How do I collect a signed work authorization?
Short answer
Send a short work authorization form that spells out the scope, cost ceiling, and any diagnostic fee, then require a signature before the crew starts. TactStack captures the signature on a phone at the door or ahead of time by link, stores it against the job, and can block scheduling until it comes back signed.
Before you start
- A short authorization document covering scope, cost ceiling, and any diagnostic fee.
- A decision on whether it is signed before dispatch or on arrival.
- The job or contact record it should attach to.
- A tablet or phone available for on-site signing if used at the door.
Step by step
- 1
Write the authorization short and specific
Keep the scope, not-to-exceed cost, and any diagnostic or trip fee to a few plain sentences instead of dense legal text.
A form nobody reads before signing protects nobody when a dispute shows up.
- 2
Save it as a standard template
Store the authorization once so it attaches the same way to every job instead of being rebuilt by each tech.
Consistency here is what makes it enforceable across the whole team.
- 3
Decide when it gets sent
Choose whether the customer signs by link before the appointment or on a tablet with the tech at arrival.
Pre-signed jobs save time on site, but at-the-door signing works for walk-up or emergency calls.
- 4
Attach it to the job automatically
Trigger the authorization to send the moment a job is booked so it is not a manual step someone forgets.
A step that depends on memory eventually gets skipped on a busy day.
- 5
Require the signature before dispatch if the cost is open-ended
For diagnostic or time-and-materials work, block the job from moving to scheduled status until it is signed.
This is what stops a crew from doing unauthorized work nobody agreed to pay for.
- 6
Capture it on site when needed
Let the tech pull up the form on a phone or tablet and get a signature at the door for same-day or emergency jobs.
Not every job allows time for a link to be signed in advance.
- 7
Store the signed copy on the record
Confirm the completed authorization attaches automatically to the job or contact so it is there if billing is ever questioned.
An authorization you cannot produce later is the same as never having one.
What good looks like
- Crews never start open-ended work without a signed cost ceiling on file.
- Billing disputes drop because the customer agreed to scope and cost in writing.
- Techs can capture a signature at the door in seconds when there is no time to wait.
- Every job has a stored, timestamped authorization the office can pull up on demand.
Common mistakes
The ways this goes wrong in sales, and what to do instead.
Making the form too long to read on site›
A dense multi-page authorization gets signed without being read, which weakens it in a dispute.
Do this instead: Trim the authorization to scope, cost ceiling, and fees in a few short sentences.
Not blocking dispatch on open-ended jobs›
Diagnostic and time-and-materials jobs without a signed authorization leave the business exposed to non-payment fights.
Do this instead: Require a signed authorization before those job types move to scheduled.
Relying only on a pre-send link›
Same-day and emergency calls often do not have time for a customer to sign a link before the tech arrives.
Do this instead: Give techs a way to capture the signature on a phone or tablet at the door.
Losing track of which jobs are unsigned›
Without visibility, unsigned authorizations sit quietly until a billing dispute forces someone to look for one that never came back.
Do this instead: Filter jobs by authorization status so unsigned ones are followed up before the appointment.
Frequently asked
6 questions about collect a signed work authorizationRelated guides
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