Reference
FAQ
The questions workshops ask us most often, with the short answer and a link to the page that tells the whole story.
Short answers here. Each one links to the page that explains the reasoning and the full procedure: if the short answer isn't enough, follow the link.
If what you're after isn't here, use the search box at the top or ask Cranky inside the app: it can see which page you're on and what you're looking at.
Account and access#
I forgot my password. How do I get back in?
Ask whoever administers the workshop to re-issue your credentials under SettingsUsers: you get a temporary password by email and choose a new one at your next login. If you are the administrator and the only user, write to support. See Users, roles and permissions.
At first login it forces me to change my password. Can I skip that?
No. Until you pick your own password the app won't let you do anything else: the temporary one travelled through an email and can't stay valid. See First login.
A member of staff has left. What should I do?
Deactivate them under SettingsUsers, don't delete them. They can no longer log in and the user seat is freed, but the orders they worked on stay attributed to them in the history and the reports. See Users, roles and permissions.
What address do we log in from?
Your workshop's subdomain followed by /login, for example laciclabile.crankpal.com/login. The address without /login opens the customer portal: it is public, and it is the shop front your customers see. That holds even once you are logged in, so it is worth bookmarking the address with /login. See First login and Customer portal and widget.
Can I use CrankPal on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It opens in the browser exactly as on a computer, there is nothing to install, and the menu adapts to small screens. For counter work on a tablet the smoothest flow is counter sales.
Plans and subscription#
Can I change plan mid-month?
Yes, under SettingsYour subscription. Moving up a plan unlocks the features immediately, with no need to log out and back in. See Subscription and billing.
What happens to my data if I downgrade?
Nothing is deleted. Users above the new plan's cap are deactivated (most recent first), stock locations above the cap are frozen — never the default one — and fiscal documents you already issued stay readable. If you move back up, users and locations come back by themselves. See Features by plan.
How many staff can I have?
One on Free, three on Premium, five on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise. Only on Pro can you buy seats beyond the ones included. See Features by plan.
Does the Free plan limit how many jobs I can do?
Yes: 100 work orders a month as a warning threshold, 110 as a hard stop. Once you hit the stop you can't open new orders until the next month or until you upgrade; the ones already open you keep working on. There is also a cap of 2,000 customer records. See Features by plan.
Is there a trial period?
Premium and Pro can be trialled. Free doesn't need one, and Enterprise is set up by talking to us rather than on your own. See Choosing your plan.
Invoicing and payments#
Why can't I issue an invoice for this customer?
Because mandatory fiscal details are missing from their record: the preflight check stops you before transmitting and tells you which fields are missing — usually town, postcode, province or company name. Complete the record and try again. See Invoices and receipts.
How do I correct an invoice I've already sent?
With a credit note. A transmitted invoice can't be edited or deleted: you issue the document that cancels or reduces it, and if needed you issue a new, correct one. See Invoices and receipts.
I edited the work order after invoicing it. Does the invoice change?
No. The invoice lines are frozen the moment you issue it: from then on the order and the document live separately. That's deliberate — a fiscal document can't change after the fact. See Invoices and receipts.
Can I invoice on the Free plan?
You can issue the courtesy invoice, which lets you get paid but is not a fiscal document. E-invoices and electronic receipts are included from the Pro plan. See Invoices and receipts.
Can I take card payments?
Yes, from the Pro plan: contactless payments with a phone, or a payment link you send the customer. The payment services have to be connected first. See Fiscal receipts and payments.
Day-to-day work#
What's the difference between a quote and a work order?
A quote is a proposal to the customer and commits nobody; the work order is the real job on the bike, which consumes parts and ends up on the invoice. An accepted quote becomes a work order. See Quotes.
How do customers book by themselves?
Through the booking widget on your website or through the customer portal. Either way the requests land in your calendar according to the opening hours you set. See Customer portal and widget.
A menu entry doesn't appear. Why?
If you see it with a padlock, it's the plan: open it and the panel tells you which plan includes it. If you don't see it at all, it's a permission on your user account. See Features by plan and Permissions and roles.
I need the customer to approve a part before I fit it. How does that work?
You send the approval request from the work order: the customer gets the message, replies, and the reply comes back into the app attached to that order. See Parts approvals.
I have a van as well as the shop. Can I keep stock separate?
Yes, by creating several stock locations: stock is counted per location and you move goods with transfers. How many you can keep active depends on your plan. See Stock locations.
How do I pause the workshop for the holidays?
Put the workshop into a planned closure: in the public listing you show as closed until the date you set, and you take no bookings for that period. For short closures the opening hours are enough. See Workshop profile and hours.
Data and privacy#
Can I export my data?
Yes. From the reports you export the year's document register as a CSV, which is normally what your accountant needs. See Reminders and reports.
Can another workshop on CrankPal see my customers?
No. Access to a cyclist's data is authorised workshop by workshop: another workshop sees its customers, not yours. The prices your suppliers give you also stay private to your workshop. See Customers.
Can the customer see their own data?
Yes, through the customer portal: their jobs, their quotes and their bikes. It's also where they book without phoning you. See Customer portal and widget.