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Master Catalog Feature Guide

Jake MacDonald
  • Updated

1. Overview

The Master Catalog is a centralized library of products and services created and managed at the Organization level. This feature allows the organization to standardize things like the service names, descriptions, and the product codes for some services across all bases, while giving individual bases the flexibility to still control their own pricing, tax rules, and operational settings for those services.

Key Benefits:

  • Consistency: Helps ensure locations use the same service names and marketing descriptions online.

  • Flexibility: Allows bases to set their own prices and tax statuses.

  • Efficiency: Updates to descriptions or images at the HQ level automatically sync to all bases.

2. Enabling the Master Catalog

The Master Catalog feature is managed at the Headquarter(Organization) level.

2.1 Turning the Feature On

When an Organization Admin toggles the Master Catalog to ON, the following system actions occur immediately:

  1. Automatic Import: The system imports the full list of Master Catalog "Variations" into the base's Admin > Products and Services list.

  2. Inactive Status: By default, all newly imported items are set to Inactive. This ensures they do not appear on the Online Booker or in bookings until the base has configured local pricing.

    • Note: Services that have the same name (ignore case, trim whitespace) will retain their active status

  3. New Filters: A new Type filter appears on the Products and Services page, allowing users to filter by "Master Catalog" to quickly find these items.

  4. New Columns: There are two new columns. A Master Catalog and Master Item Column. Master Item shows if the base linked the item to the Master Catalog. Master Catalog shows if the Master Catalog variation is linked/syncing to the base.

  5. Import Action: An "Import" option is added to the Actions dropdown menu. This allows users to manually force a re-sync of the catalog (this action does not affect the active status of existing items).

2.2 Turning the Feature Off

If the feature is toggled to OFF:

  • Unlinking: All items are "unlinked" from the Master Catalog.

  • Retention: The items remain in the base's list as standard local products with their current status (Active/Inactive).

  • Re-enabling: If the feature is turned back on later, items will automatically re-link if their names match the Master Catalog variation exactly.

3. Understanding the Hierarchy

The Master Catalog mirrors the structure of standard categories but consists of two distinct levels:

  1. Master Category Items: High-level containers for reporting and organization (e.g., Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning).

  2. Variations: The specific, sellable services within a category (e.g., Small Area Carpet, 3-Room Special).

    • Note: Only the Variations are synced down to the base as actual line items.

4. Managing Master Catalog Items

When editing a synced item, users will see different permissions depending on the field. This split ensures brand consistency while allowing for local compliance.

4.1 Locked vs. Adjustable Settings

Setting TypeDescriptionExamples

Organization Settings


 

(Locked)

Managed centrally by HQ. These fields are read-only for the base. Updates made by the Organization sync to the base immediately.

• Name 

• Description

• Product Code

• Department

• Online Booker Settings

• AI Settings

• Organization Category

Adjustable Settings


 

(Editable by Base)

Managed locally. The base must configure these fields to match local pricing strategies and tax laws.

• Price

• Active/Inactive Status

• Tax Settings

• Payroll Settings

• Affects Upsell

• Technician Settings

4.2 Post-Usage Locking

To preserve the integrity of historical data, certain "Adjustable Settings" become locked once a service has been used on a job or invoice.

  • Permanently Locked after use: Tax Settings, Payroll Settings, Affects Upsell.

  • Always Editable: Price, Active Status, Tags, Company Category, Technician Settings.

5. Item States: Synced vs. Grouped

Items in the Products list can exist in two different states regarding the Master Catalog:

  1. Synced State: The item is directly linked to the Organization's Master Catalog. It receives automatic updates (e.g., if HQ changes the Online Description, it updates locally).

  2. Grouped (Unsynced) State: The item is a local service not linked to the HQ sync, but it is assigned to a Master Item for reporting purposes.

    • Tip: Bases can manually assign their local services to a Master Item in the edit screen to ensure reporting rolls up correctly, even for non-standard local items.

6. Online Booker Integration

Currently, Master Catalog variations appear in the Online Booker below the base's local category items. They are grouped into their Master Catalog names.

  • Ordering: To change the order in which these items appear to customers, navigate to Admin > Reservations > Online-available Products Order.

  • Price Visibility: Master Category variations will show with the price on the name online. Example: Large Sectional | $350.00

7. Workflows & Best Practices

7.1 Workflow: Moving a Base to the Master Catalog

Follow this checklist when enabling the feature for an existing base:

  1. Enable Feature: Org Admin turns on "Master Catalog" in Company Features.

  2. Configure Items: The Base Admin filters the Products list by Type: Master Catalog.

    • Open each item.

    • Set the local Price.

    • Verify Tax status.

    • Check Reporting flags (Revenue/Upsell).

  3. Cleanup Old Items: To avoid duplicates online, turn off "Show in Online Scheduling" for the old, local versions of these products.

  4. Go Live: Batch activate the new Master Catalog variations using the filters, checkboxes and action drop down in Admin > Products and Services.

7.2 Workflow: Fixing Incorrect Locked Settings

If a synced item has a critical setting that is locked and incorrect (e.g., an item was imported as Taxable but should be Non-Taxable, and it has already been used on a job), follow this "Reset" process:

  1. Unlink (Org Admin): An Organization Admin must access the item and click Remove/Unlink. This breaks the sync but keeps the item in the base.

  2. Rename & Deactivate (Base Admin): Rename the incorrect item (e.g., add "- OLD" to the name) and deactivate it.

  3. Re-Import (Base Admin): Use the "Import" action on the Products page. Because the original name no longer exists in the active list, the system will import a fresh, clean copy of the Master Variation.

  4. Configure Correctly: Set the correct tax/reporting settings on the new copy and activate it.

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