What is a contract?
A contract is a long-term service agreement between your organisation and a customer. Contracts are managed in the optional Service Management module in Handyman Office under Contracts.
A contract defines the scope, duration, and commercial terms of recurring services — such as annual maintenance, cleaning schedules, or facility management. When a contract is active, Handyman can automatically generate orders based on the agreed schedule. Contracts are linked to specific sites and equipment.
Related terms: Contract type, Site, Equipment
What is a contract type?
A contract type is a reusable template used to create new contracts with consistent settings. You configure contract types in Handyman Office under Configuration → Contract types.
A contract type defines default values such as billing interval, order category, and SLA levels. When you create a new contract, you select a contract type, which pre-fills the standard fields and reduces manual setup. Typical contract types include "Annual service", "On-call agreement", and "Preventive maintenance".
Related terms: Contract, Service levels
What is a cost element?
A cost element is a category used to classify the time and work a resource registers on an order. You configure cost elements in Handyman Office under Configuration → Cost elements.
Each cost element defines what type of work is being done — for example "Normal hours", "Overtime", "Travel time", or "Call-out". When a technician registers time in Handyman Mobile, they select the cost element that best describes the work. Cost elements control how hours are calculated for payroll, invoicing, and reporting. Cost elements you can link to specific groupings and can be restricted to certain order categories.
Related terms: Registrations, Resource
What is declaration of conformity?
A declaration of conformity is a special report generated from a completed service form in Handyman. It confirms that the work carried out meets a defined standard or regulatory requirement — for example, electrical safety standards or fire protection compliance.
The declaration is typically generated after a checklist-based inspection is completed in Handyman Mobile. It you can send automatically to the customer via Events or printed directly from Handyman Office. The format and content of the declaration depend on the service form template used.
Related terms: Service form
What is equipment?
Equipment represents a physical asset on which services are performed — for example, a boiler, fire alarm system, lift, or HVAC unit. Equipment is managed in the optional Service Management module in Handyman Office under Equipment.
Each piece of equipment belongs to a site and can have an equipment type. Equipment records store the asset's location, installation date, serial number, warranty information, and service history. Orders can be created directly from an equipment record, and all completed work is automatically linked back to the equipment's history. Technicians can view equipment details and history in Handyman Mobile.
Related terms: Equipment type, Site, Service form
What is an equipment type?
An equipment type is a template for creating new equipment records with consistent default values. You configure equipment types in Handyman Office under Configuration → Equipment types.
Equipment types allow you to standardise equipment setup across your customer base. A type defines default fields such as service interval, applicable checklists, and documentation requirements. When you add new equipment using a type, the template pre-fills these values. Typical equipment types include "Fire alarm panel", "Heat pump", and "Sprinkler system".
Related terms: Equipment
What is a free order?
A free order is an order that is not pre-assigned to a specific participant. Instead, it is published to a group of employees who can retrieve it themselves in Handyman Mobile.
Free orders are used when you have work available but do not need to assign it to a named technician in advance — for example, urgent jobs that any available technician can pick up. You publish a free order in Handyman Office by assigning it to a group rather than an individual. In Handyman Mobile, eligible technicians see the order in their Free orders tab and can claim it. Once claimed, it behaves like a regular assigned order.
Related terms: Participant, Main participant
What are groupings?
Groupings are an optional extra classification dimension you can apply to cost elements, order categories, and other configuration items. You configure groupings in Handyman Office under Configuration → Groupings.
Groupings let you filter and aggregate data in reports without changing the underlying cost element or order structure. For example, you can group all overtime cost elements under a "Premium time" grouping for reporting purposes, while keeping the individual cost elements intact for payroll. Groupings are hierarchical — you can create parent and child groupings. They are commonly used for financial reporting, department cost allocation, and integration with external ERP systems.
Related terms: Cost element
What is an internal order?
An internal order is an order used to record non-productive work that is not billed to a customer — for example, training, vehicle maintenance, sick leave, or administrative tasks. Internal orders are created and managed in Handyman Office in the same way as regular orders.
Internal orders allow you to capture all employee time in Handyman, even when no customer work is performed. This provides a complete picture of labour costs and resource utilisation. Hours registered on internal orders are included in payroll exports but excluded from customer invoicing. You can configure specific cost elements and order categories to be used only on internal orders.
Related terms: Cost element, Registrations
What is the main participant?
The main participant is the primary technician assigned to an order. In Handyman Office, every order can have one main participant and multiple additional participants.
The main participant is responsible for completing the order and is typically the person who receives the initial notification when an order is created or planned. In the Resource Planner, the main participant is the resource the order is scheduled against. When an order requires multiple technicians, the main participant coordinates the work. In Handyman Mobile, the main participant's view of the order includes all tasks and checklists assigned to the order.
Related terms: Participant, Resource
What is official in charge?
Official in charge is a user right in Handyman Office. The right is assigned per user in Configuration → Users.
There are two levels of this right:
- Official in charge — has oversight and approval authority across all departments in the Handyman instance. This role sits in the hierarchy between the Official in charge - department and the System administrator.
- Official in charge - department — has the same approval rights as Official in charge, but only within a single assigned department. This is used for organisations where department managers need approval authority within their own team but not across the whole company.
In addition, "official in charge" also refers to the employee designated as responsible for a specific order. This is set on the order itself and does not require you right described above.
Related terms: System administrator, Participant
What is a participant?
A participant is any employee added to an order in Handyman. An order can have one main participant and any number of additional participants.
Participants can register time, materials, and checklist results against the order in Handyman Mobile. Each participant sees the order in their service form after synchronisation. Participants you can assign specific tasks within the order by the planner in Handyman Office. Adding a participant to an order does not automatically notify them — notifications are handled through Events.
Related terms: Main participant, Resource
What is planned quantity?
Planned quantity is the estimated number of hours or units budgeted for an order or task. You set the planned quantity when creating or editing an order in Handyman Office.
The planned quantity is used for resource planning and cost estimation. It appears in the Resource Planner as the scheduled duration of a task, and it is used in reporting to compare planned vs. actual time. In Handyman Mobile, technicians can see the planned quantity for their task, which helps them understand how much time is budgeted for the work. Deviations between planned and actual quantities are flagged in reports for review.
Related terms: Registrations, Resource
What is a price index?
A price index is used to automatically adjust contract prices over time based on an external index — for example, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or a labour cost index. You configure price indices in Handyman Office under Configuration → Price indices.
When a contract is linked to a price index, Handyman calculates the adjusted price automatically when the index is updated. This ensures that recurring contracts reflect current market rates without requiring manual price changes. Price index adjustments are typically applied annually at contract renewal.
Related terms: Contract, Contract type
What is a quote?
A quote is an offer sent to a customer before work begins or before a contract is signed. Handyman supports two distinct types of quotes:
- Contract quote — used in the Service Management module. A contract quote describes the terms and scope of a proposed contract. Once the customer accepts and signs, the quote becomes a contract.
- Order quote — used for one-off jobs. An order quote describes the scope and estimated cost of a specific piece of work. Once the customer accepts, the quote is converted into an order automatically.
Quotes are created and managed in Handyman Office. They you can send to customers as PDFs by email directly from Handyman using Events. Quote templates control the layout and default content.
Related terms: Contract, Service levels
What are registrations?
Registrations are the records created when a technician logs time, materials, or other activities against an order in Handyman Mobile. Each registration captures the cost element, quantity, timestamp, and optionally a description.
Registrations flow from Handyman Mobile to Handyman Office during synchronisation. In Handyman Office, planners and administrators can review, correct, and approve registrations before they are exported to payroll or invoicing systems. Registrations form the basis for all labour cost calculations, customer invoices, and management reports. The Hour Approval module adds a formal approval step before registrations you can export.
Related terms: Cost element, Internal order
What is a resource?
A resource is any person or asset that can be scheduled to perform work in Handyman. In practice, resources are most commonly employees — the technicians and service workers who carry out orders.
Resources are managed in Handyman Office under Configuration → Resources. Each resource you can assign skills, working hours, departments, and cost elements. In the Resource Planner, resources are the rows you schedule tasks against. A resource must have a Handyman Mobile user account to register time and materials on orders in the field. Resources can also be non-human — for example, a vehicle or specialised piece of equipment that needs to be booked alongside a technician.
Related terms: Participant, Main participant, Planned quantity
What is a service form?
A service form is a digital checklist or inspection form completed by a technician in Handyman Mobile during or after a job. Service forms are configured in Handyman Office under Configuration → Service forms.
A service form can contain yes/no questions, numeric values, free-text fields, photo attachments, and signature capture. They are used for safety inspections, compliance documentation, equipment condition assessments, and quality control. Completed service forms are stored against the order and the equipment. They you can use to generate declarations of conformity and customer reports. Service forms are linked to order categories, so the correct form appears automatically when a technician opens a relevant order.
Related terms: Declaration of conformity, Equipment
What are service levels?
Service levels define the response time and resolution time commitments for different types of work — commonly known as SLA (Service Level Agreement) targets. You configure service levels in Handyman Office under Configuration → Service levels.
A service level specifies, for example, that a critical fault must be responded to within 2 hours and resolved within 8 hours. Service levels are linked to order categories or contracts. When an order is created in a category with a service level, Handyman automatically calculates the deadline and displays it on the order. The Events feature can send automatic escalation notifications when a deadline is approaching or has been missed.
Related terms: Contract, Contract type
What is simple integration?
Simple integration is a mode for connecting Handyman to an external inventory management or ERP system. You activate it in Handyman ControlCenter under the integration settings. This setting should only be made once during the initial system configuration.
In simple integration mode, there is no automatic export from Handyman to the external system. Technicians register materials in Handyman Mobile as usual. These registrations appear in Handyman Office, where an administrator reviews and approves them. The approved items are then manually transferred to the inventory system. This mode is suited for organisations that do not require real-time stock updates and prefer a manual review step before any inventory adjustment.
Related terms: Registrations
What is a site?
A site is a physical location where work is carried out — for example, a building, a factory, a residential complex, or a customer address. Sites are managed in Handyman Office and can be created manually, imported, or synchronised from an ERP system.
Sites are linked to customers and can contain multiple pieces of equipment. Orders are always associated with a site. In Handyman Mobile, technicians can see the site address for navigation. Sites can have their own contacts, documents, and custom fields. In the Service Management module, sites are the primary level at which contracts and service agreements are managed. You can create new sites directly in Handyman Mobile if the permission "Allow editing and adding equipment on mobile" is enabled.
Related terms: Equipment, Contract
What is a system administrator?
System administrator is the highest user right level in Handyman. A system administrator has full access to all configuration, data, and features in Handyman Office. You assign this right in Configuration → Users.
System administrators can create and modify all configuration items including users, cost elements, order categories, integrations, and ControlCenter settings. There should be at least two system administrators per Handyman installation to ensure continuity. The system administrator sits at the top of the Handyman user hierarchy, above Official in charge and Official in charge - department.
Related terms: Official in charge
What is a task?
A task is a scheduled unit of work for a specific resource on a specific order. Tasks are only relevant when the optional Resource Planning module is active.
In the Resource Planner, a task represents a block of time reserved for a resource to work on a given order. Multiple tasks can be created for the same order and resource — for example, a two-day job may be split into separate tasks on each day. Tasks have a planned start time, planned end time, and an associated planned quantity. In Handyman Mobile, each task appears as a separate entry in the technician's service form. Completing a task in Mobile updates its status in the Resource Planner in real time.
Related terms: Planned quantity, Resource, Main participant
What is the terminology?
Handyman uses specific terminology that may differ from the language used in your organisation or in other field service management systems. This glossary documents the standard Handyman terms as they are used across Handyman Office, Handyman Mobile, and Handyman ControlCenter.
If your Handyman installation has been customised, some labels may have been renamed to match your internal terminology. In that case, refer to your system administrator or the original Handyman term when contacting GSG Handyman Support.