How to: Setup and Use Tags

What are Tags?

Tags are a great way to group orders based on how you do business. They can also be used to “flag” important information on an order. Tags are searchable on the Order Screen. 

Tags have a distinct name and a color that can be used for categories or flagging important information.

Setting up Tags for use:

Permissions need to be granted for the user.

Tags are generally not locked down in most systems.  But some lock downs are available to you.

First, go to the Access Roles page: Settings (Gear Icon) - Access Roles

Click Edit on the role you want to update. (One at a time)

In the editor pop-up, click the Permissions tab and scroll down until you see the Tags permission. Click on the access level for that role. If it is a new role, you will need to assign it to a user, but typically you would be modifying a role that already exists.

Next, go to the Tags Management page.

Tags Management Page:

This is where you can create, edit, inactivate, or delete tags.

The user must have access to be able to utilize this functionality.

As you can see there is basic information available for all the tags you have in the system in one place. This is incredibly useful if you want all tags for flagging orders to be red. Or any flags having to do with billing to be green, or something similar. You can also see how many orders are attached to each tag. The information about active, inactive, and deleting tags can be found here for reference.

You can sort by column to see which ones are the same color or which ones are the least used.


Creation:

How to create a new tag in the system for use. (2 ways)

You can create a tag from the Tag Management page by clicking the ‘Add Tag’ button or by clicking the ‘+' plus icon next to the tags label on orders. Editing and deleting tags can only be done from the Tags Management page. But you can quickly get there from any order by clicking the pop-out icon that is labeled 'New Record’. This is because similar dropdowns only have this option for adding a new record.

From the Tags Management Screen:

On the tag management page, create a new tag by clicking the ‘+ Add Tag’ button.

The Edit Tag modal pops up with nothing in it, but defaults. Simply type the name of the tag, and if desired, change the color. Then click the ‘Update’ Button.

If there is already a tag with that name, this error will be shown.

From the Order Screen:

There are two ways to create a tag from an order. The first icon opens up a new tab in the browser on the tags management page. This is similar to all the dropdowns. 

To create a tag from an order (without leaving the order) click on the '+' plus sign by the label. The above pop-up will show. Creating a tag this way is quicker and adds it to the input on the order to be saved with the rest of the order information. You can just type in a tag name and update the color later, if you choose. Or do both when creating it.

When creating a tag, each name must be unique compared to the other active and inactive tags. If a tag was deleted out of the system, a new tag with the same name can be added. This new tag will not have any reference to the old tag that had that name. No orders will be attached when it is created.

Attaching to an Order:

How to utilize these tags:

Tags are utilized as markers for orders. This explains how to attach them to an order. Please be aware the tags are not currently on credit memos. This will probably be added in the future.

To attach a tag to an order, go to the order and click on the drop-down.

A list of tags (both active and inactive will be shown). Typically an inactive tag would not be added to an order. But…. since occasionally things are accidentally deleted, you can add it back on.

 
If you start typing in the drop-down, it will filter the tags to a smaller list.
Once you click on the tag, it is added to the input, but not yet attached the tag to the order. Click save at any point after this to attach it.
If the tag does not yet exist, click the plus sign to add it. Here you can type the name and select a color if desired. When clicking the “Create & Add” button, it creates the tag in the system (without an extra save). And it adds the tag to the input. But like adding other tags to an order, that connection is not bound until the order is saved.

Removing from an order:

To remove a tag from an order, click the red 'X' to remove it from the input. Then click the save button for the order. Any changes made to the drop-down need the save order function to apply the change (Same as other inputs). If a tag is accidentally deleted from an order, it can be added back by searching for and clicking it or by not saving the order.
Searching by tag in Order Lookup:
The Start Date must currently be set for the search. This may change. Click on the filter input for ‘Tags on order’. To find the tag quickly, start typing the name of the tag to filter the tag list. Otherwise, just scroll until you see it and click on it. 
When more than one tag is selected for the filter on lookup, it uses the OR qualifier. So in this example, if the tag “Fleet” or “Employee Discount” is on the order, it will show.

If you want to find an order with two (or three) specific tags, say “Fleet” and “Installer in Training”, this typically would use the AND qualifier. Since qualifiers are not used on multiselects, this is how you do it. Put only one of the tags in the multiselect filter. Make sure there is a Start date and click Search. After the search on that one tag, filter the column based on the second tag. The grid will then show only those orders with both tags.

Searching by tag in Omni-search/Global search box:

Type the name of the tag in the ‘Search Orders” box at the top of the page. The search that is done is based on text. This means that if you have a similar word as a business name or in an address, it would also show. This is why I suggest to not use only numbers as a tag name. It makes it harder to use the omni-search for a tag. This is because dates, order numbers, and similar will show up in the returned information. Overall, searching by the Order Lookup page is best. Also, the data for the omni search updates periodically. It may take up to 10 minutes to show in the search. If it does not show, let us know.

You do not need to use the whole tag name in an omni search, but it should be enough to be distinct.

Tips/Notes:

  • Make a list of what tags will and will not be used so that users can be consistent.
  • Group similar tags by color to make them easy to notice and understand. Otherwise, don’t use colors unless it is something important to flag.
  • The tag creation keeps there from being two tags of the same name. But if similar words or a different spelling or spacing are used, it will be a separate tag. This can get confusing for users. Keep tag names distinct for their purpose.
  • Don’t create a tag for use on a single order that cannot be reused in the future. Otherwise, you end up with a cluttered tag list any time someone goes to tag an item.
  • Don’t use numbers only as a tag name such as ‘3’ instead use numbers alongside a descriptor as in ‘Priority 3’ or ‘30 days late’
  • Don’t delete a tag until it has been inactive for several days or longer. That way you have less of a chance of removing information that someone else was using. It is better for them to see it has been changed to inactive and ask if anyone is still using it before it gets deleted.
  • Check how many orders are attached to a tag before deleting it. Also search for that tag on the Order Lookup page before deleting it. That way you can make sure the tag is no longer relevant for future business.
  • Tags are not currently shown on any printed statement or report. This makes it useful for quick, important, and internal communication. It may be added to reports in the future, as requested and time allows.