---
title: Turn a Chat Into a Service Order
description: "Create a service order from a customer chat: claim the chat, click Create Service Order, then add the vehicle, location and issue and submit."
---
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1. [MetaFleet Answer Hub](https://support.metafleet.ai/?hsLang=en)
2. [Work Intake (Requests & Service Orders)](https://support.metafleet.ai/work-intake-requests-service-orders?hsLang=en)
3. [Creating Service Orders](https://support.metafleet.ai/work-intake-requests-service-orders?hsLang=en#creating-service-orders)
# Turn a Chat Into a Service Order
## Convert a customer chat into a service order that already carries the company, the contact and the conversation.
**For:** Dispatchers and service writers · **Permission:** a role that can see **Service › Chat** and can be assigned as a dispatcher · **Time:** ~3 minutes
### Quick summary
1. Open **Service › Chat** and click the chat.
2. On the **Service Writer** card, click **Assign Users** and add yourself, so the chat options appear.
3. Click **Create Service Order**.
4. Add the vehicle, unit location, service area, service type and description, then click **Submit Service Order**.
### Before you start
- The chat must belong to a customer on your account. If it doesn't yet, the chat shows **Request User Sign In** instead of the order buttons. Click it, pick the customer in the **Find a Customer** window, then convert.
- Customer chats from the portal collect under **Service › Chat** as **General Chat Sessions**.
### Find the chat
Open **Service › Chat**. Each row shows the customer, the contact, the dispatcher and whether the chat is closed. Filter by customer, contact, dispatcher or status, or search by name. **Unclaimed** means no dispatcher has picked the chat up yet.
*General Chat Sessions, filtered to one customer and contact.*
Click the date link in the **Chat** column to open the thread. The date and time are shown in UTC.
### Assign yourself to the chat
1. On the **Service Writer** card above the thread, click **Assign Users**.
2. In the **Add User** window, type your name in **Search Employees** and click your name.
3. Click **Confirm**, then **Yes, assign**.
The chat options only appear once you are assigned to the chat.
### Read the conversation and click Create Service Order
Under the thread, **Chat Options** lists **Snooze 5 Minutes**, **End Chat**, **Create Service Order** and **Add to Service Order**. Click **Create Service Order**.
*Add to Service Order is greyed out. You can only start a new order from a chat.*
### Finish the new order
MetaFleet opens a new repair order with the **company** already set. The tracker at the top starts at 1/5.
1. **Vehicle:** pick the customer's vehicle.
2. **Unit Location:** type an address or drop a pin on the map.
3. **Service Area:** check the area MetaFleet suggests.
4. **Service Type:** select one or more types.
5. **Description of Issue:** use the chat for context.
*The new order, ready to submit. The company is already filled in.*
When the tracker reads 5/5, click **Submit Service Order**. Then [assign a technician](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-a-service-order?hsLang=en) as usual.
### Check the conversation on the order
Open the order and click its **Chat** tab. The customer's messages are under **Customer**, so the technician and anyone reviewing the job can read what the customer said.
*The original message on the new order's Chat tab.*
> **The chat closes when you convert it.** On the Chat list, the original chat now shows you as the dispatcher and is marked closed.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| No **Create Service Order** button | You aren't assigned to the chat | On the **Service Writer** card, click **Assign Users** and add yourself. The options appear. |
| The chat shows **Request User Sign In** instead | The chat isn't attached to a customer | Click **Request User Sign In**, pick the customer in the **Find a Customer** window, then convert. |
| **Add to Service Order** is greyed out | That option isn't available | Click **Create Service Order** to start a new order. |
| **Submit Service Order** is greyed out | The tracker is below 5/5 | Fill the fields listed under **Required fields**: vehicle, unit location, service area, service type and description. |
### FAQs
**Does the chat history carry over?**
Yes. The customer's messages appear on the new order's **Chat** tab, under **Customer**.
**What happens to the original chat?**
It closes. It stays in the Chat list with you as the dispatcher.
**Why is the new order missing the vehicle and location?**
The conversion brings the company, the contact and the conversation. You add the vehicle, location and service details.
**Can I attach a chat to an existing order instead?**
Not today. **Add to Service Order** is greyed out. Create a new order from the chat.
### Related articles
- [Create a Service Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/create-a-service-order?hsLang=en)
- [Manage a Service Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-a-service-order?hsLang=en)
- [The Service Order Lifecycle](https://support.metafleet.ai/the-service-order-lifecycle?hsLang=en)
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