Skip to main content

Contractor Functionality Overview

Our aim is simple: use on‑demand contractors from Field Nation to deliver DTC’s limited on‑site services while keeping every job, update, and cost inside HaloPSA’s standard ticket flow—no extra licences, no scattered emails, and no lost details. To achieve that, we model contractors as Supplier Users, drive the work through a dedicated ticket type and workflow, and surface key data with two custom fields.

Goal

Leverage Field Nation technicians to handle low‑touch field work for DTC, yet maintain the same organisation, auditability, and client transparency we expect from internal tickets. This means:

  • Supplier over Agent – avoids additional agent licences while still showing contractor updates in the agent and client portals (HALO).
  • Single, clean workflow – dispatch, on‑site work, QC, close—without timers or background automations (those will come later).
  • Actionable data – every ticket stores the contractor’s name and contact details for instant reference.

Key Configuration Elements

1. Supplier: “Field Nation”

  • Enable Configuration ▸ Suppliers and tick Show Supplier Updates to End‑User so contractor replies and photos are visible to clients and agents alike (HALO).
  • Add a Supplier User for each technician Field Nation assigns; this keeps their identity selectable on tickets and searchable later (Renada).
  • Optionally associate a Supplier Contract if you want PO numbers or cost codes enforced whenever “Log to Supplier” is used (HALO).

2. Custom Ticket Type: “Contractor Field Visit”

  • Create via Configuration ▸ Tickets ▸ Ticket Types ▸ New; set Use = Tickets, default status New, and default agent to your on‑duty T2 engineer.
  • Attach Custom Fields to the "Ticket Details" area/tab.

3. Custom Fields

Field

Purpose

How to add

Contractor Tech

(single‑select)

Choose the Field Nation technician assigned to the job.

Create in

 Custom Objects ▸ Custom Fields

, then add to the ticket type’s Field List (

HALO

).

Contractor Contact Details

(rich‑text)

Store phone, email, or FN profile link of the selected tech.

Added alongside

 Contractor Tech

, restricted to dispatch & finance roles for privacy (

Renada

).

Both fields can be pulled into email templates or portal pages using $variables for smarter comms (HaloPSA Ideas).

4. Workflow & Actions (no timers)

  1. Dispatch stage – action Send to Field Nation uses system “Log to Supplier” with Field Nation pre‑selected so the dispatcher needs one click (HALO).
  2. Execution stage – actions Contractor On‑Site and Work Complete update ticket status; these are standard internal notes, no countdowns or auto‑moves.
  3. QC stage – actions Pass QC and Fail QC let the T2 agent validate work before closing; approval‑style steps are recommended by Halo’s workflow guide (HALO).
  4. Resolved stage – ticket closes once QC passes.

The flow is built in Configuration ▸ Tickets ▸ Workflows, following Halo’s drag‑and‑drop pattern shown in community tutorials (Renada).

Day‑to‑Day Operating Flow

  1. Project Manager (T1) raises a Contractor Field Visit ticket, selects Field  Nation as Supplier, and project manager picks (or quickly adds) the correct Contractor Tech.
  2. Press Send to Field Nation; Halo logs the work‑order to the supplier and stamps the ticket with their reference (HALO).
  3. Contractor replies via email/API; updates appear in the ticket stream and, because of the supplier setting, in the client portal too (HALO).
  4. T2 engineer tracks status through On‑Site and Work Complete, runs QC, then resolves the ticket.
  5. Finance later reconciles labour/expense data against Supplier Contract records or Field Nation exports (many MSPs already two‑way‑sync FN with other PSAs) (Field Nation).

Roles & Responsibilities

Role

Key tasks

Project Manager

Create ticket, select supplier/tech, send to Field Nation.

Agent (T2 Engineer)

Monitor progress, update statuses, perform QC, close ticket.

Supplier User (Contractor)

Provide onsite updates and completion notes via email/API.

Quick Reference Checklist

  •  Supplier “Field Nation” created with “Show updates to end‑user” enabled.
  •  Supplier Users added for each technician.
  •  Ticket type “Contractor Field Visit” live, default T2 agent set.
  •  Custom fields Contractor Tech & Contractor Contact Details in Field List.
  •  Workflow stages/actions (Dispatch → Execution → QC → Resolved) tested.
  •  Email template for Send to Field Nation pulling $Contractor_Tech and $Contractor_Contact_Detailsvariables verified.

By grounding contractor work in Halo’s Supplier features and a lightweight ticket workflow—without introducing timers yet—we keep DTC’s field services organised, license‑efficient, and fully transparent to both staff and clients.

Back to top