Docket gives you two types of tasks:
- One-time tasks for short-term rentals.
- Recurring tasks for long-term rentals. Click here to learn more.
Tasks are how your team tracks dumpster rentals and the services that go along with them. Every drop off, pick up, exchange, and service call your business handles should be recorded as a task in Docket.
Tasks give your drivers everything they need to complete a job and give your office team the details needed to dispatch and invoice clients correctly.
Before You Start
Here are a few things to know before you continue:
- Dumpster Assets must be added to your Docket account before you can create a Dumpster Task.
- Pricing for dumpster assets (Billing Template or Pricing Matrix) must exist in your Docket account before you can create a Dumpster Task.
- The fields you see when creating a task depend on how your Dumpster Management settings are configured. Your tasks may look different from the examples in this article.
- Deleting a task doesn't automatically void or delete its associated invoice.
- If order entry and billing are handled by different people/teams, set up a process for who creates invoices and when that happens before anyone starts creating tasks.
- We strongly recommend connecting tasks across a rental's lifecycle for easy management. Click here to learn more about connecting tasks.
Create a One-Time Dumpster Task
A one-time task covers a single, standalone service. This can be a Drop Off, Pick Up, Exchange, Dump and Return (D&R), Live Load, or Relocate.
TIP: You can connect related tasks to each other to track the full rental lifecycle
To create a one-time dumpster task, just follow the instructions below:
- Click the "+ New" button anywhere in your Docket account.
- Click on "Schedule Event" from the menu that appears.
- Select "Dumpster Task" from the options that appear.
- Start typing the client's name and click on their name when it appears.
TIP: If this is a new client, add their name (and company, if needed) directly in the appropriate fields and Docket will save them to your client list when the task is created. - Select additional information about the client as needed.
- Click "Continue to Billing Address" at the bottom.
- Select the service address where the dumpster is needed if the rental is for a previously used address for an existing client.
TIP: Click "Create New Address" and fill out the form in order to save a new service address to a new or existing client's profile. Click "Continue to Task" after you've filled it out. - Select the task type from the top.
- Select the Dumpster Size needed for this task.
Please Note: The available task types and dumpster sizes depend on your Dumpster Management settings. - In the Scheduling section, select the date for this task to be completed.
TIP: If the client needs a specific delivery time, click the clock icon next to the date field to add one. - Select the Rental Length from the dropdown.
Please Note: The available rental length options are set up in your Dumpster Management settings. - Depending on your Dumpster Management settings, you may see additional fields to fill out in this section like Driver Task Duration and Drop Off Priority. Fill these out as needed.
- If you know when the next task for this rental needs to happen, like a pick up or exchange, use the "Schedule Next Task" section to set it up now. Docket will create both tasks at the same time and connect them automatically.
TIP: We strongly recommend scheduling the next task whenever you know the full rental lifecycle. It saves time and keeps your tasks connected from the start. - In the Weight Ticket section, fill in any of the fields that appear as needed. What appears here depends on your Dumpster Management settings.
- In the Assignment section, you can assign a driver to complete this task on its scheduled date or leave the task Unassigned if your dispatching team handles assignments separately.
- In the Notes and Attachments section, you can add notes that your team needs to know about this rental/task, like gate codes, site conditions, or special requests.
TIP: Everything in this section is internal only and clients won't see any of it. Drivers can see the Driver Notes field in the mobile app, but they cannot see attachments. Any photos a driver uploads from the mobile app will appear in this section for your office team to review. - In the Billing section, fill in any of the fields that appear as needed. What appears here depends on your Dumpster Management settings.
TIP: These fields may auto-fill based on your account's settings and/or the client's customized profile settings, like special pricing. - Review the Charges, Charges (On Completion), and Charges (On Failure) sections. These pull in any fees set up in your account settings, like a Dry Run Fee in the Charges On Failure section.
TIP: If order entry and billing are handled by different people/teams, set up a communication process between them so everyone knows which additional charges need to be added for specific clients or rentals. - The Contact section will be auto-filled with the client's Primary Contact information, but you can select a different contact or add a new once if the client gives you a different site contact than what's listed. Docket will save the new contact to their profile when the task is created.
- In the Documents section, select the Rental Agreement to send with this task, if your business uses one.
TIP: If you want the agreement to send to the client automatically after the task is created, that setting must be turned on in Dumpster Management. - You'll only see the Permit section if it's enabled in your account settings. Add any necessary permit details that apply to this rental.
TIP: Permits typically apply when a dumpster is placed on a city street, sidewalk, or public property. - In the Automations section, select whether an invoice or charges will automatically generate when you save the task. What's selected by default depends on your billing setup in your account settings.
- If your account uses billing templates as its pricing model, select the correct template from the dropdown and review the Pricing Factors details.
If your account uses a pricing matrix, you will not see this dropdown and will just see the Price Quote section with its Pricing Factors. - Click "Create" at the bottom of the task to save it.
If your account auto-generates an invoice, the invoice editor will open immediately after the task is saved.
If you click "Exit Editor" at the top, the invoice won't be saved and you or your billing team will then need to find the task later to generate the invoice.
You'll see the new task on both the Schedule and Dispatch pages on the day you chose.
TIP: If you've used the Schedule Next Task section to connect the next service or pick up task, you can click on one of the tasks to see its other connected tasks highlighted in green on the Schedule page.
Edit a Task
You can update a task's details at any point after it's been created until it's been marked Complete.
Once a task has been completed, its main details will lock and you'll be limited in what information can be edited so you don't lose your paper trail.
Please Note: Pick up tasks inherit information from their drop off tasks if they're connected to each other. If you edit a drop off task that's connected to a future pick up task, the edit may also be applied to that pickup task, including changes to the rental length and date, the asset PIN, allowed waste materials, and overage fees. Click here to learn more about connected tasks.
To update an existing task, just follow the instructions below:
- Open the task.
- Make the needed changes.
- Click "Update" at the bottom of the task to save your changes.
Delete a Task
Deleting a task permanently removes it from your Docket account, so we strongly suggest only deleting a task if it was created in error.
Please Note: There isn't currently a way to delete multiple one-time tasks at the same time; tasks must be deleted individually.
To delete a task, just follow the instructions below:
- Open the task.
- Click on "Actions" at the top.
- Click "Delete" from the menu that appears.
- If the task has an invoice associated with it, decide if it needs to be voided and enter a reason if you void it0
.
If the task has at least one charge associated with it, decide if it needs to be deleted too.
- Click "Delete Task".
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Support team through the chat widget on the bottom of this page or by sending an email to support@yourdocket.com!