Purpose
Branches typically represent separate market areas where your company does business. For example, if a landscape or janitorial company does business in four different cities within two states, they might establish four branches – one for each city. It is common for each branch to have a branch manager responsible for the operation of that branch.
🧠 This article details steps to set up a new Branch in Aspire.
If you are looking for additional options for new branch set up, please read the Optional Tasks for New Branch Set Up article.
Table of Contents
Establish an Internal Property for the New Branch
The Internal Property is required to set up the Branch in Administration. First, you will need to create an internal property for your new branch to attach internal opportunities to.
With Internal Properties, and Opportunities, Aspire can track overhead time(sometimes called indirect time) spent by the employees for things like vacation, sick time, meetings, equipment maintenance, etc.
If you are not needing to create an additional internal property, then you can skip this section.
Creating a Branch
Next, we will add details to be able to use the new Branch in Aspire.
Click your Profile Icon in the blue side menu. Then, select Administration.
Select Organization and then, click New to create a new branch.
A new branch record is then created. Enter information into the New Branch fields.
Branch Name - Set the name for your new Branch in this field.
Primary State - Select the state that your new Branch is in.
Internal Property - Select the Property Name you created in Properties and attach it to the Internal Property section in this window.
Logo - Upload your Branch Logo by clicking on the logo icon and inserting your logo image.
A branch logo is useful when working with branch specific Layout Reports like Proposals, Invoices, and Statements.
Do Not Cost Tax on Purchases - This checkbox field is for Canadian companies that use Aspire. Aspire is designed such that tax added on a purchase receipt is distributed across the items on the purchase receipt so that the tax is job costed. Checking this box prevents the tax from being distributed.
Enable Bulk Issues - This checkbox allows you to use the Bulk New Issues feature after you Complete a Site Audit. If this checkbox is clicked, the Create New Issues window automatically appears once a Site Audit is marked as Complete. In this window, you can add multiple images at once to add to an Issue that is created from your Site Audit.
Legal Name - Enter your companies' legal name in this field.
Primary Zip - Add the primary zip code of your branch.
Branch Code - Enter your branch code here in this field. Your accounting specialist will also go over this with you. When your company has multiple branches, you will need to separate out payroll information by branch. The branch code is determined by rules outlined in your payroll system.
Branch Manager - Select the Branch Manager for the new branch. The contacts that can be selected from the drop down are those with Employee contact types. If contacts are not loaded into Aspire yet, you can set the branch manager at a later date.
Office Phone - Enter your office phone number in this field.
Timezone - Select the time zone that the branch is in from the drop down.
Timezones have to be set when working with Time-Based Scheduling.
Primary Address Lines - Enter the address information of the branch's location.
Purchase Receipt Number and Invoice Number Prefix - Enter Prefix details for how the Purchase Receipts and Invoice Numbers are displayed within Aspire for the branch. Adding prefixes in these fields helps your company identify which branch the purchase receipt and invoices are for when working in Aspire.
Example: If WB is entered into the Purchase Receipt Prefix field when the purchase receipt is created, the prefix appears in the header of Aspire.
Website - Add your website URL in this field for this branch if needed.
Branch Fax Number - Enter your branch fax number here.
Catalog List - Catalog Lists are used when syncing to SiteOne. For more information, read this article[link to siteone article]
Region - For larger organizations, you can specify the region into which the branch is assigned. Regions are also set up under Organization in Administration. For companies with a small number of branches, it is not necessary to establish regions in Aspire.
Setting Up the Invoicing Section
You are able to set up invoicing details on the branch level. This will help you set branch specific email addresses when sending your invoices.
📌 Note: Aspire allows invoicing at three different levels – Branch, Region, and Configuration Settings. When emailing a single invoice from the Invoice screen or multiple invoices for the same branch from the Invoices Search List screen, Aspire will use the invoicing details you set inside the branch.
Here is a bit more to understand how Aspire helps when sending invoices from the chart above:
If the branch invoicing information is available, it will be used first.
If not, and there are region invoice details set, it will use the region invoice details.
If neither branch or region invoicing details are set up, Aspire uses the invoicing details specified in Configuration.
Invoice Email From and Invoice Email CC
Invoice Email From - Set the email address that invoices for this branch will be sent. You can choose invoices to be sent from the Employee email address that is listed as the Account Owner on Property being invoiced, or specify another email address from your employees created in the Contact module.
🧠 It's recommended to make sure that the email account the invoices are emailed from are synced properly with Aspire. To learn more about syncing email accounts in Aspire, please read this detailed article.
Invoice Email CC - If you need other email contact addresses automatically CC'ed when you send invoices, enter those email addresses into this field.
Invoice Email Subject - Set the subject of invoice emails that you send from this branch.
You can insert Tokens into the subject line. Tokens allow invoice-specific information (i.e. property name, invoice number, opportunity number, etc.) to be inserted into the subject of each email for a more custom experience for your customers!
Invoice Email Body - Add the email body details for when you send invoices for your branch.
Invoice on Completion Description - For invoice types with services that will be invoiced on completion (T&M or Fixed Price), enter information here to detail the line item that will be displayed on the invoice.
Remit Address Details - Add remit address information so that your customers can send non-electronic payments to.
Branch Specific Time Reporting
If you have specific Time Reporting rules for this branch, configure this next. If you do not, and rely only on time reporting settings in Configuration, skip to the next step.
Single Clock Time and Interval (Minutes)
If the Single Clock Time box is checked, you can specify a time interval (in minutes) so when crew members are clocking in or out of Aspire's Mobile App on the crew leader's mobile device, all crew members who record time within the specified interval will show in Time Entry as having clocked in at the same time.
This feature uses the time of first crew member to clock in as the Single Clock Time.
The default value when this is turned on is 5 minutes, but you can set this as needed.
Branch Break Time and Interval (Hours)
If you do not require crew members to clock out for lunch and assume a standard lunch break period, set the standard period here in hours.
Check the box and set the lunch break period for this branch in the Interval (hours) field.
A good example of this would be is setting the break time to .5 for ½ hour.
If you require crew members to clock out during lunch, set this value to zero.
Use Time Prompts
Decide if your branch needs to use time prompts. On the branch, if the employee clocks out through Aspire Mobile, they are provided with an Attestation Prompt to confirm clock out details.
Time Review Attestation Prompt
Time Review Attestation provides an additional prompt for crew members in Aspire Mobile to state if they are clocking out for lunch or at the end of the day. If it is the end of the day, another prompt allows them to view their time entries for the day and to attest to a specified statement regarding their clock-time. The specified statement is set up by an System Administrator.
Time-Based Scheduling
Time-based scheduling supports scheduling recurring and non-recurring visits at specific times instead only specific days. This feature helps you set working hours for your crew, helps with viewing available time on the schedule board, and assists in scheduling overnight visits.
Check this box if you plan to use Time-Based Scheduling in your Branch Routes.
When adding your branch detail information is complete, click Save to create your new branch.
Create Inventory Location
Now the new branch is created, make a new Inventory Location. This is necessary to allow material to be recorded properly in Time Entry for the routes assigned to the new Branch.
Click Purchasing in the blue side menu.
Select Inventory and then New to create a new Inventory Location for your new Branch.
Set the new Inventory Location as the default location. Only one Inventory location can be set at the default. Any other additional locations within that branch can also be added.
📑 Knowledge Base Reference:
Learn more about setting up new Inventory Locations and read the article.
Assign or Create New Routes for Your Branch
Click on Scheduling in the blue side menu.
In the three dot menu, select Manage Routes.
Set up a New Route for your branch, or reassign routes to your new branch.
⚠️Note: If crews from one branch are servicing properties in another branch, the Revenue and Expenses will follow the branch set within Properties, not the branch that the crews are associated.
📑 Knowledge Base Reference:
Read our additional article on how to add and edit routes in detail here.
Set Up Branch Access for Your Users
To learn more about setting up employee contacts, read this article.
Required: For User Accounts, adjust Branch Access to ensure that appropriate users have access to the new branch.
Or, make sure they have All Branch Access so they can work with the new Branch you created.
Optional Tasks for New Branch Set Up
After the branch details have been added to Aspire, there are additional settings available for customization. If you are not onboarding with Aspire, it is recommended to review these tasks and complete the set up for what is necessary in your new branch.
Training Video