Using a job management software in your tradie business will help you organise your workforce and manage your jobs from quote, to invoice and beyond. Benefits we often see with our tradie clients include less double handling of information, increased efficiency and admin time savings.
There are heaps of job management apps available ranging from simple systems to the more complex with a tonne of features. Let’s explore our 12 best job management apps for tradies (Listed in no particular order).
1. ServiceM8
ServiceM8 is a job management app that is great for service and maintenance style tradie businesses with a big focus on customer service, communication, and automation, but not the best if you’re wanting to run projects. It has some limitations around project invoicing, project management and reporting. However, if detailed financial tracking isn’t so important then you’ll love how ServiceM8 can keep everything together in one place, and the real beauty is how simple it is to use for everyone involved!
One big consideration though is that the ServiceM8 app only runs on Apple mobile devices, so if you have Androids in your team you’ll have to consider a switch to Apple. This can be a deal breaker for some people but giving your guys an iPad Mini isn’t the end of the world, you’ve got to understand that this is just another tool of the trade these days and we give our staff tools to do their job every day.
Find out if ServiceM8 is right for your business.
2. Tradify
Tradify Job management software is perfect for a tradie business that does a mix of service/maintenance style work as well as some project style work and can be run completely from the app on your phone or tablet, so it’s ideal for the business owner who’s on the tools. Tradify can be used super simply to let you create a job, schedule it to your staff, create an invoice and take a payment, but can also track your staff labour/timesheets and your material and subbie costs to give you job level profit and loss. This helps get some visibility of which parts of your business make you the most money, or how well you’re quoting.
Again, the beauty of Tradify is the simplicity of it, but this also brings a lack of detailed reporting and requires a bit more manual data entry than some other systems out there. Ideally suited to typical trade style businesses but also used by smaller builders and engineering/fabrication business looking for a simple management system with excellent field capability.
Find out if Tradify is right for your business.
3. Fergus
Fergus is a very detailed job and project management system designed to help track the numbers in your business and keep control of the day to day operations. Built by a successful and super passionate plumber from New Zealand to help him run his own business, this software has a big emphasis on tracking job costs. Fergus allows staff to easily log time to jobs and automates the supplier invoice processing with integrations to a bunch of the larger suppliers in the electrical, plumbing and trade industries.
The Fergus mobile app has historically been quite basic but is currently going through a makeover to make it more functional and user friendly than ever.
Fergus also features a more basic version of the system for smaller, simpler businesses which provides a lower cost and a clear upgrade path as the business grows.
Find out if Fergus is right for your business.
4. Ascora
Ascora job management software has elements of all the systems mentioned previously and is up there with the likes of AroFlo and simPRO, but with more flexibility and a superior mobile app. Featuring excellent automation tools for job management and client communication this makes it ideal for service and maintenance style work, but it can also handle large multi-section projects with super detailed job cost reporting which tracks labour, material costs and supplier invoices.
With a bunch of more advanced features like fully customisable built in forms, customer asset/equipment management, full stock and inventory tracking, a very comprehensive native mobile app and one of the deepest integrations to accounting systems that we’ve seen, Ascora is definitely not the simplest system out there. It is the next level up from the more basic entry level systems, but is ideal for businesses looking to grow. Used by trades, builders and engineering/fabrication businesses across Australia and New Zealand, from sole traders through to large enterprises.
Find out if Ascora is right for your business.
5. Sparky
Sparky is a great simple job management tool specifically built for electrician businesses who are customers of the MMEM group of stores, and best of all it’s FREE! It has a deep integration into the back end MMEM system meaning fully automated logging of purchase bills against jobs when you make purchases from the MMEM stores.
With an integration to all major accounting packages you can use Sparky to create your customers, quotes and jobs, do your scheduling, track your time and costs and produce your invoices with no double handling, plus you can place orders with your local store straight from the app. A new integration to simPRO means you can continue to run your existing system but leverage the power of the deep connection to the MMEM wholesalers.
Find out if Sparky is right for your business.
6. Prime Ecosystem
Prime Ecosystem is a bit of an unknown in the job management world as they’ve mainly focussed on builders and tradies in the insurance space and not had to put themselves out there too much. Having come from this space they have some very unique capabilities around how their quotes and jobs are structured and how this information can then be pushed out to the variety of workers and trades completing the projects. This makes it ideal for project style work where you’re having to involve lots of external parties and multiple customer contacts.
With an option of using a mobile app in the field or accessing info via email and web browser it’s ideal for businesses needing to get job details out to external parties and get the info back that you need.
Featuring a unique and fully customisable workflow builder you can automate a heap of manual steps and processes in your business if you’re handling large volumes of jobs or just wanting rock solid processes.
Find out if Prime Ecosystem is right for your business.
7. Nextminute
Nextminute has found a great niche for smaller residential builders and project style trades who don’t need all the fancy bells and whistles of the full blown construction management systems. It provides easy-to-use job/project management with timesheets, estimating and quoting, invoicing and integrates beautifully with accounting providers Xero and MYOB. The data import from Receiptbank/Xero so eliminates double entry and captures images which is a very handy feature. Everyone on the job can see weekly, monthly, even yearly project schedules and the mobile app allows field staff to see job info and add their own times, notes and photos.
Find out if Nextminute is right for your business.
8. Fieldpulse
Fieldpulse is one of the newer players on the block in the Australian market, this powerful job management system out of Texas in the United States is aimed squarely at plumbers and HVAC businesses due to a strong relationship with Reece Plumbing.
Featuring an outstanding integration to Reece’s back end systems you can place orders and have supplier invoices feed right into the jobs meaning less admin.
Suitable for service and project style work, it has a bunch of cool features like custom price books with tiered pricing, basic customer asset/equipment management, and built in forms, and integrates with Xero and QuickBooks (but not MYOB as yet)
Missing some of the more advanced project costing functions of other systems but if simplicity and top notch customer service is the key then FieldPulse is worth a look.
Find out if FieldPulse is right for your business.
9. Formitize
Formitize started life as a very powerful form building system used to collect and process information in the field which then evolved into a very capable job management system with a bunch of modules for CRM, scheduling, quoting and invoicing, customer asset management, automation tools, WHS, task management plus integrations to accounting systems and a range of other tools.
Featuring a very unique reporting engine the data collected in forms can be pulled into reports making it ideal for pest control and inspection businesses as well as a range of other businesses doing data collection on jobs.
Find out if Formitize is right for your business.
10. SimPRO
SimPRO was the original cloud based job management system built by an electrician back in 2002. The system has continued to evolve over the years into a global market leading software suitable for a range of larger trade based businesses.
With one of the most comprehensive feature lists of any of the “off the shelf” style systems there’s not much it can’t do, but you’ll have to be prepared to do things the SimPRO way to make it work to its potential.
Ideally suited to businesses with an office team who are in front of a computer all day that can drive the system. Jobs are pushed out to the team in the field who can use the different modules of the app for sales, timesheets, service and stock.
Find out if SimPRO is right for your business.
11. Aroflo
AroFlo is another very early cloud based job management system that started life as IMS iMan and transformed into AroFlo.
It has very similar advanced functionality to both simPRO and Ascora but has a little more flexibility than simPRO in terms of the process/way things can be done. Previously a web based program which limited its use to businesses with dedicated office staff, the launch of the AroFlo native mobile app in 2023 has brought all the features and functions of their previous web app plus more.
A simpler version of AroFlo is available called AroFloGO which has some of the advanced functions removed for smaller businesses, but still requires some of the key operational functions like scheduling to be done in the office interface rather than the field “app”.
Find out if AroFlo is right for your business.
12. Kynection
Kynection is a very different solution to the rest of the “off the shelf” job management softwares in that it has a bunch of modules that can be bolted together to match the needs of the business, but these modules can also be customised to suit the required functions. It’s as close as you’ll get to a custom built system without building it all from scratch.
With a big emphasis on field compliance, plant and equipment management, safety and ISO certification it’s ideally suited to civil type project work but is also used by some of the largest field service and maintenance businesses in Australia.
Being such a bespoke system that requires considerable development and configuration the system comes at a price, but for larger businesses looking to automate, scale and have full control across their organisation it’s an amazing choice.
Find out if Kynection is right for your business.
As you can see there are so many software solutions available which can help manage your jobs better, which is where it can also get confusing. We’ve only scratched the surface on the funcionality and businesses that are suited for each of these softwares listed above. Some other things you should consider when deciding on the right job management software are the ongoing subscription costs, how tech savvy your staff are and how complex the system is. Having a tonne of features may sound great but there is no point buying a Ferrari if you’re just going to drive it around in first gear! Take time to consider what your business really needs and which softwares provides the features to match.
Want to fast-track finding the right job management software for your tradie business? Let’s chat!
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