Managing Your Vendor Database in FixFlow

Managing Your Vendor Database in FixFlow

Your vendor database is the backbone of FixFlow's dispatch system. The better your vendor data, the faster and more reliable your maintenance response.

Adding Vendors

Navigate to Vendors > Add Vendor and fill in the required fields:

You can also add:

• Specialties -- specific sub-categories like "tankless water heater" or "knob-and-tube wiring"
• Insurance expiry -- FixFlow warns you 30 days before a vendor's insurance lapses
• Notes -- private notes visible only to you (e.g., "Great quality but slow to respond on weekends")

Vendor Priority Ordering

For each service category, set your preferred dispatch order:

1. Go to Vendors > Priority Settings
2. Drag vendors into your preferred order for each category
3. FixFlow dispatches to the first vendor on the list. If they do not respond within 10 minutes, FixFlow moves to the second vendor automatically

You can set different priority orders per property. For example, you might prefer Vendor A for plumbing at your downtown properties and Vendor B for suburban properties.

On-Call Schedules

For after-hours emergency coverage:

1. Go to Vendors > On-Call Schedules
2. Set each vendor's availability hours (e.g., "Monday-Friday 8am-6pm")
3. Designate emergency-only vendors who should only be dispatched for after-hours emergencies
4. FixFlow automatically respects these schedules and only contacts vendors during their available hours (except for true emergencies, which override schedules)

Vendor Performance Tracking

FixFlow automatically tracks vendor performance metrics:

• Response time -- how quickly the vendor confirms they can take the job
• Arrival time -- time from dispatch to on-site arrival
• Completion rate -- percentage of dispatches that result in issue resolution
• Tenant satisfaction -- average rating from post-completion tenant surveys
• Cost per job -- average cost across all jobs completed

View these metrics at Vendors > Performance Dashboard. Use this data to inform your priority ordering and identify vendors who are declining in quality.

Bulk Import

To import vendors from a spreadsheet:

1. Go to Vendors > Import
2. Download the CSV template
3. Fill in your vendor data (one row per vendor)
4. Upload the completed CSV

Required CSV columns: vendor_name, phone, email, category

Optional columns: service_area, hourly_rate, specialties, notes

Removing a Vendor

Deactivating a vendor removes them from dispatch rotation but preserves their performance history:

1. Go to Vendors > [Vendor Name]
2. Click Deactivate Vendor
3. The vendor's historical data remains for reporting purposes

To permanently delete a vendor and all associated data, contact [email protected].