The Order Lifecycle · Narqix Academy

For every Work Order Desk team member. After this page you will be able to follow any work order through all 12 stages, from assignment to payment, and know exactly what the desk must do at each stage on both sides of the industry.

Track: Property Preservation · Role: All Work Order Desk roles · Time to complete: 30 min

Why the lifecycle matters

A work order is not finished when the grass is cut. It is finished when the money is in the vendor's bank account and the payment is matched to the invoice. Between those two points there are many places where an order can stall, get rejected, get paid short, or simply be forgotten.

Most lost money in this industry is not lost in the field. It is lost on the desk: an update submitted late, a photo in the wrong slot, a bid without measurements, an invoice never sent. Know the 12 stages and you will always know where every order is and what it needs next.

Before it reaches you: the trigger

Something upstream starts every order. You do not control it, but you should recognise it because it tells you how urgent the order is.

Trigger	What happened	What it usually creates
First time vacant	An inspector confirmed the house is empty for the first time	Initial secure: locks, lockbox, photos, winterization, grass, debris check
Ownership transfer after foreclosure	The house became lender-owned	Initial services, cleaning, repairs to make it marketable
Recurring cycle	A monthly or seasonal service came due	Re-cut, monthly inspection, re-winterization check, snow removal
Damage found	An inspector or crew reported a problem	Bid request, repair order, roof tarp, board-up
Approved bid	The client approved a bid you sent	A new order to do the approved work

Coach's note: first time vacant orders carry the tightest investor clocks. The investor deadline is usually much longer than the vendor's due date because the preservation company keeps time for its own review and billing. Always work to the due date on the order, never to the investor deadline you may have read about.

The 12 stages at a glance

#	Stage	Main owner on Side A (vendor desk)	Main owner on Side B (network desk)
1	Assignment received	Work Order Processor	Vendor Network Coordinator
2	Intake check	Work Order Processor	Vendor Network Coordinator
3	Accept and commit	Work Order Processor	Vendor (you confirm it)
4	Dispatch and crew packet	Work Order Processor or Dispatcher	Vendor (you confirm it)
5	Field visit support	Work Order Processor	Vendor Network Coordinator
6	Photo intake	Photo QC Specialist	Photo QC Specialist
7	Internal QC	Photo QC Specialist	Photo QC Specialist
8	Update and submit	Work Order Processor	Vendor submits, you review
9	Bids	Bid Writer	Bid Writer (reviewer)
10	Client review and corrections	Work Order Processor	Photo QC Specialist and Coordinator
11	Invoice	Invoice and AR Assistant	Invoice and AR Assistant (vendor payables)
12	Payment and reconciliation	Invoice and AR Assistant	Invoice and AR Assistant

Stage by stage

Stage 1: Assignment received

What happens: the preservation company issues a work order in its portal or app. It lists the address, the investor or loan type, the tasks, special instructions, the due date, and sometimes the price for each task.

Side A desk actions:

Check every client portal at the start of shift and at least every two hours after that. Some campaigns ask for every hour.
Bring each new order into the vendor's work order platform (automatic import or manual entry).
Log the time the order was received.

Side B desk actions:

Create the order, or confirm it arrived from the servicer correctly.
Choose the vendor by coverage area, service type, score and current workload.

Output: every new order is visible in one tracker within the check cycle.

Stage 2: Intake check

Read the order before anyone drives to the house. This five-minute check prevents most wasted trips.

Address complete and inside the vendor's coverage area (county and ZIP)
Not a duplicate of an open order for the same address and task
Investor or loan type noted, because the rules change with it
Due date realistic for the tasks and travel distance
Key code, lockbox code or access instructions present when needed
Special instructions read in full (for example "do not enter", "occupied", "contact broker first")
Price per task present, or the price list for this client is known
Any task the vendor cannot do (no licence, no equipment) flagged

Never do this: never accept an order you have not read to the last line. Special instructions often sit at the very bottom, and they override the standard checklist.

Stage 3: Accept and commit

What happens: the vendor accepts or declines inside the client's window. Many portals also ask for a commit date, which is the vendor's promise of when the work will be complete.

Accept only what the vendor can deliver on time.
Set a commit date you can actually meet. A missed commit date hurts the score more than an honest later date.
If you must decline, decline quickly and give a clear reason (outside coverage, no qualified crew). A fast decline lets the company reassign without losing time.

Side B: confirm that the vendor accepted. If an order sits unaccepted past the window, call or message the vendor, then reassign by the company's rule.

Stage 4: Dispatch and crew packet

What happens: the order is assigned to a field crew, and the crew receives everything needed to do it right the first time.

The crew packet contains:

Address and map pin
Tasks in plain words
Access: key code, lockbox code, gate code, contact person
Photo checklist for each task (from the Order Types Guide)
Measurements to take (lot size, cubic yards, opening sizes, roof area)
Special instructions copied word for word
Due date and the time the desk needs photos back

Coach's note: crews read on a phone, in a truck, in the sun. Keep the packet short. Put the three things most likely to cause a rejection at the top in capital letters, for example "YARDSTICK IN EVERY BEFORE PHOTO".

Stage 5: Field visit support

What happens: the crew is at the property. Things go wrong in real time: the house is occupied, the key does not work, a dog is in the yard, the damage is bigger than the order.

Desk actions:

Stay reachable on the campaign's team channel during field hours.
Answer crew questions within minutes, not hours.
When the scope is wrong or the house is occupied, tell the crew to stop, take proof photos, and wait. Then contact the client's coordinator.
Record every change in the order notes with the time.

Situation in the field	What the crew does	What the desk does
House looks occupied (cars, people, fresh food, lights)	Do not enter. Photograph signs of occupancy from outside.	Report to the client as possibly occupied. Ask for instructions.
Cannot get in (gate locked, key fails)	Photograph the obstacle and the address	Report no access. Ask whether a trip charge applies.
More debris or damage than ordered	Photograph and measure. Do not do extra work without approval.	Prepare a bid. Check whether the client allows "complete then bid" for small amounts.
Safety hazard (exposed wires, gas smell, animals)	Leave the area. Call emergency services if needed.	Report the hazard to the client the same hour.

Never do this: never tell a crew to enter a house that may be occupied, and never tell a crew to ignore a safety hazard to meet a due date. A due date can be extended. A person cannot be un-hurt.

Stage 6: Photo intake

What happens: photos arrive from the crew's app, a shared drive, or a team channel.

Download every photo into a folder named with the order number.
Remove blurry, dark, sideways and accidental photos.
Check that the date stamp matches the visit date.
Match photos to tasks.
If anything is missing, message the crew immediately, while they may still be near the property.

Stage 7: Internal QC

What happens: before anything leaves the desk, a second set of eyes checks the order against the Photo QC Standard and scorecard.

Before, during and after from the same angle for every task
Address verification photos present
Proof items visible (yardstick, tape measure, antifreeze, tags, gauge reading)
Answers to questions match what the photos show
No duplicates, no reused photos

Output: the order is marked "QC passed" with the checker's initials, or sent back with a reason.

Stage 8: Update and submit

What happens: the Processor completes the update in the client's portal.

Answer every required question (occupancy, utilities, debris, damage, violations, code notices).
Mark each task completed, or not completed with a clear reason.
Place each photo in the right slot. Most portals check that a slot has a photo but not that it is the right photo. That gap is where most rejections come from.
Write short, factual comments.
Submit, then take a screenshot of the confirmation and save it in the order folder.
Update the tracker status and time.

Side B: the vendor submits. You review the submission against the same standard before it goes to the servicer.

Stage 9: Bids

What happens: any work outside the order, or above the allowable price, needs a bid.

Use the crew's measurements and photos.
Write each line with location, size, cause, scope, materials, price and reason.
Flag items that may need a second bid or prior approval.
Submit with the update or as the client requires.
Log the bid in the bid tracker and follow up until it is approved, denied or changed.

Full detail is in Bids and Estimating.

Stage 10: Client review and corrections

What happens: the preservation company reviews the update. It approves, or returns it as a rejection, kickback, reopen or "pending vendor".

Check the rejection queue at least three times per shift.
Read the reason in full. Fix the actual problem, not only the words in the note.
If photos are missing and the crew must go back, arrange it the same day.
Resubmit within the same shift whenever possible.
Log the rejection reason code in the tracker. Patterns in rejections are how the desk improves.

Coach's note: a rejection is a gift of information. Every one tells you which rule the reviewer cares about. Keep a short "reviewer preferences" note per client and read it before each shift.

Stage 11: Invoice

What happens: approved work is invoiced, usually inside the same portal.

Invoice only completed and approved tasks and approved bids.
Match every line to the price list or bid approval.
Match quantities to the photos (cubic yards, united inches, square feet).
Attach receipts where needed (dump fees, materials).
Target: invoice every approved order within one business day of approval (Narqix starting target).

Stage 12: Payment and reconciliation

What happens: the preservation company pays on its cycle, often weekly or every two weeks, and sometimes with deductions.

Match each payment to its invoices by payment reference or check number.
Log short pays and deductions with a reason code.
File disputes through the client's process, with proof, inside its time limit.
Report the aging of unpaid invoices every week.

Side B: the same stage runs in reverse. You pay vendors after the company is satisfied with the work, and you answer vendor questions about deductions.

After stage 12: recurring work

Many properties come back again and again: monthly inspections, grass re-cuts every two to three weeks in season, snow events, re-winterization checks. Keep a recurring calendar per property so the next order is expected, not a surprise. Some clients expect the vendor to keep a recurring grass cut list even when no order is open.

Status names to use in the tracker

Status	Meaning
New	Received, not yet checked
Accepted	Intake check done, order accepted, commit date set
Dispatched	Crew packet sent
In field	Crew on site or scheduled for today
Photos received	Photos in the order folder
QC hold	Missing or failed items, waiting on crew
QC passed	Ready to submit
Submitted	Update sent to the client, screenshot saved
Rejected	Returned by the client, fix in progress
Approved	Client accepted the update
Invoiced	Invoice submitted
Paid	Payment received and matched
Short paid	Payment received with a deduction, dispute open or closed

Common lifecycle mistakes

Mistake	What it costs	Prevention
Orders left in "New" overnight	Late acceptance, lost orders, lower score	Portal checks every two hours, end-of-shift sweep
Commit date set without checking crew schedule	Missed promise	Confirm crew capacity before committing
Crew sent without the photo checklist	Missing photos, second trip	Packet template with checklist built in
Update submitted without screenshot	No proof of on-time submission	Screenshot is part of the submit step
Rejections checked once a day	Orders go late while waiting	Three checks per shift minimum
Approved orders not invoiced	Money never collected	Daily "approved but not invoiced" report
Payments not matched	Short pays go unnoticed	Weekly reconciliation by reference number

Check yourself

1. An order arrives with a due date of tomorrow and a note at the bottom: "Property may be occupied. Exterior photos only." What do you do at intake?

Read and copy the instruction into the crew packet at the top in capital letters. Make sure the crew knows not to enter. Accept only if the crew can reach the property by tomorrow.

2. Which stage protects the vendor from paying for a second trip to the property?

Stage 6 (photo intake) and Stage 7 (internal QC), because missing photos are caught while the crew is still nearby. Stage 4 also helps, because a good crew packet prevents missing photos in the first place.

3. A portal accepted your update with a photo in every slot. Why can it still be rejected?

The portal only checks that each slot has a photo, not that it is the right photo. A human reviewer checks the content, angle, date and proof items later.

4. What is the Narqix starting target for invoicing approved work?

Within one business day of approval.