The quote goes out while they are still interested
Build an estimate from a service list, send it, and let the customer approve it from a link. Approved estimates become jobs on the board without anybody retyping them.
- Estimates
- Jobs
- Customer portal
Handyman
Handyman software for quoting and getting paid
Handyman work is decided on the quote. The jobs are small, they arrive faster than you can write them up, and the value of the quote is not only a pricing question. In a lot of states it also decides whether you are allowed to take the job at all.
What does handyman software need to do?
It has to get an estimate out while the customer is still interested, because small jobs go to whoever answers first. It has to keep the job value in front of you before you commit, since licensing rules in many states turn on the total price of the contract. Then it has to prove the work and collect the money the same day, because chasing a small invoice costs more than the invoice.
How does a handyman day run on it?
The same tools every Pinstripe Fleet customer gets, set up the way this trade runs.
The total is what crosses the line
Licensing rules commonly turn on more than price. California's board states that a licence is required if the project needs a building permit, or employee labor is used, or the total cost of one or more contracts reaches a dollar threshold, and CSLB's own pages cite both $500 under the minor work exemption and $1,000 elsewhere. Thresholds differ by state and change, so check your own board. What software can do is keep the contract total visible before you agree to it.
- Estimates
- Reports
Proof on a small job matters more
Photos and a signature on the phone before you leave. On a two hour job there is no site meeting to fall back on, so the before and after shots are the entire record if somebody questions it a month later.
- Photo capture
- Signatures
- iPhone app
Get paid before you drive away
Invoice off the finished job with the hours attached and take the card on the spot from a payment link, into your own bank account. On jobs this size, a week of chasing costs more than the margin.
- Invoices
- Card payments
- Time tracking
What is set up for a handyman business?
Setup starts you with open dispatch slots rather than fixed routes, a service list built around small repairs and installs, estimates turned on, a close out checklist with photos, and same day invoicing with a payment link.
Common questions from handyman companies
Can a customer approve an estimate without calling me?
Yes. The estimate goes out as a link the customer can approve on their phone, and an approved estimate becomes a job without anyone retyping it. That removes the phone tag that loses small jobs to whoever replied first.
Does the software know my state's licensing threshold?
No, and it should not pretend to. Thresholds vary by state, change over time, and often depend on whether a permit is needed or employees are used rather than price alone. What the software does is keep the contract total in front of you before you commit, so you can apply your own state's rule.
Is it worth it for a one person business?
The free plan is a single user with a monthly job limit, invoices, card payments, and the customer portal, so you can run real work through it before paying anything. If the estimate and the invoice are what you are losing time on, that is the part it earns back first.
Can I charge a call out fee and then the work?
Yes. Build the fee into the service list and add the work as further lines on the same job, so one invoice covers both rather than the customer receiving two bills for one visit.
What else does it run?
The same platform, set up for a different trade.
Not sure it fits how you work?
Bring three jobs you ran last week and we will build them in front of you. If it cannot handle your real work, you will know in twenty minutes.
Pinstripe Fleet Management is built and supported by Pinstripe Business Services.