KSIDol documentation > KSIDol modules > Support time

Module guide: Support time

Non-technical user guide: what the module is for, how to use it and how it works with Dolibarr.

TimerOn every page

InvoicingIn a single selection

Monthly allowanceIncluded per customer

CompatibilityDolibarr 18 to 24

1. Module overview

The phone support time module lets you time the support calls you receive or make, link each call to the right customer, then invoice the time spent without any re-entry. A floating button stays available on every Dolibarr page: when the phone rings, one click starts the timer; at the end of the call, the time is saved on a dedicated record, ready to be invoiced. The counter keeps running even if you switch pages during the call. The module relies entirely on Dolibarr's standard objects: it uses your Third party records to identify the customer, creates real customer invoices, and relies on a product/service and on the VAT from your configuration. Nothing is managed "on the side": support time feeds into your usual invoicing chain.

Time every support call, received or made, from any Dolibarr page.
Automatically link the time to the right customer, with the call direction and the subject.
Track the time to be invoiced and generate a customer invoice in a few clicks.
Manage a monthly included support allowance per customer, and invoice only the overage.

2. The call timer (floating button)

The heart of the module is a round "headset" button that permanently floats in a corner of the screen, present on every Dolibarr page. It is used to start and stop a call timer, without having to open any particular menu.

One click opens a small panel where you choose the customer concerned, thanks to an instant search by name or customer code (among customers and prospects).
If the customer does not exist yet, a "+" button lets you create it immediately, without leaving the current page.
You specify the call direction: "Incoming call" or "Outgoing call".
Before starting, the panel shows the remaining support allowance for the current month of the selected customer.
The "Start timer" button starts the count; a badge shows the elapsed time and the counter keeps running even if you navigate to other screens.
At the end of the call, you enter the subject then click "End call": the time is saved automatically. A "Cancel" button lets you discard a call started by mistake.
The button can be moved and its position is remembered on the workstation; an administrator can also hide it completely in the configuration.

3. The support time record

Each timed call becomes a "support time" record that can be viewed and, as long as it has not been invoiced, corrected.

A unique reference is assigned automatically to each time entry (format TSYYMM-0001, e.g. TS2608-0001).
Recorded information: customer, call direction, start and end date and time, actual duration, invoiced duration, subject and free note.
A clear status accompanies each time entry: In progress, To be invoiced, Invoiced, Not invoiced or Included (allowance).
A time entry not yet invoiced can be corrected (direction, times, subject, note); the actual duration and the invoiced duration are then recalculated.
An already invoiced time entry is locked: it can no longer be modified or deleted, for safety.

4. The "Support time" tab on the customer record

The module adds a tab directly on each third party record, to see at a glance the customer's history and situation regarding support.

A summary table for the current month: allocated support allowance, time consumed, time remaining and any overage.
The price of the additional hour specific to the customer, when defined.
The total number of recorded time entries and the cumulative actual duration for this customer.
The number of time entries currently "to be invoiced".
The full list of this customer's calls, with the same actions as the general list.

5. The time list and the "To be invoiced" tracking

A "Support time" menu at the top of Dolibarr gives access to the list of all recorded time entries, with the tools to find and process them.

Search by reference, subject or customer name, and filter by status.
A "To be invoiced" submenu directly shows the time entries awaiting invoicing.
Quick actions on each row: invoice, edit, mark "Do not invoice", make invoiceable again, or delete.
Checkboxes let you select several time entries of the same customer, then launch "Invoice the selection".

6. Invoicing support time

The module turns the selected time entries into a customer invoice, without re-entry, by reusing Dolibarr's standard invoicing circuit.

The invoice is created in draft status: you review it then validate it normally in Dolibarr afterwards.
All time entries invoiced together must belong to the same customer (automatic check).
Each time entry becomes an invoice line describing the call (reference, date, subject, duration); the quantity corresponds to the time converted into hours.
The price applied follows a clear priority: the customer's additional-hour price, otherwise the price of the configured product/service, otherwise the module's fallback hourly rate.
The invoiced duration reflects the rounding and the minimum duration; on the generated invoice, it is the rounding that is re-applied to the overage.
The customer's payment terms and payment mode are automatically carried over to the invoice.
Once invoiced, each time entry moves to "Invoiced" status and stays linked to its invoice (clickable link), the time entry's reference being carried over onto the invoice line.

7. The included monthly support allowance

For customers under a support contract, the module manages an allowance of included support time each month, then invoices only what exceeds this allowance.

On the customer record, two pieces of information are available: the number of support minutes included per month and, if needed, the price of the hour beyond the allowance.
A default allowance can be defined at the module level for all customers that do not have their own value.
The allowance covers the first calls of the month, in chronological order; what exceeds it becomes invoiceable.
On the invoice, the time covered by the allowance appears clearly with a 100% discount (zero amount), and only the overage is invoiced.
A time entry entirely covered by the allowance takes the "Included" status.

8. The module configuration

A configuration page, reserved for administrators, lets you adapt the module's behavior to the way you invoice support.

Show or hide the floating button on all pages.
Choose the product/service used as reference on the invoice lines.
Use the price of this product, or a fallback hourly rate entered here.
Define the rounding of the invoiced duration, in minutes (0 = actual duration).
Define a minimum invoiced duration per call.
Define the default included support allowance, in minutes.

9. Access rights

The module integrates with Dolibarr's permission management, with five distinct rights assigned per user or per group.

View support time entries.
Create / modify support time entries (required to use the timer).
Invoice support time entries.
Delete support time entries.
Configure the module.

10. Links with Dolibarr

The module does not work in isolation: it integrates with the native building blocks of Dolibarr.

Third parties (customers and prospects) : The module relies on your Third party records to identify the customer of a call: instant search among customers and prospects, quick creation of a new customer through the native Company object (code and numbering managed by Dolibarr), and the addition of a "Support time" tab on each third party record.
Customer invoices : Invoicing generates real Dolibarr customer invoices, in draft status, with their lines, the carry-over of the third party's payment terms and payment mode, and a link kept between each time entry and its invoice. Validation, payment and accounting then follow Dolibarr's standard circuit.
Products and services : A product/service from your catalog serves as reference on the invoice lines (label and price), for consistent accounting allocation. Its price can be used as the support hourly rate.
VAT : The VAT rate applied to the lines is determined by Dolibarr's standard rules, according to the customer and the reference product/service.
Complementary fields (extrafields) : The included monthly allowance and the additional-hour price are stored in native complementary fields added to the third party record, editable like any Dolibarr field.
Users and rights : Each time entry is linked to the user who recorded it, and access to functions is filtered by five rights managed in Dolibarr's standard permission system.
Menus and tabs : The module adds a main "Support time" menu (with List and To be invoiced submenus), a configuration page and a tab on the third party record, respecting Dolibarr's native navigation.