What slow quoting actually costs you
Quoting is the one job where being late is the same as saying no. It is also the job that always loses to the next callout.
The quote that never went out
You said you would price it up that evening. Then a boiler went down, then it was Thursday, and by the time you sent it the customer had already booked someone else. That is a lost job that never appears in any figure you look at.
Prices pulled out of thin air
Quoting from memory at 10pm is how margin disappears. You forget the second visit, you round the materials down, and you find out three weeks later that the job barely paid for itself.
Arguments about what was included
A price in a text message has no scope attached to it. When the customer expected the making good, or the extra socket, or the skip, there is nothing to point back to except your word against theirs.
What is job quoting software?
Job quoting software turns the details of a job into a priced, itemised quote you can send to a customer and then track through to a yes or a no. Rather than a bare number in a text message, the customer gets a clear breakdown of labour, materials and VAT on your letterhead, with a way to accept it there and then. You get a record of exactly what you offered, at what price, and what happened next.
What it needs to do for a one-van business
The test is whether it gets used on a busy Tuesday. That means building a quote from your phone without sitting down at a laptop, producing a document that looks like it came from a proper business, letting the customer say yes without printing or signing anything, and keeping every quote in one place so you can see what is still outstanding. Anything that needs an office chair and half an hour will quietly stop being used in the second week.
Where most trades start, and why it stops working
Almost everyone starts with a Word template or a spreadsheet, and that is fine right up until you are quoting three or four jobs a week. Then file names get muddled, VAT gets worked out by hand, you cannot remember which version you sent, and the quote you meant to send on Monday goes out on Thursday. The software is not really replacing the template. It is replacing the evening you were going to spend on it.
What to look for in job quoting software
Six things worth checking before you commit to anything, whether that is AdminHelper or not.
Quotes without a laptop
If you cannot produce a quote from the van or the customer kitchen, it will not get used when it matters. Look for something that works from the phone in your pocket.
Proper itemised breakdowns
Separate lines for labour and materials, VAT worked out for you, and a scope the customer can read. That is what stops haggling and what settles arguments later.
Online acceptance
A quote the customer can accept from their phone closes faster than one that needs a printer or a phone call. Make sure declines are recorded too, so you know where you stand.
It should know your prices
Re-typing your day rate into every quote is how mistakes creep in. Either you keep a price list or the software learns from the quotes you have already sent.
A path to the invoice
The quote holds all the information the invoice needs. If you have to type the whole thing again when the job is done, you have bought half a tool.
You stay in control
Especially with anything AI-driven, nothing should reach your customer until you have read it and approved it. Your name is on the quote, not the software vendor name.
How the realistic options compare
Four ways UK trades price up work, and what you give up with each.
Swipe the table sideways to see every option.
| What matters | Word or spreadsheet | Generic invoicing app | Field service platform | AdminHelper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to get one quote out | 20 to 40 minutes at a desk | 10 to 15 minutes of typing | About 10 minutes once configured | A voice note and a quick read-through |
| Usable on site | Not really | Usually, through an app | Yes, through an app | Yes, in WhatsApp |
| Labour, materials and VAT itemised | You do the sums | Yes | Yes | Yes, worked out for you |
| Customer accepts online | No | Sometimes | Yes | Yes, one tap to accept or decline |
| Job sheet created on acceptance | No | No | Usually | Yes, automatically |
| Setup before your first quote | Build your own template | An evening of data entry | Often days, plus onboarding calls | A few questions at signup |
| Learns what you charge | No | No | Only if you build a price list | Yes, from the quotes you approve |
| Typical cost | Free | £10 to £30 a month | £50 to £150 a month | £19 to £39 a month |
Costs and setup times are typical ranges for each category of tool rather than any single product. Always check current pricing with a supplier before deciding.
How quoting works with AdminHelper
Three steps, and only one of them is yours.
Send the job over
A WhatsApp voice note on the way back to the van, a typed message, or the customer enquiry forwarded to quote@adminhelper.co.uk. Say it the way you would say it to a mate: what the job is, where it is, and roughly what is involved.
Read the draft and approve it
AdminHelper comes back with an itemised quote: labour, materials, VAT and a scope of work, on your branding, valid for 30 days by default. Change a price, add a line, reword the caveats, then approve. Nothing goes to the customer before you say so.
The customer accepts or declines
They open a secure link, read the breakdown and tap accept or decline. You get told either way, and an accepted quote becomes a job sheet with the address, scope and line items already filled in.
It will not invent a price to fill the gap
A quoting tool that makes up numbers is worse than no quoting tool at all. AdminHelper prices from what you have actually charged: it learns your rates and your job prices from the quotes and invoices you approve, and if it has nothing close to go on, it says so rather than guessing.
- Prices come from your own approved quotes and invoices, not from an industry average
- With nothing comparable to work from, it sends you a scoping draft or a hedged range instead of a made-up figure
- Your day rate, callout fee, mileage and VAT status are applied consistently on every quote
- Every quote is yours to edit before it goes anywhere near the customer
From accepted quote to money in the bank
The quote already contains everything the rest of the job needs, so nothing gets typed twice. Acceptance creates the job sheet, the finished job sheet becomes the invoice, and the invoice chases itself if the customer is slow to pay.
- Accepted quotes turn into job sheets automatically, with the trade checklist for that job type
- Turn a completed job sheet into a numbered, VAT-correct invoice in a couple of taps
- Polite payment reminders go out at 7, 14 and 21 days without you playing bad cop
- Invoices push through to Xero or FreeAgent as drafts, so your books stay tidy
- Every quote, accepted or declined, stays searchable in your portal
Frequently asked questions
The questions UK trades ask us before they switch their quoting over.
What is job quoting software?
Job quoting software turns the details of a job into a priced, itemised quote you can send to a customer and track through to a decision. Instead of a bare figure in a text, the customer sees labour, materials and VAT broken down on your letterhead, with a way to accept it. You get a record of what you offered and what they agreed to.
Is there free job quoting software?
There are free quote templates and some invoicing apps with a limited free tier, and for a handful of quotes a year they are fine. What you tend to pay for instead is your own time: building the document, working out the VAT, chasing the answer. AdminHelper is free for 30 days with no card required so you can work out whether the time it saves you is worth the £19 to £39 a month.
Do I need a laptop, an office or a new app?
None of the three. AdminHelper works through WhatsApp, which is already on your phone, and by email if you would rather forward customer enquiries. There is a web portal when you want to look back through your quotes, invoices and customers, but you do not need it to send a quote.
How long does one quote take?
Usually a couple of minutes. You describe the job in a voice note, AdminHelper drafts the itemised quote, and you read it over and approve it. Most of that time is you checking the prices look right, which is time you would spend anyway.
Does it work out VAT correctly?
Yes. VAT is applied per line based on the settings you give at signup, including your VAT number and whether you are registered at all, so quotes are consistent and correct before they go out.
How do customers accept a quote?
Every quote includes a secure link. The customer opens it on their phone, reads the breakdown, and taps to accept or decline. You are notified either way, and the response is recorded against the quote so there is a clear trail of who agreed to what.
What happens once a quote is accepted?
AdminHelper creates a job sheet from the accepted quote, carrying over the address, the scope of work and the line items, along with the standard checklist for that type of job. When the work is done you turn that job sheet into an invoice without re-typing anything.
Can I still change a quote before it is sent?
Always, and you have to: every draft waits for your approval. You can edit line items, prices, the scope wording and the validity period. Nothing reaches a customer until you have approved it.
Will it guess prices for jobs I have never quoted?
No, and that is deliberate. AdminHelper prices from the quotes and invoices you have approved before. If it has nothing close to go on, it sends you a scoping draft or a hedged range rather than a number it has invented. As you approve more quotes, it gets better at pricing the work you actually do.
Which trades is it built for?
UK sole traders and small crews: plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, decorators, tilers, plasterers, carpenters, landscapers, heating engineers, locksmiths and handymen. The job types and checklists differ by trade, and there is a general fallback for anything not on the list.
Does it replace Xero or FreeAgent?
No, it feeds them. AdminHelper handles the quoting, invoicing and chasing, then pushes invoices into Xero or FreeAgent as drafts so there is no double entry. If you do not use either, you can export clean PDFs and CSVs instead.
What does it cost after the trial?
The standard price is £39 a month. Founding members lock in £19 a month for life, and there are 17 founding spots left. The 30-day trial needs no card and you can cancel at any time.