How do you follow a job from quote to invoice, and do you need job management software?
Keep one record for each job and move it through named stages: quote sent, accepted, scheduled, done, invoiced and paid. Give each stage the few facts it needs and one person who moves it on, and keep changes on the same record so the quote and the invoice can be compared. Three questions show whether a shared sheet is enough or job software would help.
One record, named stages
The related answer on a sales pipeline covers the stages up to a win. This page picks up at the quote and follows the job to the money. As general advice, each stage should mark something that actually took place, with the facts below written down.
| Stage | Facts to record | Who moves it on |
|---|---|---|
| Quote sent | Job address, scope in writing, price, date sent | Whoever wrote the quote |
| Accepted | Date and how they said yes, any deposit, agreed start window | Whoever took the answer |
| Scheduled | Date, who is going, materials needed | Whoever books the work |
| Done | What was actually done, any changes and who agreed them | The person who did the work |
| Invoiced | Invoice sent date and due date | Whoever bills |
| Paid | Date and amount received | Whoever checks payments |
Keep the quote and the invoice on one record
When the quote lives on the same record as the job, the accepted lines can become the invoice without retyping, and every change agreed on site is added to that record. The price agreed and the price billed are then easy to compare, which can help if a customer questions the bill. The related answer on sending invoices and reminders covers what to automate once a job is invoiced.
Where jobs usually get stuck
Check the three groups below once a week, oldest first; it can catch jobs that have slipped.
- Done but not invoiced: work finished and nobody billed it.
- Invoiced but not paid: a reminder is due.
- Accepted but not scheduled: a customer said yes and is waiting.
Do you need job management software?
A sheet is often enough while jobs stay on track.
The first question is the one to start with: do jobs or invoices slip even when the sheet is kept up? Two or more yes answers, counting the questions in the related answer on field service software about several people sharing the schedule and retyping details, suggest software may earn its place.
If so, the related answer on field service software compares two products and what to check before signing, and the related answer on which business tools are worth connecting covers joining tools you already have. Whatever you pick, check that you can export your jobs and that the account is in the business's name.
Related answers
- What is a sales pipeline for a small service business?
- How can a small business send invoices and payment reminders automatically?
- Is field service software like Jobber or Housecall Pro worth it for a small service business?
- Which of your business tools are worth connecting, and which can stay separate?
Business systems and integrations
Many businesses already pay for the right tools. They just do not talk to each other, so details get typed twice and things fall through. We set them up properly and connect them.