What do electricians and trades use for job management?
The names that come up most in the UK are ServiceM8, Tradify, Jobber and Commusoft, with Simpro and BigChange for larger teams. All of them do quoting, scheduling, job sheets and invoicing, and most connect to Xero or QuickBooks. For a sole trader or a small team whose jobs look like everyone else's, one of these is usually the right answer, and cheaper than anything built.
Off-the-shelf, connected, or custom?
| Off-the-shelf app | App plus connections | Custom-built system | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fits when | Your jobs look like the app expects | The app is right but data is retyped between tools | Your process is your advantage, or no app fits it |
| Cost shape | Monthly fee per user | Monthly fee plus a one-off build | One-off build plus running costs |
| Changes to how it works | Whatever the vendor ships | Around the app's edges | Whatever you need |
| Your data | In the vendor's system, exportable | Same, plus copies where you need them | In a database you own |
| Time to start | Days | Weeks | Weeks to a few months |
When does a custom build pay for itself?
Per-user pricing is fine for three people and expensive for thirty. This table is the arithmetic, using two example fees. Put your own plan's price in to see where you sit.
| Team size | £30 per user a month, per year | £60 per user a month, per year | £60 per user a month, over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 users | £1,080 | £2,160 | £6,480 |
| 8 users | £2,880 | £5,760 | £17,280 |
| 15 users | £5,400 | £10,800 | £32,400 |
| 25 users | £9,000 | £18,000 | £54,000 |
Compare the three-year figure with a build quote plus three years of hosting and support. If the build is lower and the app isn't doing anything you'd miss, custom is worth a conversation. If the app does things you'd have to rebuild, connecting it is usually the better spend.
What a custom CRM can do that apps don't
Jobs created from your inbox
Enquiries, supplier emails and customer replies read and filed against the right job automatically, instead of someone copying them in. See the mailbox-to-jobs build.
Your stages, not a template's
Survey, quote, deposit, materials ordered, first fix, second fix, certificate, invoice: whatever your jobs actually go through, with the fields each stage needs.
Quotes on your own prices
Quotes drafted from the enquiry using your rate card, then sent to your accounts software. See quoting automation.
One record across every tool
The same customer and job in your diary, your accounts and your messages, updated once.
CRM and job management by industry
The shape of a job changes by industry, and so does the software already in use. We cover each on its own page: trades, construction, and more industries as they're written.