Work order tracking software: what to check before you choose

Work order tracking software should do three things: keep one list of every open job, show how long each has waited, and get an answer out of the vendor. Most tools do the first two. The third, asking the vendor for status again and again, is where small property managers still lose hours, so check it first.

This guide is a checklist for comparing tools, a way to tell whether you need new software at all, and where each kind fits.

What should work order tracking software do?

Use this list when you compare tools, including your current spreadsheet.

• Holds every open order in one list, with property, unit, issue, vendor, priority and date opened.
• Shows days open for each order and lets you sort by it.
• Imports your existing data from a CSV or Excel export, so you do not retype it, and updates rows by work order number rather than duplicating them.
• Records the vendor's last answer and the date, not only your own notes.
• Asks the vendor for you, on a schedule, without you writing each email.
• Works for a vendor with no account. A vendor who must register will not.
• Stops when the job is done, so nobody is chased for finished work.
• Gives you a short list of what is stuck to act on, not a dashboard to interpret.
• Lets you leave, with your data exportable.

Do I need new software, or just a better routine?

Often a routine is enough. If you have under about thirty open orders, a handful of regular vendors and one person who owns the list, a spreadsheet and a weekly check work. Our work order tracking spreadsheet guide has the columns and the routine.

You start to need software when more than one person touches the list, when the weekly check takes more than an hour, or when you stop trusting the sheet because nobody updated it.

What kinds of tools are there?

There are three groups, and they solve different problems.

Property management systems. AppFolio, Buildium, Rent Manager, Propertyware and similar products hold your work orders as part of accounting, leasing and tenant portals. If you already pay for one, use its work-order screens first. They list open orders; as far as we know, asking the assigned vendor for status on a schedule is not their main job. Check what yours does before assuming. The property management work order software guide covers this in more detail.

Maintenance request tools for tenants and technicians. These take the tenant's request, route it and let an in-house team or vendors work from a portal or app. They help when tenants file requests and you dispatch. Some require vendors to have a login, which many outside vendors will not keep.

A vendor chaser. A narrow tool that takes your open orders as they are, asks each vendor for status and shows you what is stuck. It adds to your property system rather than replacing it.

What questions should I ask a vendor of the software?

How do my orders get in? Ask for the import format. A direct connection to your property software is convenient; a CSV or Excel import is dependable and works with a spreadsheet too. Ask what happens when you re-import: does it update or duplicate?

Who does the chasing? Some tools track status and leave every reminder to you. Others send the reminders. Know which one you are buying.

What does the vendor see? The best answer is one page, for one order, with no login and no view of your other work.

What does it send, and to whom? Check that it emails only the vendor, in your company's name, with replies reaching your maintenance inbox, and that it never texts or contacts tenants unless you want that.

What does it cost for your size? Count your open orders at the busiest time of year, not the average.

How does Open Work-Order Chase compare?

Open Work-Order Chase is the third kind. It imports a CSV or Excel export of your open work orders (you match the columns once and it remembers them), emails the assigned vendor at day 3, 7, 14 and 21 with one email per vendor per day, and gives the vendor a no-login page to say done, scheduled, waiting on parts or can't take it, with an optional photo or invoice. After day 21 it stops emailing and flags the order for a call. Every Monday it sends a one-page stuck list.

What it does not do: connect directly to AppFolio, Buildium or Rent Manager (you re-import to refresh), read email replies, create or dispatch work orders, or text anyone. If you need those, look at the other kinds above.

To see the output before you decide, make a stuck list from your own export.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between work order management and tracking? Management usually covers creating, assigning, scheduling and closing work orders; tracking is seeing where each open one stands. A tool can do one without the other.

Can I track work orders for free? Yes, with a spreadsheet. The cost is your time spent asking vendors for updates.

Do vendors need to install anything? Not for a chaser that uses a no-login page. They open the link in an email.