Variations raised by engineers on mobile are created as opportunities in Commusoft. This allows you to track sales growth, maintain a clear audit trail, and include variations in reporting and performance analysis. Once created, a variation opportunity is managed in the same way as any other opportunity in your system.
View variation opportunities
➡️ Go to the Opportunity dashboard
Variation opportunities appear in the opportunity pipeline with a Variation tag on it.
Variations as opportunities
Whenever an engineer raises a variation on mobile, a variation opportunity is created in the system. This happens in all of the following scenarios:
The variation proposal is sent to the customer but not yet accepted.
The variation is accepted on the spot by the customer.
The variation is deflected back to the office for review or approval.
Even if the engineer completes the work immediately after on-site acceptance, the opportunity is still created to ensure the variation is tracked correctly.
Handling accepted variations
If a variation proposal is accepted by the customer and the engineer completes the work, no further action is required from the office. The opportunity remains as a record for tracking and reporting purposes.
Engineers can raise multiple variations against a single job, as long as the job allows it.
Deflect back to office
When a variation deflected back to the office:
The responsible office user or department is notified.
The office reviews the reason for deflection, such as pricing checks, warranty confirmation, or part configuration.
The office decides whether the variation should be approved, updated, or sent to the customer for acceptance.
Office staff are responsible for managing the variation opportunity until it is resolved.
When office staff need to intervene
Office involvement is required in the following situations:
The variation proposal has been sent but not yet accepted by the customer. Office staff should follow up with the customer to obtain approval and ensure the work can proceed.
The variation has been deflected back to the office. Office staff must review the reason for deflection and manage the approval or next steps.
Job creation logic for Variations
Commusoft automatically determines whether variation work is added to an existing job or created as a new job.
If the existing job is still open
Once the customer accepts the variation proposal, the variation work is added to the existing job
The engineer can continue and complete the work as part of the same job
If the existing job is already completed
After the customer accepts the variation proposal, a new job is created
The variation work is carried out separately from the original job
If the variation is deflected back to the office
Office staff review and continue the proposal
If the customer accepts and the job is still open, the variation is added to the existing job
If the customer accepts after the job is completed, a new job is created
Common Question
Can multiple variations be created for the same job?
Can multiple variations be created for the same job?
Yes. Engineers can create multiple variations for a single job, depending on what is discovered on site.
Why are variations created as opportunities?
Why are variations created as opportunities?
Creating variations as opportunities allows you to track additional revenue, analyse sales performance, and maintain accurate records for reporting and business growth.
Example use cases
💡 Customer approval pending An engineer raises a variation and sends the proposal to the customer. The opportunity is created and office staff follow up to secure acceptance before work continues.
💡 Warranty or pricing review required A variation is deflected back to the office because warranty coverage needs to be confirmed. The office reviews the details, updates the proposal if required, and sends it to the customer for approval.
🎓 Want more training? For further training on managing variations, check out the Variations course in the Commusoft Academy. You can access this via your Profile icon.
🤖 Still need help? Ask AI:den, our 24/7 AI agent. ➡️ Go to your Profile icon → Get support → Ask a question AI:den can guide you or connect you with our team if needed.