Operations guide
Keep parts and vendor costs accountable
Enter every vendor invoice, link parts to the repair order, and keep returns, cores, credits, and aged open costs visible until they close.
- Written by
- VehicleDesk Product
- Content updated
- September 17, 2026
Enter the vendor document
The parts workspace records the vendor invoice and links the repair order and part lines, so every cost traces back to the job.
Separate each exception type
Returns, cores, vendor credits, and aged unresolved costs each carry their own evidence and outcome. Keeping them distinct makes the follow-up fast to inspect and close.
Search before duplicating
Invoice search and repair-order context find the existing record before the team adds another.
Keep the ledger in your accounting tool
VehicleDesk runs parts control and the weekly close. The general ledger, purchasing, and inventory stay in the shop's accounting and purchasing tools.
Worked example: closing a core return
A vendor invoice arrives with a core charge. The parts workspace links the invoice to the repair order and its part lines.
The core return is recorded as its own exception with the evidence and the expected credit.
When the credit arrives it is matched, and the weekly close reflects the resolved cost rather than the original charge.
If the credit never arrives, the aged item stays open with an owner until it is resolved.
Checklist: weekly parts close
A short routine keeps margin visible.
- Every vendor invoice is entered and linked to a repair order where applicable
- Returns, cores, and credits are recorded distinctly
- Aged unresolved costs are reviewed before close
- The general ledger stays in your accounting tool
Common questions
Does VehicleDesk replace my accounting software?
No. VehicleDesk runs parts control and the weekly close. The general ledger, purchasing, and inventory stay in the shop's accounting and purchasing tools.
Why keep returns and cores separate from invoices?
Each has its own evidence and outcome. Keeping them distinct makes the follow-up fast to inspect and close, and stops a credit from hiding inside an invoice line.
More guides
Other operations guides
- Plan an advisor follow-up day from the timeline: A repeatable process for reading scheduled follow-ups, triaging the unscheduled tray, placing work on open time, and recording the next action.
- Check CRM data quality before you trust a report: A practical checklist for import freshness, customer contactability, vehicle completeness, record linkage, errors, and decision confidence.
- Turn appointment requests into confirmed bookings: A practical guide to appointment requests, scheduling, customer and vehicle matching, capacity context, reminders, and handoffs.
- Resolve data-quality findings that change the day: Work from import confidence and provenance into contact, duplicate, linkage, and merge findings, and apply the inspected correction.