Best Invoicing Software for Contractors

We’ll make a bold claim – then back it up: SwiftCloud is the best invoicing software for contractors.

Biased?

You bet. That said, we come from e-Sign and e-docs, and we’re working hands-on with clients just like you. We’ve got eSign + pay right in one doc – we can replace your paper quotes you’ve been using, and by doing so, it’ll be more professional, save you time, automate your marketing and more.

<note: this is a support video, not sales, so you might want to skip around for now…>

Plumbers, contractors, HVAC, auto mechanics, pest control – all of these often require a quote and legally binding electronic signature prior to you starting a job.

Yes, we have CRM and contact management, yes we have e-Sign, instant websites including ones you can clone from templates, landing pages, reviews and referrals, HR docs, timeclock, and pretty much everything else you need. We’ve been working hands-on with plumbers specifically, and a lot of what they need other contractors also need.

The best invoicing software for contractors is

  • Easy to use, including from your phone or a tablet. You should be able to quickly assemble a quote on-the-fly, including instant-cloning common jobs or from similar projects, then hand the tablet over for the client to sign, swipe their credit card, pay, automatically get a receipt PDF emailed + follow-up survey for reviews, then if the client’s happy, have that review syndicated around the web to the websites that matter to you most.
  • Branded to you. Your logo, your colors, even your domain (i.e. clients.YourDomainHere.com).
  • Gets you Paid – Faster. Make it easy for people to pay online, but if they pay in cash, old school paper check, or trade you in beanie babies we’ve got you covered. Well, the Beanie Babies you’ll have to make a note and mark the client as paid, but you can do it. Connect common credit card systems like Stripe, add ACH e-Check (lower fees especially for large projects), let clients wire and add tracking notes – however you work, we want to help.
  • You’ll get real human help (from the US) on the phone. If you’re in the US, that is, we’re growing fast, but small enough to help you in person if needed. If you’re in some other country, we want to get you help in whatever language you prefer. The best invoicing software for contractors is more than just software – it’s about helping you run and grow your business.
  • Configurable for things like local / state taxes.
  • Pay online or in-person, with automated reminders via our “Sequences” system. Easily see overdue invoices, automatically charge late fees.
  • Assemble quotes by SKU or manual entry. Add line-items from an “order / services book”, i.e. pre-defined SKUs (Items you sell – a product or service), or with manually-priced items.
  • Timeclock and timesheets either matters to you or it doesn’t – if you’re a solopreneur or boss, you probably don’t care, but if you have staff, you probably will. Track time and attendance, time off.

TIP: In the video below, notice the “Save as Copy”. This makes it easy to just grab some other similar recent job and clone it to a new client.

This isn’t a sales overview, but a deeper dive into functions like taxes and partial payments. It’s also a bit outdated – systems are already far better, so we’ll get a new video up soon.

The next step to finding out if SwiftCloud is the best invoicing software for contractors is to test it out yourself.

If you’ve got a 500 person team, there are probably better invoicing systems out there at a much higher price. If you’ve got a small team, or it’s just you, we’re confident we’re the best invoicing software for contractors who need simple, fast, easy to use, and low cost.

Signup above and test it out! If you need help getting set up, just drop us a line – most clients have a bit of work setting things up, then we don’t hear from them for many months – because all is working like it should.

3 TIPS TO GETTING PAID FASTER:

  1. Automate your appointment confirmation emails (SwiftCloud sequences + appointments is great for this) so that the client gets advised automatically as it gets close to your appointment that payment is required in order to start the job. This alone will handle most of it.
  2. Make Payments easy. Accept credit cards. You can change the pay-method on the fly, so for projects < $500 for example accept credit cards, > $500 debit cards and ACH e-Check only (flat fee instead of %).
  3. Charge late fees. Make it clear you charge late fees, then hook up automated reminders that tell them about the late fees. Then if they do go late, charge them the fees.
  4. Bonus – automate your referrals. Referred clients are usually better – they’ll pay better and faster and be less drama. After your basics are set up, ask us about SwiftCloud’s “Rave” system to help you get more referrals and reviews.

Here’s the process: (we’ll send you to a wizard after signup, but here’s the process)

  1. Get signed up above
  2. Next, add a payment method. How will people pay you? If you don’t know or have a strong opinion, use Stripe. To do this, click the gear (bottom left), click Edit Profile, click Financial, then add your account-info or bank – we need this so your clients can send you money. If you need some payment method you don’t see, reach out to our support team.
  3. Next, add branding – click “Appearance and Branding” on the profile – add a logo, background colors – we want people to feel at home on your invoice, like it’s the right company.
  4. Next, just for your own demo, add 1-2 items you sell – hourly services, garbage disposals, monthly landscaping subscription, etc – setup a few common packages.
  5. Next, assemble your first invoice! Grab SKUs from your book of services, and/or add manual-lines. Define the payee, who’s going to send you money, in the green box.
  6. You’re done.

The best is to start simple and get going, then over time, you can setup more advanced sales proposals, break out partial payments, setup your contractors or suppliers or vendors and much more.

 

Further reading: