How to use FretTrack

Workflow overview

FretTrack is built around the repair job. A normal shop workflow starts when a customer contacts the shop or drops off an instrument, then moves through intake, documentation, repair notes, parts, scheduling, customer communication, completion, pickup, or shipping.

Screenshot shows fictional shop and customer data.

The best habit is simple: if it matters to the repair, the customer, the instrument, inventory, or another staff member, put it on the job.

Sign in and shop access

Create a new job

Use New Work Order when an instrument arrives for setup, repair, inspection, modification, or evaluation. The intake is grouped into Customer, Instrument, Shop workflow, and Customer request so the counter flow follows the decisions staff make.

Screenshot shows fictional shop and customer data.

Recommended intake order

1. Open New Job.
2. Search for an existing customer before creating a new one.
3. Enter customer contact details and communication preferences.
4. Choose instrument type, brand, and model.
5. Add year, serial number, color, finish, and orientation when available.
6. Write the requested work in plain language.
7. Select Date Received, Promise Date if one was given, job source, and priority.
8. Add photos and damage documentation before work begins.
9. Save the job before leaving the page.

Instrument details

Instrument details help the shop identify exactly what came in. The brand and model fields support suggestions, but custom entries are allowed for boutique, vintage, imported, modified, or unusual instruments.

Fields to capture when possible

• Instrument Type: Acoustic, electric, bass, or the closest available type.
• Brand and Model: Use suggestions for common instruments or type the exact customer instrument.
• Year: Use a year, decade, Unknown, or other shop-friendly value.
• Serial Number: Add the serial number when readable. If not readable, say Unknown or Not provided.
• Color and Finish: Use clear free text, such as 3-Color Sunburst, Natural, Satin, Poly, or Nitro.
• Orientation: Right-handed, left-handed, or unknown.

Manage jobs after intake

After a job is created, the job detail screen becomes the main record. Use it to update status, add notes, document work, attach parts, review photos, and prepare customer-facing documents.

Tax/VAT: when Totals says tax is off, choose Open Tax / VAT Settings. An owner/admin enables the shop profile, enters its jurisdiction and rate, selects taxable parts/services, and saves. Return to an older work order and apply the shop rate if prompted.

Discounts: choose Percentage (%) or Fixed amount first, then enter the amount. The total updates immediately; save the work order to retain it.

A job should be complete enough that another technician can understand what happened without asking around the shop.

Screenshot shows fictional shop and customer data.

Estimates

An estimate is a simple document showing proposed work and expected cost. It remains editable and does not require customer approval before work continues.

The estimate email includes the greeting, proposed work, line items, tax, and estimated total. You can edit the message before sending.

Amplifier and keyboard repair

Pro shops can open dedicated repair benches for amplifiers and musical keyboards. These benches keep instrument-specific diagnostics separate from guitar setup fields while preserving one customer, work-order number, billing record, schedule, message history, and timeline.

Work logs and job history

Work logs are the repair timeline. They should explain diagnosis, approval, repair progress, installed parts, customer communication, final setup, and handoff notes.

Useful work log entries

• Customer approved fret level by phone.
• Found loose output jack ground wire. Re-soldered and tested.
• Installed new 10-46 strings and set action to customer preference.
• Waiting on bridge saddles from vendor.
• Final check complete. No buzz through normal playing range.

When to add a work log

Add a note whenever the job changes direction, a customer approves work, a part is used, a problem is discovered, a technician hands off the job, or the job is ready for pickup.

Photos and damage maps

Photos and damage maps document the condition of the instrument before, during, and after repair. This protects the shop, helps the customer understand the work, and makes future job history more useful.

Customer-facing reports should show useful condition and repair documentation. Shop-only notes should stay in the shop record.

Customers

Customer records keep contact information, communication preferences, and job history together. Always search before creating a new customer so the shop does not split a returning customer's history across duplicates.

Customer communication and loyalty

Transactional email, incoming email replies, scheduled job email, automated service reminders, and loyalty serve different purposes. Record consent honestly and do not use one permission as a substitute for another. FretTrack does not currently send or receive SMS.

Inventory and parts

Inventory tracks the parts a shop wants to manage across jobs, stock counts, vendors, purchase orders, receiving, barcode labels, and purchase history.

Part fields

A part can include Vendor, Part Name, Part Number, Category, Location, Description, Vendor SKU, Vendor UPC, Barcode, Manufacturer, Manufacturer UPC, Unit Cost, Retail Price, QTY On Hand, Reorder Point, Desired Stock, Special Order status, Part Image, Purchase Unit, and Units per Purchase Unit. Normal stock adjustments and job usage continue to use individual inventory units.

Using parts on jobs

1. Add the part from inventory when the item should affect stock.
2. Enter the quantity used.
3. Save the job or part change.
4. FretTrack records the job part and stock movement.
5. If the quantity is reduced or the part is removed, stock should be returned through the tracked workflow.

Vendors

Vendors store the supplier details used for purchase orders, receiving, cost history, and inventory organization.

When to create a vendor

• The shop orders parts from the supplier repeatedly.
• The supplier appears on purchase orders.
• You want purchase history grouped by supplier.
• You need to track a sales rep, vendor website, or vendor notes.

Use Online Only for vendors where a physical address is not useful to the shop. That setting should not erase saved address fields unless a user clears them.

Import or export vendors

1. Open Inventory → Vendors.
2. Choose Export Vendors CSV for a complete directory download, or choose Import Vendors.
3. Download the template, select your CSV, and choose Preview CSV.
4. Review Ready, Warning, Duplicate, and Error rows.
5. Choose Import Ready Vendors. Duplicate and invalid rows remain skipped.

Duplicate checks use Vendor ID, account number, email, phone, and vendor name. Imports never overwrite or merge a possible match automatically. Discount must be between 0 and 100, and time zones use names such as America/Los_Angeles.

Return parts to a vendor

1. Open Inventory → Vendor Returns and create a draft for the vendor.
2. Add each inventory part with the whole-number quantity being returned and its unit cost. Add PO, RMA, reason, expected credit, and notes when useful.
3. Optionally mark the return Requested while waiting for authorization. This does not change inventory.
4. When the parts leave the shop, enter tracking and choose Mark Shipped. This permanently removes the quantities from stock once.
5. When credit arrives, record the amount and credit memo/reference.

Vendor credit tracking is separate from customer invoices, payments, and refunds. A shipped return cannot be cancelled because its inventory movement is retained for audit history.

Purchase orders

Purchase orders help the shop track parts that have been ordered but not necessarily received. They are useful for shop stock, special-order items, job-specific parts, vendor shipping, and purchase history.

Create a purchase order

1. Open Inventory.
2. Go to Purchase Orders.
3. Create a new purchase order.
4. Select the vendor.
5. Add existing parts or create new part lines from the order.
6. Enter the purchase-unit quantity ordered, unit cost, vendor SKU, and notes. Review the calculated individual inventory quantity for packs, boxes, bags, cases, sets, rolls, or bottles.
7. Add shipping cost when the vendor charged inbound shipping.
8. Choose whether shipping should be added into part cost.
9. Save the purchase order.

Receiving and purchase history

Receiving is the stock-changing step. Ordering a part does not mean the shop physically has it. Receiving records the item arrival, increases quantity on hand, updates cost history, and creates purchase history.

Partial receiving

If a vendor ships part of an order, receive only the purchase-unit quantity that arrived. FretTrack converts it into individual inventory units using the conversion saved on that PO line. The purchase order remains open for the remaining purchase units, and historical receipts keep their original conversion if the part setting changes later.

Shipping and landed cost

Inbound vendor shipping can be tracked on the purchase order. If Add shipping to cost is enabled, FretTrack can allocate that shipping into the received item cost so purchase history reflects landed cost.

Barcode labels

Barcode labels make inventory lookup faster and make parts easier to identify in bins, bags, drawers, and storage areas. FretTrack barcode identity uses the stable format FT-PART-{barcode_code}.

Barcode label habits

• Put labels on storage locations where possible, not only on tiny parts.
• Use the same location names in Shop Settings and inventory records.
• Search by the full FT-PART value or the raw barcode code.
• Do not encode changing details, such as quantity, into the barcode identity.

Shipping, receiving, and chain of custody

Shipping and custody records help the shop track packages, instruments, vendor items, customer returns, outbound shipments, and in-shop movement. This is manual tracking for shop workflow and does not replace a carrier account.

Useful shipping fields

• Direction and fulfillment method
• Status
• Carrier, service level, tracking number, and tracking URL
• Ship-to name and address snapshot
• Shipping cost and shipping charge
• Declared value, insurance, and signature requirement
• Condition notes, packing notes, and customer notification status

For purchase order receiving, use the inventory receiving workflow to change stock. Use shipping and custody records to document movement and package status.

Send a repaired instrument back

1. Open the work order and choose the Shipping tab.
2. Confirm the delivery method and ship-to address snapshot.
3. Add the carrier, service, tracking number, shipping cost/customer charge, and packing requirements, then save.
4. Print the Customer Ship-Back Summary if the packing counter needs a paper copy.
5. Review or edit the prepared customer message and choose Email Tracking Update.

The Shipping dashboard totals ready, in-transit, delivered, and exception records and can export shipping cost, customer charge, tracking, and notification status to CSV. Carrier labels and postage are still purchased outside FretTrack.

Scheduling

Scheduling helps the shop plan intake, pickup, due dates, follow-ups, shop blocks, and other calendar events. Scheduling is especially useful when promise dates, customer pickups, or staff availability affect the repair plan.

Reports

Reports help eligible shops review workload, job status, priority, overdue work, pickup readiness, parts issues, inventory, purchase orders, landed cost history, work-log activity, and upcoming schedule load.

Using report output

• Use filters to narrow the visible rows.
• Print a report page when you need a simple paper copy.
• Export CSV when you need spreadsheet review.
• Treat reports as a shop management aid, not a replacement for bookkeeping review.

Roles and permissions

Roles control what each user can see and change. This protects shop data while letting staff work in the areas they need.

If a button is missing or disabled, your role, trial status, or plan access may not allow that action.

Billing and subscription basics

FretTrack uses plan access to decide which shop features are available. Public plan wording is Trial, Shop, and Pro. The app can show current plan, trial status, expiration, renewal timing, and locked feature messaging. See the Shop and Pro feature comparison for the current checkmark table, usage limits, and features not yet offered.

Expired access should preserve data and allow safe viewing, but write actions or upgraded features may be locked until access is restored.

Recommended daily routine

Troubleshooting

Clear reports help problems get fixed faster. Include the job number, customer name, or part name only when it helps identify the issue.