What lives on the Unplanned Stops page
The Unplanned Stops page holds supply runs, courtesy visits, and equipment stops technicians logged in the field — plus open stops: lightweight to-dos the office creates with just a description and an address. Open stops need no route, date, customer, or billing, and any technician can pick one up and mark it complete, from the web or the mobile app. Completed stops can optionally be invoiced afterward.
Create an open stop from the web
- 1On Unplanned Stops, click Add Unplanned Stop (top right).
- 2Enter a Note (e.g. "Drop off chlorine at the Smiths") and a Location — "Manual Address" or "Service Location" (which links an existing customer).
- 3Pick a Category — Supply Run, Courtesy, Break, Equipment, Quote Walkthrough, or Other (the default) — and optionally add tasks.
- 4Click Add Stop.
No route, date, customer contact info, or pricing is needed. The stop appears in the table with status "Open" and "Open pool / Any technician" in the Route/Date column.
Assign it to a technician (optional)
The same dialog has an "Assign to a technician (optional)" section. Pick a technician and a date, and if that tech has a route that day, an info card shows the route name, how many stops are already scheduled, and the minutes this stop adds — submitting then pins the stop onto that route day instead of the open pool. If the tech has no route that day, a notice says the stop will stay open for any technician instead. Leaving the section blank keeps the stop open-pool.
You can also pin a stop to a specific route and day by adding it from that route's page on the Route Schedule — it's the same dialog, but the stop is scheduled onto the route.
How open stops get done
- Every technician sees open stops in the mobile app — the Route tab's actions list has an Unplanned Stops button that opens the list.
- Any tech taps Complete Stop (optional notes and photos, works offline) to check it off. It's first come, first served — no assignment or claiming needed.
- The mobile list also shows a Completed section with the last 30 days of completed pool stops, including who completed each one and when.
- From the web, you can check a stop off right from the list with Mark done — and an accidental check-off has a Reopen button. The stop's own page also has a Mark Complete button.
Technicians can also create unplanned stops from the mobile app, on or off a route — choosing "My route now", "Open — anyone", or a specific technician and day. See field work orders and stops for the mobile side.
Invoice a completed stop
If a completed stop should be billed after all, open it and click Create Invoice — the button appears once the stop is completed, and it needs a linked customer with an email on file. See create and manage invoices.
Filter, archive, and unarchive stops
The Unplanned Stops table has a category filter so you can view just supply runs, breaks, or equipment stops. Stops you no longer need in the list can be archived: open the stop and choose Archive Stop from its actions menu. Archived stops disappear from the default view — toggle the Archived filter button next to the category filter to see them, and use Unarchive Stop on the stop's page to bring one back. Like everywhere else in Pool Founder, archiving hides the record without deleting its history.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a customer or a price to create an open stop?
No. An open stop needs just a description and an address — no route, date, customer contact info, or pricing. Linking a service location (and therefore a customer) is optional, but it's required if you want to invoice the stop after completion.
Who completes an open stop?
Any technician. Open stops appear in every tech's mobile app, and completing one is first come, first served — no assignment or claiming needed.
Can I bill for an unplanned stop?
Yes — after it's completed. Open the completed stop and click Create Invoice (requires a linked customer with an email on file).
What if I marked a stop done by accident?
Use the Reopen button that appears after a check-off from the list.