This guide provides an overview of the known system limitations and common issues within the Evolution Platform. Understanding these limitations is crucial for Franchise Partners to anticipate potential challenges, manage expectations, and adapt workflows to ensure smooth business operations. This knowledge empowers you to avoid common pitfalls and find effective workarounds, maintaining data integrity and operational efficiency.
Overview
The Evolution Platform integrates multiple systems (Vital, Lightspeed, Xero) to support Poolwerx Franchise Partners. While continuous efforts are made to enhance functionality and seamless integration, some inherent limitations or known issues exist due to system architecture or ongoing development. This guide consolidates these points to provide clear visibility and assist you in navigating your daily tasks effectively.
Key Principles to Remember:
- Proactive Management: Being aware of these limitations allows for proactive planning and the implementation of workarounds where necessary.
- Data Consistency: Always strive to maintain data consistency across all systems, especially where manual interventions are required due to a limitation.
- Feedback is Valued: Your feedback on these limitations, and any new ones you encounter, is crucial for the ongoing improvement and prioritisation of platform enhancements.
Platform Limitations & Known Issues
Below is a detailed list of current known limitations, organised by their primary functional area. Each Section provides a description of the limitation and, where applicable, practical advice or workarounds.
User & Access Management
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| User Access is System-Specific | User access and permissions are currently managed separately for each integrated system (Vital, Lightspeed, Xero). | This requires individual setup and management of user accounts across different systems. |
Client & Pool Management
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact or Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| In-field Water Test Visibility | Water tests performed in the field (via the app) are visible on the main pool record, but they do not appear in the dedicated 'water test history' tab within the Portal. | Workaround: To view in-field water test details on the Portal, navigate directly to the pool record > Water Test tab. |
Inventory & Product Management
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Serial Number Transfers | Serial numbers recorded against products before a sale cannot be directly transferred between different outlets within Lightspeed. | To move a serial number to the correct outlet, it must first be deleted from the incorrect outlet and then re-added to the correct one. Workaround: Assign Serial numbers at the time of the sale, not beforehand. |
| Serial Number Sync | Serial numbers recorded in Lightspeed do not currently sync to Vital or Xero. | Serial number tracking is limited to Lightspeed for detailed inventory management. |
| Inventory Deduction | Inventory is only deducted from stock levels when an invoice is formally "posted" to Lightspeed. Vital quotes and invoices that are still sitting in the batch queue (awaiting finalisation or posting) do not decrease inventory. | Impact: This can lead to temporary discrepancies in inventory levels, as stock might appear available when it's effectively allocated to unposted transactions. Best Practice: Regularly post or finalise Vital invoices to ensure accurate, real-time inventory levels. |
Invoicing
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Batch Invoicing Posting | Batch invoices will automatically post to the outlet assigned to the first user listed in the User Mappings table. This is typically the Poolwerx Support User. | Impact: This can cause invoices to be incorrectly assigned to the wrong outlet if not manually adjusted. Workaround: Map the First user in the User Mappings table to the Service Outlet. For more information, refer to Understanding the LightSpeed Connection Config Page in Vital |
| Quote Deposit Invoices Posting | Similar to batch invoicing, quote deposit invoices will post to the outlet assigned to the first user in the User Mappings table (typically the Poolwerx Support User). | Impact: Similar to batch invoicing, quote deposit invoices will post to the outlet assigned to the first user in the User Mappings table (typically the Poolwerx Support User). Workaround: Map the First user in the User Mappings table to the Service Outlet. For more information, refer to Understanding the LightSpeed Connection Config Page in Vital |
| Voiding Invoices | Voiding an invoice in one system does not automatically sync or update the status in other two systems. | Impact: This can create discrepancies in financial records across systems. Workaround: Refer to Editing and Voiding Invoices |
| Cost of Goods Posting to Xero | The COGS sold for any sale is recognised and posted to Xero upon Register closures. | Best Practice: Close every register at the end of each day. |
| Clearing out COGS for Voided Invoices | Impact: A manual journal entry is required in Xero for any voided invoiced for the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) to accurately reflect the change. | |
| Invoice Date | The invoice date in Vital will be the date it is recognised and shown in the sales report in LightSpeed and Xero, not necessarily the creation day. | Best Practice: Upon creating an invoice in vital, ensure that the invoice date reflects the current date (not the job completion date). |
Payments
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Credit Cards Storage & Use | Credit card details on file are stored and can only be used exclusively within Vital. They cannot be charged directly in Xero or Lightspeed. | This limits flexibility in payment processing, requiring Vital for card transactions. |
| Credit Cards for Batch Invoicing | Credit cards on file in Vital currently cannot be charged for batch invoices. | Impact: Payments for batch invoices must be paid through the payment link or through bank transfer, which may lead to inefficiencies and delays in payment collection. |
| Account Balances | Account balances for clients in Xero and Lightspeed may not always align perfectly, primarily because prepayments and overpayments recorded in Xero are not fully reflected in Lightspeed. Additionally, store credit is not visible in Xero, where client statements are often sent. | Impact: This can lead to discrepancies when comparing client account statements between the two systems. Workaround: Refer to Managing Client Credits Across the Evolution Platform for detailed information. |
| Voiding Payments | Voiding a payment against an invoice in Xero does not automatically sync or update the corresponding transaction in Lightspeed or Vital. | Impact: This can create discrepancies in financial records across systems. |
| Automated Invoice Reminders (Xero) | Invoices originating from Vital and Lightspeed must be manually marked as "sent" in Xero for the automated payment reminder feature to trigger. | Impact: Invoices not manually marked as "sent" will not prompt automated reminders, potentially leading to delayed payments. Workaround: Regularly bulk mark invoices as sent in Xero. Refer to: Setup the automated Invoice Reminders feature. |
Error Handling & Sync Issues
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| There is no central Error Report | Invoices, payments or register closures may sometimes fail to sync correctly between systems. | This leads to inconsistencies in sales reporting, payments, P&L and revenue figures across platforms. Workaround: Regularly check for any invoice syncing errors in Vital and LightSpeed Ensure you check the status of each register closure after it has been closed. Utlisie the Inspector Tool to highlight any payment sync errors between systems. |
Scheduling & Job Management
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Completed Vital Job Task Visibility (App) | When reopening a completed job on the mobile app, the previously completed tasks within that job are not visible. | Workaround: To view the completed tasks for a job, refer to the job details on the Portal. |
| Seasonal Jobs | Seasonal jobs currently reset at the start of the month instead of accurately tracking from the last service date. This is due to a limitation in a third-party recurrence library used by the vendor. | Impact: This can lead to scheduling inaccuracies if not managed. Workaround: While a permanent fix is pending, the recommended workaround is to manually create separate summer and winter jobs in your scheduling system to maintain accuracy. |
| Job End Dates | Jobs with end dates no longer appear in your list after the end date has passed. | Impact: This can lead to jobs dropping off your radar, if not closely monitored. |
Xero Payroll & HR
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Superannuation Contributions Calculation | Xero Payroll does not automatically factor in an employee's age or specific hours worked to determine when to calculate superannuation. | Impact: This means that superannuation calculations for employees under the age of 18 years will need to be done manually. |
Email & Communications
| Limitation/Issue | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Email Content Retention in Vital | Vital retains access to the full content of sent emails for one week from the sent date. | Impact: After this period, only general details (recipient, date sent, and transaction type) remain visible in the Sent Emails list; the original email body is no longer accessible. Workaround: To keep a full, long-term record of important emails (e.g., quotes, critical communications), it is highly recommended to CC your business email address when sending these communications from Vital, or print to PDF & attach it to the client record. |
Hitting a blocker outside these?
If you have come across a process or action that limits you and isn't listed above, please let us know imme3diately. Your feedback is crucial for platform improvement. Email: evolution@poolwerx.com.au.
Backlog & Future Enhancements
All of these identified limitations are on our development backlog (a list of planned enhancements) for the Evolution Platform. We work closely with our vendors on our backlog, alongside theirs, to prioritise items and build out a roadmap for future improvements. While we do not directly control what vendors develop, we consistently provide feedback, advocate for the business impact of these issues, and highlight the importance of timely fixes and enhancements.
For more information on the roadmap, refer to Platform Roadmap: Understanding Current & Future Updates.