1. Overview
Job stages give you a simple, visual way to see where every job is in its lifecycle. Instead of one long list of “open jobs,” you can quickly see what’s waiting to be scheduled, what’s in progress, and what needs invoicing.
This guide covers:
- Why a small set of stages works best
- A simple starting set of stages for most service teams
- How to move jobs from stage to stage
- What to watch for as your volume grows
2. Step-by-step
Step 1 — Choose a small set of stages
Before changing anything in the system, decide on paper how you want jobs to move. For most companies, a good starting set is:
- New / To review – just converted from a quote or added manually
- Scheduled – has a date/time agreed with the customer
- In progress – crew is on site or work has started
- Completed – to invoice – work finished, waiting on billing
- Invoiced / Closed – invoice sent, job fully wrapped up
You can rename or adjust these, but keep the list short so everyone remembers it.
Step 2 — Configure stages in CrossMerg (if enabled)
In many setups, job stages can be configured under settings for jobs or pipelines. If your workspace supports this:
- Open Settings → Jobs / Pipelines
- Add or rename stages to match your chosen list
- Make sure the order reflects how work actually flows
If your current plan doesn’t expose stage settings, you can still use the default stages and simply be consistent in how you move jobs.
Step 3 — Create a job from an accepted quote
The most reliable way to get clean data is to always create jobs from accepted quotes.
- Open an accepted quote
- Click Create Job
- Confirm basic details — contact, location, notes
- Save the job in the first stage (e.g. New / To review)
Step 4 — Move jobs between stages as work progresses
As work progresses, update the job stage:
- When you book a date → move to Scheduled
- When the crew starts work → move to In progress
- When work is finished → move to Completed – to invoice
- When invoice is sent and paid → move to Invoiced / Closed
You can change the stage from the job view or from a jobs list, depending on your setup.
Step 5 — Review jobs by stage in a weekly check-in
Once stages are in place, a quick weekly review becomes powerful:
- New / To review – Are any jobs stuck here with no next step?
- Scheduled – Does the schedule look balanced for crews?
- Completed – to invoice – Are there jobs here older than a few days?
This view is often the difference between reacting to chaos and calmly steering work.
3. Tips & common questions
“How many stages is too many?”
If team members can’t remember all the stages without looking, you probably have too many. Most small service teams do well with 4–6 stages.
“Should crews change the stage or office staff?”
It depends on your workflow. Many teams let the crew mark jobs as Completed, and office staff handle the move to Invoiced / Closed after billing.
“Can stages be different for different types of work?”
If you have very different job types, you can sometimes use separate pipelines or tags. Early on, it’s better to keep one simple, shared set of stages until you outgrow it.
“What if we forget to move stages?”
It happens. Start by making stage changes part of your end-of-day or end-of-week rhythm. Over time it becomes automatic.
4. What to read next
Once your job stages feel solid, these guides are a natural follow-up: