23 April 2020
If you have customers with an accounts department, or a specific email that invoices need to be sent to, you can now set them up to send your invoices to that email address đ
You can now select an Invoice to email when you create or edit a customer. We’ll then use that email address when you next send them an invoice email.
That means you can choose where to email invoices for each customer!
If the “Invoice to email” isn’t set, we’ll just use the customer’s usual email address instead.
Want to send to multiple “Email invoices to” addresses? No problem, just add as many as you need as they’ll be automatically added when you send your next invoice to them.
This should make sending invoices faster and simpler, and help you get back to doing your thingâŚ
Happy invoice emailing!
21 April 2020
Our latest updateâs a biggie. Because from today, you can tell your customers you take card payments. Yep, you.
No more fiddly transfers or flimsy cheques. Just email your invoice, add a shiny new âPay onlineâ button and get paid super fast, super securely.
Nobody likes waiting to get paid. You do the job, you send the invoice⌠and then what? Your customer makes a bank transfer, when they eventually get round to it? Or worse, they finally post you a cheque, then it sits in your kitchen for a week before you get time to go to the bank? Itâs not the slickest system.
So have we fixed it? You betâŚ
From now on, whenever you write an invoice, youâll be able to add a âPay onlineâ button, so your customers can choose to pay their bills instantly online, using their credit or debit card.
When they do, weâll send you (and them) a notification to say the paymentâs been successful, and weâll change your invoice status to âPaidâ. Job done.
Weâre tradespeople, not banking people, so to bring you a top-notch payment system, weâve brought in some expert help. Weâre working with the team at Stripe â a really secure, no-nonsense online payment platform used by millions of businesses, all over the world.
These guys know their stuff. Theyâve built a simple, streamlined system that meets the toughest safety standards in the payments industry, keeping your hard-earned cash safe as houses. Itâs easy to use and it gets you paid fast.
Itâs totally free to set up a Stripe account and link it to YourTradebase. Stripe doesnât charge subscription fees, and all you need to get started are your bank account number and sort code. Weâve even put together a quick step-by-step guide to walk you through it.
So how does it work? Well, your customer can make a card payment as soon as they open their invoice.
And they can do it anywhere, on any device, even their phone. Our reckoning is, the easier we make it to pay, the faster customers will do it.
Once theyâve paid, youâll get a notification to say the money is pending in your Stripe account. Itâll take 7 days to drop into your bank account, then youâre good to go.
Stripe takes a small fee from every transaction to pay for their pretty nifty system. So, if your customer pays with a card from the UK or EU, Stripe takes 1.9% plus a 20p fee.
To give you an example, if your invoice comes to ÂŁ300, theyâll take ÂŁ5.70 + 20p. For the time and hassle itâll save you, we think thatâs a pretty good deal.
If your customer uses a non-EU card, Stripe will take 3.4% + 20p.
At the moment, weâre just launching online payments for our UK tradespeople, but if youâre in the US or Australia, we havenât forgotten you â weâre working on it!
No problem. At the top of every invoice, thereâs a toggle that lets you choose whether to accept card payments or not.
If you’ve connected to your Stripe account, youâll be able to turn it on and off on an invoice-by-invoice basis.
Totally up to you. Take a closer look at how to do it here.
Want to find out a bit more about Stripe? Hereâs the lowdown on what they do. Like to learn more about getting started? Check out our step-by-step set-up guide. Got questions? Just shout.
We think this updateâs a real game changer and we canât wait to see how it helps you do your thing, better than ever.
Happy invoicing!
12 March 2020
Weâve cracked open a toolbox full of tricks to help you write great-looking emails that grab your customersâ attention and make you look like a total proâŚ
When it comes to making an impression, little things make a massive difference. So today, weâre giving you one more way to show what a pro you are â every time you send an email.
Hereâs the deal. Until now, when you sent emails in YourTradebase, your message appeared in plain old text. No fuss, no formatting, just the basics.
It wasnât bad, but it wasnât⌠brilliant. We thought it was time to switch things up.
So from today, weâre bringing in rich-text formatting.
Whatâs that now? Well, itâs a simple change that puts a whole bunch of new tricks at your fingertips. Even better, theyâre super quick and easy to use.
Got a really important point to get across? Bung it in bold or add some italics. Want to include a list? Bring out the bullet points. Like to add a link? Just drop it in. Handy, right?
Hereâs a quick before and afterâŚ
You can format text using the icons, or with the keyboard â using CTRL+B or CTRL+I.
Hereâs a nifty video of the whole thing in actionâŚ
Simple stuff. Smarter messages.
Happy emailing!
17 December 2019
Need to capture a scribble from your customer? Our latest update has you coveredâŚ
If you’re printing job sheets to organise your day, and need to collect customer signatures when you’ve completed your work, then this update makes things a lot easier!
Start collecting customer signatures on your job sheets âď¸
Here’s how they look:
You can add customer signatures to any job sheet by visiting it, selecting Customise > Show customer signature. You’ll then get a section of your job sheet ready for that scrawled signature.
Start collecting signatures today on your job sheets today!
10 December 2019
Want to keep a note of how a customer heard about you, what kind of boiler theyâve got or when it next needs servicing? Well now you can â and itâs super easy tooâŚ
A couple of weeks back we added a new feature, letting you tailor payment terms to each individual customer. Because everyoneâs different, right? Well, it went down a storm, so weâve decided to take things a bit further and help you capture whatever extra info you want about your customers â so itâs right at your fingertips when you need it.
It might be that you want to keep track of how people hear about you, so you can see whether that ad you put in the paper is earning its keep, or look after those customers who regularly recommend you.
On the other hand, maybe youâd like to see at a glance what kind of kit youâve installed for people, whether itâs a boiler, a bath or a brand of patio slabs. Being able to reel it off in seconds isnât just handy â itâll make your customers feel remembered, valued and in safe hands.
Weâve made it really quick and easy to do. And even better, you can add as much extra info as you like. Just repeat the handful of quick steps below until youâre all done.
Just go to Settings > Customers, click on ‘Add some extra customer info‘ and type in the name of the info youâd like to capture, for example “Boiler type”, “How they heard about us” or “Favourite biscuits”. Hereâs that in action:
Once thatâs done, youâll see your new question every time you create a customer or edit an existing one.
And once youâve added the extra info in (Favourite biscuits? Hobnobs), youâll see it whenever you visit that customerâs profile. Nifty.
So, get all the info you need, every time. And if you need any help, just shout.
14 November 2019
With one nifty little update, weâre making it easier to see whoâs doing what, at a glance â great for busy teams and frazzled gaffers everywhereâŚ
Sometimes itâs the little things that make all the difference. Thatâs the thinking behind our latest update â the option to colour code your team members in a few quick clicks.
It only takes a minute to give everyone on your team a different colour, but itâll make your schedule so much easier to read. Youâll be able to spot whoâs working on what, when and where, faster and with less faff than before. Hereâs how it worksâŚ
You can also choose a colour whenever you add a new team member to your account.
Once youâre all set up, weâll automatically show your chosen colours in your schedule, just like this:
Happy colour coding!
One thing weâve learnt along the way â the easier it is for people to pay you, the faster theyâll do it. Todayâs quick update is all about making that happenâŚ
Whenever you send a quote or estimate in YourTradebase, youâve got the option of letting your customers open it up online. They can read it, download it, print it, ask questions about it and (fingers crossed) accept it on any computer, tablet or mobile.
Itâs a quick, easy way to show your customers youâre a pro, build their trust and make their lives easier. So today weâre taking it one step further, giving you the option of doing exactly the same with your invoices.
From now on, youâll be able to let your customers read, download, print and ask questions about their invoices online too. Itâs all about speeding up the processes that stand between you and pay day. And thatâs got to be good news, right?
13 November 2019
Todayâs updateâs all about tailoring invoice terms to individual customers â saving you time, reducing faff and keeping your regular customers happy. Letâs take a lookâŚ
When you write invoices in YourTradebase, youâve always been able to choose how long before theyâre due. But we know lots of you like to be able to give different customers different terms. Different strokes for different folks, right? Fair enough.
So, todayâs update makes that easy. Now you can pick payment terms for each individual customer, whether theyâre seven days, ten days, 30 days or anything else. You can also choose whether to deduct CIS for that customer too.
Once youâre done, just save those preferences and the next time you send that customer an invoice, weâll drop them in for you. So, if youâve chosen 30 days, weâll give the invoice a due date thatâs 30 days away. Easy.
Click on the customerâs profile and the edit (from the actions ‘⌒ menu), look for the âInvoice due inâ box and type in the number of days. Right below that youâll see âDeduct CIS?â. Just tick the box if thatâs what you want to do, then click âSave customerâ to, well, save the customer. All done.
Itâs just the same for brand new customers. When youâre on the âCreate a customerâ screen, youâll get the same options for invoice dates and CIS. Just make your choices and click âSaveâ.
Want to see what that looks like? Hereâs a quick screenshot:
And thatâs it! Youâll be making sure your invoices get paid without hitting any speed bumps, and keeping your customers happy too. Give it a go.
9 October 2019
In this game, it pays to be organised. So, weâve rolled up our sleeves and whipped up a brand new schedule thatâs easier to use, add to, filter and print. Itâs everything you need to know, at a glance, and you can try it from todayâŚ
Weâve always had a calendar in YourTradebase, but until now, using it to check your schedule wasnât as easy as it ought to be. Getting a clear picture of what you were doing and where you were going took a lot of clicks â and you couldnât add new events straight from the calendar.
It wasnât the greatest, and we knew we could do better. So weâve had a complete revamp, and weâre really happy to be launching our brand new schedule today.
It gives you a super smart, simple list of everything on your plate â easier to navigate, with fewer clicks and handy filters that let you search by event type or team member.
You can view it any way you like â by day, by week, in the classic calendar format or even on paper. Yep, weâve made sure itâll print great-looking lists without any faffing around.
Plus, to make life easier, you can now add events straight from the schedule screen (no more diving into jobs to add new dates). You can even add in lots of extra details to help you keep tabs on your jobs â just by opening up our brand new activity stream feature.
Like a look? Hereâs a quick run-through.
you can check out your own schedule right now by going to the new ‘Schedule’ tab in YourTradebase.
Have fun!
29 August 2019
Making everyday jobs easier is what weâre all about, so we just wanted to let you know about a handy update weâve made to our email templates. From today, youâll be able to send your emails faster thanks to a few nifty new email tags. Letâs take a look.
What are email tags?
Think of them like shortcuts, or signposts, that tell YourTradebase to pull information into your email from elsewhere. They save you looking up and typing out the same details again and again, making it quicker and easier to get your admin done. You can use them in your estimates, quotes, jobs and invoices â and now in your templated emails too. The new ones look like thisâŚ
Customer address
Drop the {{customer_address}} tag into your email templates, and whenever youâre emailing a customer through YourTradebase, weâll automatically find and drop in their address. Itâll appear on one line, like this:
Job address
Want to add job addresses into your emails? No problem. The {{job_address}} tag does just that. Add the tag to your email templates and weâll swap it out for the address of the job, which youâll see on one line, like this:
Job start date
Using an email template to send a customer a job update? Or to let them know when youâre starting on site? Just add the new {{job_start_date}} tag and weâll replace it with the first work date youâve got in your schedule for that job. Easy. Youâll see it on screen like this:
More tips on tags
For a guide to all the email tags you can use in YourTradebase â and how to do it â head over here: https://help.yourtradebase.com/article/69-using-tags-in-your-email-templates
And if youâd like to learn more about using email templates, weâve got you. Hereâs a quick how-to: https://help.yourtradebase.com/article/79-using-email-templates
Thatâs it! These tags are live and ready for you to use in your email templates today. Happy tagging!
24 June 2019
Better communication = happier clients. Simple but true. So, with that in mind, weâre always looking for new ways you can keep people in the loop (and smiling).
YourTradebase already gives you a set of pre-written email templates you can use when youâre doing regular things like sending a quote or chasing up an invoice. You can adapt them to suit your company, job or specific customer, but they still donât cover every eventuality.
So, weâve made some improvements. From today, as well as using the email templates weâve set up for you, youâll be able to create and save your own, ready to use again and again. Which means more control over the messages you send â and when.
Say, for example, you always like to email customers to say thanks after they ask you to quote. Now all you need to do is create a new template, type that message in and save it. Then any time you need it, youâll be able to open it up, tweak a few details and send it out. Boom.
No more typing out the same email over and over. Just fast, friendly messages in a few quick clicks. Happy customers, happy you.
Hereâs how it worksâŚ
Bam! The email subject, body and any attachments will be pre-filled and ready for you to send. If you used tags in your email message, theyâll be ready for you to use, too. Need to tweak any details? No problem. Just make the changes you need and press âSendâ. Job done.
Creating a set of email templates that matches the way you work could save you a tonne of admin time. You could even map all the messages you regularly send, from a customerâs first call to the day they pay â setting up a stack of good-to-go messages you can send in a few quick clicks. It might just be a game changer.
You’ll find more about email templates in our help docs
Weâre super-excited about our latest update and we hope you find it helpful. Happy templating!
16 May 2019
If thereâs one thing that keeps customers happy and jobs running smoothly, itâs fast, friendly communication. Itâs something we really believe in â a powerful way to make a big difference.
So, today weâre launching a new update that makes it quicker and easier to send and read customer messages in YourTradebase. Hereâs what itâs all aboutâŚ
Before, messages had to be linked to a specific quote, invoice or event, which meant finding that message Mrs Jones sent last month involved a fair bit of digging around.
Now, all you have to do is choose your customer, and youâll see the last five messages you sent or received. Want to see them all? No problem. Just choose âView all messagesâ.
You can also search for messages by job. Go to your job summary screen and youâll find all the messages youâve exchanged about that job. Easy.
Until now, you could only send messages to customers through quotes and invoices. That meant sending a quick update or keeping people in the loop was, well, not that straightforward. Being friendly and helpful was, in fact, a bit of a faff. So we changed it.
Now all you need to do is go to a job or customer, choose âSend a messageâ and start typing. Hit send and weâll make sure it wings its way to your customer, nice and quickly.
And of course, any message you send â or receive â will show up in your messages list for that job or customer. Just where it ought to be.
This is just the beginning. We really believe in fast, friendly communication and weâre working hard to make that as easy as possible, in all sorts of ways.
Stay tuned for more updates â and happy messaging!