What is a work order?
A work order is the document that authorizes and describes a specific service job: the site, the equipment, the scope, the price basis and who approved it. Under a master service agreement, each job usually runs on its own work order or statement of work. The U.S. Department of Energy's O&M guide lists work orders generated and closed out among the basic measures of a maintenance program.
Why it matters to a revenue leader
For a revenue leader, the work order trail is one of the richest sales signals in the company. Technician notes on completed work orders show failing equipment, unsafe conditions and customer requests that never became quotes. Work order volume by site also shows where a customer spends without an agreement, and where an MSA customer may be sending work to a competitor. Connecting closed work orders to the sales team and the CRM turns service history into pipeline.
Example
A facility services company reviews closed work orders for its top 30 accounts. At one retail customer, 22 work orders over six months mention the same aging freezer cases at four stores. The seller brings those records to the customer's facility manager with a replacement proposal, so the conversation starts from evidence the customer already trusts.
"Who reads technician notes on closed work orders for sales opportunities, and how quickly?"