Sector: painting & decorating
Quotes, snags and reminders for painters and decorators
Decorating runs on volume: a lot of quotes, a lot of small jobs, and a customer standing in the room looking at the finish. Two things decide whether the year works. How many quotes come back signed, and how quickly the last five per cent of the job gets closed out so the invoice can go. Estimark sends a quote the customer accepts and signs in their browser without an account, turns acceptance into the job automatically, and tracks the snags as numbered items with a photo, a location and a recorded sign-off.
What actually goes wrong
Quotes that go out and go quiet
A PDF attached to an email, no way to accept it, and a follow-up call that never happens.
A snag list on the back of a dust sheet
Six touch-ups agreed in the hall, three of them done, and an invoice held up over the other three.
A wasted visit because nobody was in
An hour of driving and a morning gone, on a job that was worth two days.
Retention held on commercial work nobody chased
Five per cent of a fit-out, released at the end of the defects period, and nobody diarised it.
Sector: how it works
How does a quote get accepted?
In the customer’s browser, with no account to create. They accept and sign, and accepting it creates the job.
- A quote is built from line items priced against your price book, with VAT at your company rate.
- The customer signs online, so the quote is something you can chase rather than a PDF you cannot.
- Acceptance creating the job is what stops the gap between a yes and a diary entry.
How are snags closed out?
The Defects module holds numbered snags with a photo, a location, a trade, an assignee and a priority, tracked through to a recorded sign-off.
- A number and a location mean the list you agreed and the list you are working from are the same list.
- A photograph when the item is made good is what closes it, and it is held against the job with its date.
- A recorded sign-off is what lets the invoice go, and on commercial work it is what makes retention release due.
- Defects is £12 a month +VAT.
Can I cut the wasted visits?
Customer Comms sends confirmations, reminders, “on my way” and satisfaction messages by SMS or email, with a delivery audit trail.
- A reminder the day before costs less than the hour of driving a wasted visit takes.
- The delivery audit trail means a customer who says they were never told can be answered.
- Customer Comms is £29 a month +VAT.
Which plan does a decorating firm need?
Solo at £39 a month +VAT for 2 users suits a one or two-person firm; Core at £129 a month +VAT for up to 5 users removes the job cap.
- Solo caps at 20 open jobs at a time, and completed, invoiced and cancelled jobs stop counting, which suits short jobs turning over quickly.
- CIS Compliance is included from Solo for anybody taking on labour.
- Defects is £12 a month +VAT and Customer Comms £29 a month +VAT as bolt-ons.
Decorating, in numbers
- Quote acceptance
- Signed online, no account
- Snags
- Numbered, photographed, signed off
- Reminders
- SMS or email, with audit trail
- Solo
- £39/month +VAT
- Defects
- £12/month +VAT
- Customer Comms
- £29/month +VAT
Solo
£39 +VAT/month
Solo covers 2 users and 20 open jobs at a time, which fits a trade whose jobs are measured in days rather than months.
What you get
- Quotes accepted and signed online, creating the job
- Invoicing and the push to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage
- CIS for anybody taking on labour
- Offline field mode on any phone
Defects is £12/month +VAT and Customer Comms £29/month +VAT as bolt-ons. Core is £129/month +VAT for up to 5 users with no job limit.
Questions
Painters & decorators: frequently asked
Can a customer accept a decorating quote online?
Yes. The quote is accepted and signed in the customer’s browser with no account to create, and accepting it creates the job. That closes the gap between a customer saying yes and the work reaching a diary.
How do I track snagging on a decorating job?
The Defects module holds numbered snags with a photo, a location, a trade, an assignee and a priority, tracked to a recorded sign-off. A number and a location keep the list you agreed and the list you are working from as one list, and the sign-off is what lets the invoice go.
Can Estimark send appointment reminders?
Yes. Customer Comms sends confirmations, reminders, “on my way” and satisfaction messages by SMS or email with a delivery audit trail, so a customer who says they were never told can be answered.
How much is Estimark for a painter and decorator?
Solo is £39 a month +VAT for 2 users and 20 open jobs, which suits short jobs turning over quickly since completed and invoiced jobs stop counting. Core is £129 a month +VAT for up to 5 users with no job limit. Every plan has a 14-day free trial.
Related
For sole traders
Solo at £39/month +VAT: 2 users, 20 open jobs, quote and invoice from the phone.
For property maintenance firms
Repairs on SLA, appointment windows, schedule of rates and van stock.
For joiners & carpenters
Workshop and site on one job, materials off the CIS base, and purchase orders that reconcile.
Offline field mode
Installs to the home screen, works with no signal, queues and replays your work.
Try it on a real job.
14 days, full access, every plan. No implementation fee. All prices exclude VAT, added at 20% at checkout.