Automation Concepts
Each piece of equipment runs on a recurring service schedule you set up per asset group, and its automation moves through a repeating cycle. First you add a recurring service on the asset group's Recurring Services card and choose its automation on the Automation Setup card (Automated Outreach, Custom Task, or None).
When the service comes due, the automation runs: Automated Outreach automatically emails or texts the customer a request to approve and schedule the service, Custom Task creates a task for your team, and None does nothing.
The customer's response (Approved, Declined, Ask Someone Else, Email Bounced, or Unanswered) is recorded as a Recurring Services task on the Tasks page, and for an approved service you schedule the work as a visit.
Scheduling or rescheduling a visit whose visit type covers the service immediately puts the schedule in Awaiting Service Completion and pauses its automation, even when the service is not due yet. Adding a covering work order to an already scheduled visit does the same. The schedule can also enter this state after outreach or a Custom Task starts a due service cycle and Essential is waiting for the work to be completed.
Completing the inspection report for that asset group and service, submitting the Job Summary for a matching visit with the service opted in under Service Visit Types, or editing the recurring service's date by hand advances its schedule. Completion-based schedules show "Last Service or Installation Date"; fixed schedules show "Last Due Date". For an opted-in matching group with no assets, Job Summary submission advances the recurring schedule from the visit date instead. Either path clears the awaiting state and recalculates the next due date according to the selected Recurring Mode. You can also clear Awaiting Service Completion without recording work from the recurring service card. When scheduled coverage is removed, Essential identifies affected recurring services by their asset group and service names, then may ask whether to keep the schedule paused, restart the automation from its current dates, or resume it using a future date.
Which services a report's Pass/Fail answers can complete this way depends on its visit type, mapped to services under Service Visit Types in Settings; a service a tech marks Done on the report completes regardless of visit type. On the same settings page, each Create service name completions on Job Summary submission switch lets a matching visit complete that service without a report. Enable every service that the Job Summary should complete. On the technician's first Job Summary submission, each enabled service is selected by default under Next Due Dates; the technician can turn off a service that was not completed. Essential records per-asset completions for the selected services and applicable assets, or advances the schedule directly if the group is empty; a populated group with no applicable assets is left unchanged. Clocking out alone does not trigger it. Then the cycle repeats at the next due date.
The asset group's Next Automation card shows whatever step is coming next.
Automated Outreach will not send if the property does not have a primary Approvals contact, that contact does not have an email address, or the customer or property is inactive. If a customer says the property is no longer operating, mark the customer or property inactive to end future automations. If a customer dislikes forms, switch that recurring service automation to Custom Task so your team follows up manually.
If a contact responds outside the form, fill out the form on their behalf when appropriate so Essential creates the right task and the customer receives the confirmation email. If a customer asks you to reach back out later, set a manual trigger for the next automation.
Where to find it: Asset group page (Recurring Services, Automation Setup, and Next Automation cards); customer responses become Recurring Services tasks on the Tasks page
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