Help Centre
How can we help you run your shop?
54 step-by-step guides to every part of TimeFlow — from booking a job card at the counter to VAT reports at month-end.
Getting started & account
Sign up, find your way around, and set up your company, team, and subscription.
- Signing up & logging inCreate a TimeFlow account, verify your email, set up your company, first branch and team, log in, and complete your profile — step by step.
- Navigating the interfaceLearn TimeFlow's layout — the left sidebar, header tools, footer shortcuts, and Jobs panel — and how owner, manager, technician, reception, and accountant roles change what you see.
- Company accountManage your repair shop's company details, banking, branches, currency, VAT settings, team members and permissions, and timezone from the Company Account page.
- Account settingsFind TimeFlow's Settings page and its three tabs — repair checklist templates, receipt and label printer hardware, and notification preferences.
- Subscription & billingView your TimeFlow plan, switch between Starter and Professional, update your payment card via PayFast, and download invoices from your payment history.
- NotificationsUse the TimeFlow notification bell and full notifications page to see job, task, and comment alerts, mark them read, and jump straight to the related record.
- Notification settingsChoose which job card, task, overdue, comment, and report events send email or in-app alerts in TimeFlow, with quick actions to switch everything on or off.
- Cloud storage usageSee how much cloud storage your repair shop uses for photos, repair library files, and documents, and what usually takes up the most space.
- AI AssistantAsk TimeFlow's AI Assistant how-to questions or live questions about your own sales and stock, like "How much did we sell today?" or "What needs restocking?"
- Tech support ticketsReport a problem to TimeFlow support from inside the app, add steps to reproduce and screenshots, and track your ticket through to resolution.
- Affiliate programJoin the TimeFlow affiliate program, share your referral link, track clicks and referrals, and request payouts to your bank or PayPal from R50.
Reception & job cards
Book devices in, manage clients, insurance claims, trade-ins, and the client portal.
- Booking a job cardBook a device or vehicle in for repair: create a digital job card with client details, IMEI/serial, condition, fault, insurance claim, and intake photos.
- Searching job cards & tasksSearch job cards by date, job number, serial/IMEI, client name, or phone, and search job tasks by technician, assigner, or overdue status.
- Managing clientsKeep a customer database for your repair shop: add and edit clients and insurance companies, record SMS/WhatsApp consent, and reuse details when booking.
- Insurance claimsTrack insurance repair claims in TimeFlow: create claims while booking, link multiple job cards to one claim, and see insurer, consultant, and device details.
- Damage reportsCreate damage reports with photos against a job card task or insurance claim to record pre-existing damage and protect your repair shop from disputes.
- Trade-inRecord trade-ins of used phones, devices, or vehicles with owner ID, address, documents, VAT status, and payment details for second-hand goods compliance.
- FleetKeep a register of your branch's fleet assets — bikes, scooters, cars — and pick them on a booking so device details fill in automatically.
- Client portalUse TimeFlow's client portal to give customers repair tracking numbers, post status updates, and share documents — with optional SMS and WhatsApp updates.
- Code scannerUse your phone or computer camera to scan a printed job card's QR code or barcode and instantly pull up the job, client, and device details at the counter.
- Repair warrantyRecord manufacturer, dealer, or in-house repair warranties on a job card — parts, labour, or full cover — with start and end dates and automatic expiry.
Workshop & technicians
Assign and track repair tasks, run QC checklists, and share repair files.
- Job tasksAssign job cards to technicians with priority and due dates, move repairs through statuses like Awaiting Parts, log parts used, comments, and technical reports.
- Repair checklist templatesBuild pre-repair and post-repair quality-control checklists for technicians, with required items, branch-specific templates, and per-item notes.
- Repair librarySearch and share repair files — schematics, boardviews, manuals, guides, and firmware — filtered by device make and type, and upload your own.
Sales, invoicing & POS
Quote, invoice, take deposits and payments, sell at the counter, and cash up.
- Point of sale (POS)Sell accessories and devices at the counter with TimeFlow POS: barcode and IMEI scanning, held orders, discounts, and cash, card, EFT and other payments.
- QuotationsSend customers a priced repair quote linked to a job card, with catalog or custom lines, VAT, discounts, and expiry date — then convert it to an invoice.
- InvoicesCreate repair invoices for parts and labour with per-line VAT and discounts, link job cards and insurance claims, take payments, and post to the ledger.
- Payments & depositsTake an up-front deposit on a repair job card, record and allocate payments against invoices, and capture or search payments for any client account.
- Credit notesCreate credit notes for returns, defective goods, overcharges, or discounts, link them to the original invoice, then issue, apply, and download as PDF.
- OrdersReview the orders TimeFlow creates automatically for quotations, invoices, and POS sales — status, totals, allocated amounts, and balance due.
- Cash-upReconcile your till at the end of a shift or day: expected cash on hand, tender breakdown by payment method, staff and branch totals, and a PDF.
- Client statementsGenerate a customer statement of open invoices, credits, and unapplied payments, with 30/60/90/120+ day aging and a downloadable PDF.
- Customer accountsSet up the per-client financial account that invoices, quotes, deposits, and payments post against, including insurance-billed accounts.
Inventory & purchasing
Stock items, variants, IMEI tracking, purchase orders, receiving, and printers.
- Items, categories, brands & suppliersSet up repair parts and stock items with cost, markup, VAT, warranty, and low-stock thresholds, organised by category, brand, and supplier.
- Products with variantsCreate one product with multiple variants — colours, storage sizes — each with its own SKU, cost, markup, price, stock, barcode, and images.
- IMEI & serial trackingTrack phones, tablets, and laptops as individual units by IMEI or serial: receive units, print labels, and sell or consume them FIFO across POS and invoices.
- Inventory insightsSee what to reorder, what's out of stock, dead stock tying up cash, best sellers, slow movers, stock value by category, and suppliers to contact.
- Stock on creditRecord stock that moves in from a supplier or out to a client on credit — no PO or invoice — then settle the balance with payments later.
- Purchase ordersCreate supplier purchase orders for parts and stock, send them, and track them from draft to partially received and received with goods receipt notes.
- Goods receipt notesRecord what actually arrived from a supplier against a purchase order, handle partial deliveries, and confirm receipt to lock the GRN.
- Receipt & label printersConnect thermal receipt printers (58/80mm ESC/POS) and barcode label printers (Zebra ZPL, Brother, Dymo) to TimeFlow using QZ Tray.
Accounting & VAT
General ledger, financial statements, supplier bills, expenses, VAT, and currencies.
- General ledgerDouble-entry books for your repair shop: chart of accounts, automatic journal posting from invoices and payments, period locking, and trial balance.
- Financial statementsGenerate your income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, and receivables/payables aging report from the general ledger, with PDF export.
- Expense categoriesClassify supplier bills and expenses — rent, salaries, stock purchases — as cost of sales, operating, or other expenses so your P&L is right.
- Purchase invoicesRecord supplier invoices with or without a purchase order, claim input VAT, approve, and track payment status from unpaid to paid.
- VAT settings & tax reportsConfigure VAT (e.g. South Africa's 15%) with registration, rates, and reporting period, then review output and input tax entries and tax periods.
- Multi-currencySet your base currency and issue invoices, quotes, POs, and credit notes in other currencies with exchange rates, while reports stay in base currency.
Reports & analytics
Dashboards, trends, staff performance, scheduled reports, and data exports.
- Analytics dashboardOne dashboard for your whole repair business: job cards, revenue, pending invoices, quote conversion, growth versus last month, and overdue items.
- Sales & operations insightsChart job cards, revenue, orders, transactions, and quotes over any date range — top booking types, daily revenue, and payment method breakdowns.
- Employee performanceCompare team members' bookings, sales value, and reporting activity — tech reports, comments, tasks, damage reports — from one page.
- Scheduled reportsAutomatically email monthly financial and inventory reports (with PDF) to your accountant or managers, set a low-stock threshold, or request one now.
- Data exportExport job cards, clients, stock, and invoices to CSV or Excel (.xlsx), filtered by date range and with the columns you choose.
Customer messaging
Send job updates to customers by SMS and WhatsApp.
- SMS notificationsAutomatically SMS customers when a job is booked, completed, closed, or waiting for collection, with message templates and allowance, prepaid, or PAYG billing.
- WhatsApp notificationsConnect your WhatsApp Business number and send Meta-approved template messages when a job is received, its status changes, a quote is ready, or it's ready for collection.
