’s recorded in Rivvex.
The job’s status finally moves to “Complete.”
The Big Picture Map
Here’s how all the pieces chain together in a typical scenario:
Customer Record (Tom)
└── Job Created (gate repair)
└── Status: "To Review"
└── On-Site Review assigned to crew member
└── Report submitted on mobile
└── Status: "Quotable"
└── Quote created from report
└── Quote sent to customer
└── Customer accepts
└── Status: "Approved"
└── Scheduled on calendar
└── Work done on site
└── Customer signs off
└── Invoice created
└── Payment received
└── Status: "Complete"The Other Way: When No Site Visit Is Needed
Not every job needs an on-site review. Sometimes all the information is available up front.
If Tom had called about a problem you already know the price for, the connection chain is shorter:
Customer (Tom)
└── Job Created (simple repair where the cost is already known)
└── Description and price entered during the call
└── Quote created and sent
└── Customer accepts
└── Scheduled
└── Done
└── Invoiced
└── Paid
└── CompleteThe structure’s the same. The only difference is the extra step of the on-site review when it’s needed.
What If Something Changes?
The connections aren’t rigid. They adapt:
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The customer cancels before the quote? The status moves to “Cancelled.” The schedule’s updated, and no one goes out.
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The scope changes on site? The crew member notes the change in the mobile app. You can revise the quote, and the system tracks the change.
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The customer can’t be reached on the day of work? The crew member marks it, documents the attempt, and the job goes back to the schedule for another day.
Every update flows through the same chain of connections. That’s why you always have the full story of what happened, in one place.
Why This Matters
When each part of your business connects automatically, 3 things change:
- Nothing falls through the cracks. A job won’t disappear from your schedule. A quote won’t be sent and then forgotten.
- The full history is always available. If a customer returns 6 months later, you can see everything that happened last time.
- Communication improves. The office knows what the field team found. The field team knows what the customer agreed to. The customer knows what’s happening with their job.