Which System Is Best for Contractors and Tradespeople?
The best system for contractors and tradespeople brings job management, time registration, materials and invoicing together in one place, so hours and materials from the site turn into an invoice without being typed in again. Which system fits best depends on your size and type of work. A small trade business with short jobs can manage with a simple job and order management system. Contractors with projects, subcontractors, quality assurance and service tasks usually need a field service management platform such as Microbizz, which covers the whole process from quote to invoicing basis.
What a system for contractors and tradespeople must handle
Job management for both small jobs and large projects
Many contractors have both short service tasks and projects that run for months. The system has to handle both in the same solution. In Microbizz, tasks are created at fixed intervals or ad hoc in task management, and project management brings resources, schedules and finances together in one place.
Time registration directly on the job
Hours written on a slip and entered later get lost or end up on the wrong job. Employees should be able to check in and register time on the task in the app, so a correct payroll and invoicing basis is created automatically. Read more about time registration.
Materials and invoicing without double work
When time and materials are recorded as the work happens, you can invoice as soon as the task is approved. In Microbizz, approved hours and consumption go on to invoicing, and quotes can be built with templates and automatic calculations in the quotation module.
Quality assurance and documentation
Clients and customers expect documentation. Employees must be able to document with photos, checklists and notes on site and register deviations straight away. With digital quality forms, procedures are followed every time, and the customer can follow status and documentation through the extranet.
Subcontractors and equipment
For contractors, working with subcontractors and managing equipment often takes the most coordination. In Microbizz, collaboration with subcontractors can be automated, and equipment can be reserved for jobs, with its service history.
Which type of system fits you?
Finance system with an add-on module
Some start with the finance system they already use and add a module for jobs and hours. That works if jobs are few and simple, and bookkeeping matters most. Planning, documentation and fieldwork are rarely what the system is built for.
Job and order management system for tradespeople
Job and order management systems typically cover quotes, jobs, hours, materials and invoices for smaller trade businesses. They fit well if you mainly have short jobs and few employees in the field.
Field service management platform
A field service management platform covers the same and more: planning based on geography and available time, projects, quality assurance, subcontractors, equipment, route planning and customer access. It suits contractors and tradespeople who are growing, have several types of work or face documentation requirements. Microbizz is modular, so you can start with what you need and expand over time.
Example: KN Tagdækning
KN Tagdækning, a Danish roofing company, used to handle tasks manually on paper. Today, the roofers register materials, time and photos in Microbizz before the order goes to invoicing. According to the company, a task can now be invoiced half an hour after it is completed, where it previously could take up to five days.
Frequently asked questions about systems for contractors and tradespeople
Which system is best for contractors and tradespeople for job management, time registration and invoicing?
The system that brings jobs, hours, materials and invoices together and fits your size. Small trade businesses with short jobs can use a job and order management system. Contractors with projects, quality requirements and subcontractors usually need a field service management platform such as Microbizz.
Can we manage both small tasks and large projects in the same system?
Yes, in Microbizz. Tasks can be created at fixed intervals or ad hoc, and project management brings resources, schedules and finances together in one place.
How do hours and materials become an invoice?
Employees register time and consumption on the task in the app. When the hours are approved, they go on to invoicing together with the consumption, without anyone typing them in again.
Can the customer or client follow along?
Yes. Through the extranet, the customer can follow status, documentation and task data.
What should we ask in a demo?
Ask to see how a task goes from creation to invoice, how an employee registers time and materials in the app, and how the system connects to your finance system. You can book a demo with your own jobs.
