You cannot know the job was done
Not really. You know because the fitter said so, or because the client did not ring to complain. When the people doing the work are not your employees, every fact about the job arrives second-hand — and by the time one turns out to be wrong, the invoice has already gone out.
One job, from the first visit to the money
Six steps, in the order they go wrong. Nothing is retyped between them.
The site visit
Somebody goes out, measures, photographs and writes down what they found, and it lands on the job instead of in a WhatsApp thread. Then the client confirms those measurements from a link — no login, no app — so "that is not what I asked for" happens before anything is cut.
The drawing, and who signed it off
Each new drawing takes a version number, and the client's approval is recorded against the version they actually approved — who said yes, on what date, and through which channel: email, WhatsApp, phone or in person. Issue a new version and the old approval drops, so nothing reaches production on a yes that was about a different drawing.
What is being made, and when
Every job on one production board — a column each for survey, artwork, approval, production and installation — with what is overdue and what has not moved in a fortnight showing on its own. Each move is recorded and signed by whoever made it, so "where is the Henderson job?" stops needing a phone call.
The subcontractor's own list
The fitter sees only the jobs that are theirs, on their phone, with the address, the date and what to bring. Not access to your whole system — their list.
Proof the work was done
Photos come back attached to the job and to the installation, stamped with who uploaded them and when. Not a message saying it looked fine — a photograph, on the record, against the job it belongs to.
Money in and money out
What is owed to you and what you owe, each with a due date and marked paid or unpaid, filed against the client or the supplier it belongs to. Who has not paid stops being a Friday afternoon of scrolling.
And the client hears from you at every step
Can we come on this day, check these measurements before we cut, installation booked, installation tomorrow, the date has moved, the job is finished — six emails to your client, already written in your words, each one built for you and sent with a click. Four more go to your fitters. Nobody drafts them at nine at night, and nobody forgets what to say. Most complaints in this trade are not about the work; they are about silence.
What stops being needed
- The WhatsApp group with the fitters, where jobs are given out and lost
- The weekly jobs spreadsheet that only one person understands
- The measurements notebook that lives in a van
- Hunting for which version of the drawing the client actually agreed to
- Ringing round on a Friday to find out what actually got done
What it does not do
- It does not run payroll. Subcontractors are paid by you, on your terms; the system tells you what is owed and to whom.
- It does not replace your accountant. The figures are yours to hand over; VAT returns and year end stay where they are.
- It does not do stock control. Materials, reorder levels and warehouse counts are not in it.
- It does not price the work for you. There is no rate card inside it: the figures you agree are the figures you enter.
Signage is where it was built. The shape is the same in every trade that fits things.
Survey, agree the drawing, make, fit, prove, get paid — the words change, the sequence does not.
So how does this start?
It starts with a diagnosis: we follow one job from the first site visit to the money owed and show you where it leaks — and you get the findings whether or not you build anything with us. That page explains what has a price and what is quoted.
Built with All UK Signs, who run their whole operation on it — from the first site visit to what is owed. See the other systems we have built.
Tell us how your jobs move today
Leave your name and number. We look at the operation before talking about price.
We reply the same working day.