Overview of service to cash business process areas
Applies to: Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Guides, Dynamics 365 Project Operations, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
The service to cash process is broken down into several business process areas. In this article, you'll learn about the business process areas that make up the service to cash flow in Dynamics 365 solutions.
Manage service assets
Many organizations provide services for products that their customers buy, lease, or get from other sources. These products need regular maintenance and service, such as installation, repair, troubleshooting, or upgrading.
To manage service assets effectively, you need to keep a record of all the serviceable items (assets) and track them. You also need to record all the information that can help you during the maintenance process.
Learn more at Manage service assets overview.
Manage service resources
Service resources refer to the people, equipment, and facilities that you need to deliver a service. You can use Dynamics 365 to manage your service resources and provide high-quality customer experiences.
Create and process service work
A work order is a document that tracks the progress of a job or task from start to finish. It includes information such as the job description, the parts and resources required, and the estimated completion time.
To create a work order in Dynamics 365, you typically start by selecting the appropriate work order type. There are different types of work orders, for different kinds of services, such as maintenance, repair, or installation. Once you select the type of work order, enter the necessary details, such as the customer's name, description, and the priority level.
Next, you add the necessary resources to the work order, such as labor, equipment, and materials. Dynamics 365 provides a range of tools to help users manage resources, including scheduling tools that allow you to assign resources to specific tasks and track progress in real-time.
The execution of work orders within Dynamics 365 involves the actual completion of the tasks specified in the work order. This process typically involves multiple steps, including job assignment, tracking progress, updating status, and closing out the work order.
Once you schedule a work order and assign it to a technician or a team, the execution process begins. The technician can access the work order details, including any instructions, checklists, or documentation needed to complete the task. They can also access any necessary tools, equipment, or materials required for the job.
Learn more at Create and process service work overview.
Invoice customers
The invoice customers process area covers creating and sending an invoice to a customer based on a sales order or a free text invoice. Invoicing is an essential part of the order to cash process. It involves creating and sending a bill to customers for the products or services they ordered and posting it to the general ledger. The invoicing process starts when a sale takes place and continues through delivery to the customer and receiving payment.
Learn more at Invoice customers overview.
Record customer payments
Organizations that sell products or services must collect payment for them. Even non-profit organizations want to collect payments in the form of contributions from donors. You can use various methods to record customer payments in Dynamics 365. These methods include online payments, in-person payments at the point of sale, or manual payments that your accounts receivable staff enters in back-office applications.
Monitor customer credit and collections
In many organizations, not least organizations with a business-to-business sales model, setting credit limits is an important process that helps organizations remain competitive. Credit limits can also help an organization minimize bad debt and the need to write off unpaid balances. When you manage the collection process carefully, it helps you get customers pay on time, increases the cash flow, and helps make the cash flow of the organization more predictable.
Learn more at Monitor customer credit and collections overview.
Next steps
If you want to implement Dynamics 365 solutions to assist with your order to cash business processes, learn more at the following resources:
- Service to cash introduction
- Service to cash end-to-end overview
- Learn about the business process catalog at About the business process catalog for Dynamics 365 apps and services
Related information
Use the following resources to learn more about the service to cash process in Dynamics 365.