How to identify and manage duplicate work orders
When multiple people report the same issue - for example, several staff members raising work orders for a burst pipe - your site can end up with duplicate work orders. This leads to unnecessary contractor callouts, duplicated costs, and extra admin to clean up.
The system now helps you spot potential duplicates by automatically flagging similar work orders, so you can review them quickly and take action before costs are incurred.
How It Works
When a work order is in triage or sourcing, the system checks whether other work orders already exist at the same site with the same service type. If potential duplicates are found, a banner appears at the top of the work order screen.
The banner tells you:
- How many similar work orders exist
- A link to open a pre-filtered list of those work orders so you can review them side by side
This check runs automatically - there is no configuration required to enable it.
What You Can Do from the Banner: Mark as Not a Duplicate
If you are confident the work order is not a duplicate, you can mark it as Not a Duplicate. This:
- Removes the banner for all users
- Records the action in the work order's Activity feed for audit purposes
Accessing Similar Work Orders from the Actions Menu
The Similar Work Orders option is also available from the work order's Actions menu. This means you can check for duplicates at any time, not just when the banner is displayed.
When Does the Banner Appear?
The banner appears when all of the following conditions are met:
- The work order is in a triage or sourcing state
- At least one other work order exists at the same site with the same service type
- The work order has not already been marked as "Not a Duplicate"
Once the work order moves beyond triage or sourcing, the banner will no longer appear - but you can still use the Actions menu to check for similar work orders.
What Should You Do When You Find Duplicates?
If you identify that two or more work orders are for the same job:
- Decide which work order to keep - typically the one that is furthest through the workflow or has the most complete information.
- Abandon the duplicate work orders using the bulk abandon feature or individually from each work order.
- Add a comment to the abandoned work orders noting which work order they are a duplicate of, for audit purposes.
Good to Know
- The duplicate check is based on site and service type. Work orders with different wording but the same site and service type will be flagged as potential duplicates.
- The system does not automatically merge or close duplicates - it flags them for your review. The decision on what to do is always yours.
- Marking a work order as "Not a Duplicate" is recorded in the Activity feed, so there is a clear audit trail of who reviewed it and when.
- This feature is particularly useful for sites that receive a high volume of work orders from public forms or external submissions, where multiple people may report the same issue independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this feature need to be turned on?
No. The duplicate detection banner appears automatically when the conditions are met. There is no setting to enable or disable it.
Will I be alerted about duplicates when creating a work order?
The existing Similar Requests feature already highlights potential duplicates during work order creation. The duplicate banner described in this article is an additional check that appears after the work order has been created, while it is being triaged or sourced.
Can I configure what counts as a "similar" work order?
The matching is based on the same site and same service type. This cannot currently be customised - for example, you cannot add location-level matching or change the criteria.
Does marking a work order as "Not a Duplicate" affect the other similar work orders?
No. It only affects the work order you are viewing. The other work orders will continue to show their own banners until they are reviewed independently.
What if a duplicate has already been dispatched to a contractor?
The banner helps you catch duplicates early, ideally before dispatch. If a duplicate has already been dispatched, you will need to follow your standard process for recalling or abandoning the work order and communicating with the contractor.
