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Branch Screen
- 18 Sep 2024
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Branch Screen
- Updated on 18 Sep 2024
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The Branch screen enables you to configure each individual branch for your organization. It is accessed by clicking the New icon or by clicking an existing branch in the list on the Branches Search List screen. The screen comprises three tabs, Basic Details, Invoicing, and Electronic Payments. The fields on each tab are shown and described below.
Basic Details Tab
Each of the screen elements on the Basic Details screen of the Branch screen is described in the following table.
| Screen Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Branch Name | Commonly used name of the branch being defined. |
| Legal Name | The legal name of the branch being defined. |
| Branch Manager | Name of the branch manager. This drop-down list lets you choose from contacts whose contact type is “Employee.” |
| Address 1 | Address line 1 of the branch being defined. |
| Address 2 | Address line 2 (if any) of the branch being defined. |
| City | City of the branch being defined. |
| State | State of the branch being defined. |
| Zip | The zip code or postal code of the branch being defined. |
| Branch Phone Number | Phone number of the branch being defined. |
| Purchase Receipt Number Prefix | Enables you to specify a prefix to identify the branch appended to the front of the purchase receipt number when it is displayed in Aspire. |
| Website | Enables you to specify the website for the branch. |
| Logo | Enables you to establish a logo for the branch that can be used in report layouts. When the field is first displayed, a placeholder image is shown. Clicking the placeholder image permits you to replace it with an image of the company logo. |
| Active | Enables you to set the Active flag. A checkmark in the box indicates that the branch is not currently being used in Aspire. Once you create a branch, you cannot delete it. Marking unwanted branches as inactive enables you to hide them from the user in drop-down lists for selecting branches. To change the Active flag, click the checkbox. |
| Catalog List | Enables you to select a price catalog from those defined on the Admin List Catalog Price List screen. This is used for setting up pricing overrides at the branch level, as explained in the section, Setting up Branch Pricing. |
| Internal Property | Enables you to associate a property with the branch. This setup allocates indirect (overhead) time, such as vacation, sick time, meetings, etc., to the appropriate branch as described in the section, Indirect or Overhead Time. |
| Branch Code | Enables you to specify a branch code used to tie the branch into the payroll system. |
| Timezone | Enables you to specify the time zone of the branch. Aspire, users who are assigned branch access to one or more branches in the same time zone will see dates and times in Aspire reflected in that time zone. If multiple time zones are represented by their assigned branches, then dates and times will be reflected in the time zone specified for the organization on the Application Configuration screen. |
| Do not Cost Tax on Purchase | This option is for Canadian Aspire users. Aspire is designed to distribute tax added on a purchase receipt across the items on the purchase receipt so that the tax is job costed. Checking this box prevents that tax from being distributed. Canadian companies pay the tax to vendors, but the government gives the money back at year-end, so they commonly don’t want job costs. |
| Invoice Number Prefix | Enables you to specify a prefix to identify the branch appended to the front of the invoice number when it is displayed in Aspire. |
| Branch Fax Number | Enables you to specify a telephone number for the fax machine at the branch. |
| Region | For larger organizations, you can specify the region into which the branch is assigned. For companies with only a small number of branches, it is not necessary to establish regions in Aspire. |
| Enable Bulk Issues | Select Enable Bulk Issues to automate the Create New Issues modal once a site audit is completed, or deselect Enable Bulk Issues if you do not want this modal to populate automatically after a site audit. |
| Enable Visit Checklist | Enable the Visit Checklist option to create a detailed task list within a service that can be added to all opportunity types. Note: After enabling visit checklists at the system level, the option to enable them at the branch level will become available. For more details, see Service Visit Checklists. |
| Equipment Manager | Select a user from the list to define as an Equipment Manager for the branch. |
Suppose the Perform Accounting Integration at Branch Level checkbox has been enabled on the Accounting Sync tab of the Application Configuration screen. In that case, additional fields will be provided at the bottom of the screen, allowing the system administrator to configure the accounts for the branch accounting instance.
Once the accounts have been set up for QuickBooks online, connect to the branch’s instance of QuickBooks by clicking on the Add Application to Quickbooks Online icone and following the prompts to log into the QuickBooks Online account for the branch.
Invoicing
If provided, specifies the parameters Aspire uses when sending invoices to customers via email. Invoices are attached as PDFs to the emails.
Aspire enables you to specify invoice parameters at three levels: branch, region, and system. When emailing a single invoice from the Invoice screen or multiple invoices for the same branch from the Invoices Search List screen, Aspire will use the most specific invoicing parameters available – if the branch invoicing information is available, it will use that. If not and if invoicing information is available on the Region screen, it will use that. Finally, if neither branch nor region invoicing parameters are specified, Aspire will use invoicing parameters specified on the Application Configuration screen.
Note that when emailing invoices from the Invoices Search List screen, Aspire uses the invoicing parameters defined at the system level if the invoices selected in the list are for multiple branches.
Each screen element on the Invoicing tab of the Branch screen is described in the following table.
| Screen Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Billing Email From | When Aspire sends invoices to the customer, the value you specify here determines from whom the email will be sent. You can send invoices from the employee marked as the account owner for the associated property or specify a specific employee contact. This value on the Branch screen precedes the Billing Email From value specified at the region or system level. |
| Invoice Email CC | Enables you to specify a semicolon-separated list of email addresses that should also receive invoice emails. |
| Invoice Email Subject | Enables you to specify the subject of invoice emails. This value on the Branch screen precedes the Billing Email Subject value specified at the region or system level. Aspire enables you to insert context-sensitive tokens into the subject as described in the section, Inserting Expandable Tokens. These tokens allow invoice-specific information (i.e. property name, invoice number, opportunity number, etc.) to be inserted into the subject of each email. |
| Invoice Email Body | Enables you to specify the body of invoice emails. This value on the Branch screen precedes the Billing Email Body value specified at the region or system level. Aspire enables you to insert context-sensitive tokens into the body as described in the section, Inserting Expandable Tokens. These tokens allow invoice-specific information (i.e. property name, invoice number, opportunity number, etc.) to be inserted into the subject of each email. Images may also be added to the email body. |
| Invoice on Completion Description | For invoices on services marked for invoice upon completion (T&M or fixed price), you can specify the line item displayed on the invoice. This value on the Branch screen precedes the Invoice on Completion Description value specified at the region or system level. This field allows the user to insert expandable tokens that are replaced with specific values for the invoice. |
Time Reporting
If you have specific time reporting rules for a branch, configure the Time Reporting section. The Time Reporting screen elements on the Branch screen are described in the following table.
| Screen Element | Description |
|---|---|
Single Clock Time | If this option is enabled for a branch, you can set a time interval in minutes (default is 5 minutes). When crew members clock in or out using Crew Mobile on the crew leader’s device, all crew members clocking in or out within the specified interval will appear in Time Entry (Aspire Desktop) as having clocked in at the same time—the time recorded for the first crew member. |
Branch Break Time | To configure a standard lunch break period without requiring crew members to clock out, set the duration here in hours. Check the box and enter the desired lunch break interval for the branch in the Interval (hours) field. For example, set the interval to 0.5 for a 30-minute break. If you require crew members to clock out during lunch, set this value to zero. |
| Consecutive Time Worked Before Break is Required | To enforce break periods based on consecutive hours worked, enable this setting and specify the interval in hours. For instance, setting this interval to 5 hours will flag instances in the Time Entry screen where employees have worked continuously beyond the specified duration. This allows you to address these situations in line with your branch's policies. Note: If your Aspire system has Auto Time Acceptance enabled, any time entry that exceeds the configured maximum hours/minutes worked, the branch's break time interval, or has a pending dispute will be added to the Exception Report and will not be auto-accepted. For more information, see the Auto Time Acceptance article in the Aspire User Guide. |
Use Time Prompts | Determine whether your branch needs to use time prompts. If enabled, when an employee clocks out through Aspire Mobile, they will receive an Attestation Prompt to confirm their clock-out details. |
Time Review Attestation Prompt | Time Review Attestation adds an extra prompt for crew members in Aspire Mobile, asking if they are clocking out for lunch or at the end of the day. If they select the end of the day, they are prompted to review their time entries and attest to a statement specified by the System Administrator. |
| Time-Based Scheduling | Time-based scheduling allows you to schedule both recurring and non-recurring visits at specific times, not just on specific days. This feature helps set working hours for your crew, provides visibility into available time on the schedule board, and assists with scheduling overnight visits. Select this option if you plan to use Time-Based Scheduling in your Branch Routes. After entering your branch details, click Save to create your new branch. |
Facial Recognition | Select Facial Recognition to enable face login with multi-factor user authentication via selfie. |
| Allow Time Correction Requests from Mobile | Select Allow Time Correction Requests from Mobile to enable employees to request time corrections from Crew Mobile. These time correction requests will be available for review in the Time Entry screen. |
Equipment Reading Clock Out Prompt | Aspire allows you to configure the Crew Mobile App to prompt crew members for equipment meter readings. This field also permits you to enable this feature and to specify when the Crew Mobile App will prompt the crew leader. Readings can never be collected upon clicking the Complete button for a job, on clock out each day, or clock out for a chosen day of the week. Available options are Disable, Use System Setting, Per Job, End of Day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. |
| Prompt for New Ticket in CrewMobile | The Aspire Crew Mobile App supports two possible behaviors when the crew leader selects a service from the Schedule screen if there was an existing work ticket for that service that had time logged to it in the prior twenty-four hours. This check box lets you choose the behavior of the Crew Mobile App. If this check box is selected (enabled), Aspire will prompt you to ask them whether to use the work ticket that already has time on it or to select another open work ticket. For some companies, it is better not to display this prompt to crew leaders but always have Aspire use a new work ticket. To support this approach, clearing this check box (disabling) prevents Aspire from prompting you to use an existing ticket or select a new one—rather, it automatically picks a new one and takes the crew leader directly to the Work Ticket screen. |
Electronic Payments
The Electronic Payments is only available if the Allow Branch Override option is enabled on the Electronic Payments tab of the Application Configuration screen. This allows you to set up each branch for your branches to connect to its own instance of Card Connect when accepting electronic payments. To set up your company in this manner, you must have a separate CardConnect Merchant ID for all branches, and each branch’s electronic payment settings must be properly configured.
Each screen element on the Invoicing tab of the Branch screen is described in the following table.
| Screen Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable Branch Override Checkbox | Enables branch override for the branch and allows you as a system administrator to enter configuration information. All other fields on the tab are disabled until this checkbox is checked. If you hover the cursor over the Info icon, Aspire displays the following message: “Important Note: This will override the system defaults and allow the branch to have its own login. If the override credentials are incorrect, your electronic payments will no longer process. |
| Merchant ID | This is the identifier assigned to your company when you register the branch with the credit card processor, CardConnect. The value of this field is encrypted when stored in Aspire. |
| User Name | This username is established when registering with the card processor, CardConnect. The value of this field is encrypted when stored in Aspire. |
| Password | This is the password established when registering with the credit card processor, CardConnect. The value of this field is encrypted when stored in Aspire. |
| Merchant Zip | Company primary zip code that you provided when registering with CardConnect. Used to validate the company for credit card processing. |
| Add Credit/Debit Card Convenience Fee % | Enables you to specify that a convenience fee will be added to electronic credit/debit card customer payments based on a percentage of the payment amount. These fees are not applied to ACH payment transactions. |
| Currency | You can specify that payments will be received in US dollars (USD) or Canadian dollars (CAD). |
| Receipt Terms and Conditions | Electronic payment terms and conditions are displayed to the customer in the Aspire Customer Portal. |
Import SiteOne Price Book Tab
The Import SiteOne Price Book tab is only available if the Enable SiteOne Price Book Integration option is enabled on the Application tab of the Application Configuration screen. The SiteOne network provides a connection to stores of various types located across the country. For each branch, you can specify the store of each type from which Aspire will load catalog items into the item catalog to be made available when estimating.
After enabling import for the branch by clicking the Import SiteOne Price Book checkbox, and entering the store numbers, clicking the Save icon, Aspire displays a browser window that directs to the SiteOne website to log in.
Branch details screen
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