P01Inquiries
Every inquiry treated the same
Inquiries arrived by email with no way to tell a ready project from an early idea.
CASE 02 / 04Jobber
Each stage signed off, each stage billed.
A custom home builder running 12 builds a year kept inquiries in email, change orders on paper and progress billing in a spreadsheet. Jobber now runs the build from first request to final stage invoice, and its sync to QuickBooks Online keeps costs and billing together by build.
JobberQuickBooks OnlineCustom fieldsJobber to QBO syncQBO classes
Worked example on representative data.
01 // Context
Twelve homes a year, each one different
Architect-designed custom homes with contract values between US$1.8m and US$4.2m, built by three site teams.
Each build runs 12 to 18 months and is billed in six stages: deposit, slab, frame, lock-up, fit-out and practical completion. Owners change their minds along the way, so change orders are part of every build.
QuickBooks Online was the ledger, but it only saw invoices after they were typed in. Inquiries, site visits, change orders and the billing schedule sat in email, paper and a shared spreadsheet.
Business profile
BusinessCustom home builder
Size12 builds a year, 3 site teams
ContractsUS$1.8m to US$4.2m
Billing6 stages per contract
Primary toolJobber
AccountingQuickBooks Online
02 // Problem
Well built, loosely billed
The homes were excellent. The paperwork around them was not.
P02Site visits
Inspections on paper
Stage inspections and photos were kept on paper and phones, separate from billing.
P03Change orders
Approvals by text message
Change orders were agreed on site and priced later, sometimes after the work was done.
P04Billing
Stages billed late
Progress billing waited for someone to update the spreadsheet after an inspection.
P05Costing
No cost view by build
Costs and income were not split by build, so margin was known only at the end.
P06Owners
Owners chasing updates
Owners asked for stage updates by phone because nothing was sent automatically.
03 // Approach
Jobber runs the build, QuickBooks Online keeps score
Each stage of the build is a visit on a Jobber job. A signed-off visit is the trigger for its progress invoice, and the sync carries everything to QuickBooks Online by build.
FIG. 01 / DATA FLOWCASE 02
- Request to job, one record The inquiry, assessment, contract, change orders and invoices stay on one Jobber record.
- Inspection triggers billing A completed stage visit is what releases the stage invoice.
- Change orders approved first Every change is a Jobber quote approved by the owner before work starts.
- Cost by build QuickBooks Online classes carry the build, so costs and billing line up.
04 // What was built
Jobber and QuickBooks Online, module by module
What was configured and why. The detail is about decisions, not a copyable recipe.
JobberM01Requests with custom fields
The online inquiry form creates a Jobber request. Custom fields hold budget band, lot status, start and design status, which give the inquiry score.
- Online request form
- Custom fields for scoring
- Assessment booked at 70+
JobberM02Quotes for contract and change orders
The contract is a Jobber quote with the six billing stages as line items. Each change order is its own quote, approved by the owner before work starts.
- Stage line items
- Change order quotes
- Owner approval online
JobberM03Jobs and visits per stage
Each build is a job with a visit per stage inspection. Visit checklists and photos are required before the visit is completed.
- Visit per stage
- Inspection checklist
- Required photos
JobberM04Invoices for progress billing
A completed stage visit releases the stage invoice from the job. Approved change orders are invoiced separately so the contract stays clean.
- Invoice per stage
- Change orders invoiced apart
- Automatic owner reminders
Jobber to QBO syncM05Customers, invoices and payments
The sync sends customers, invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online, mapping Jobber products and services to QuickBooks items.
- Customer and invoice sync
- Payment sync
- Item mapping
QuickBooks OnlineM06Classes and Projects by build
Each build is a QuickBooks Online Project with its own class, so supplier bills and stage invoices land against the same build.
- Project per build
- Class per build
- Bills coded to the build
05 // The stack
Six stages, one record
0Stages per contract
0Job per build
0Builds a year
0Site teams
05 // Outcome
What the setup delivers
The behaviors the configuration is built to produce. They describe the design, not measured results.
O01Billing
Stages billed the day they are signed off
A completed stage visit releases its invoice from the job without a spreadsheet.
O02Inquiries
Ready projects seen first
Scored requests send ready projects to a site assessment and the rest to nurture.
O03Change orders
Approved before work starts
Every change is an approved quote with its own invoice.
O04Costing
Margin visible during the build
Classes and Projects in QuickBooks Online show cost against billing by build.
O05Owners
Updates without phone calls
Stage visits and invoices keep owners informed through Jobber.
O06Books
No retyping into the ledger
The sync carries customers, invoices and payments to QuickBooks Online.
Progress billing (Jobber, US$)
| Invoice | Build | Stage | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV-5000 | Build 01 | Deposit | 120,000 | Paid |
| INV-5001 | Build 01 | Slab | 360,000 | Paid |
| INV-5002 | Build 01 | Frame | 360,000 | Paid |
| INV-5003 | Build 02 | Deposit | 155,000 | Paid |
| INV-5004 | Build 02 | Slab | 465,000 | Paid |
| INV-5005 | Build 02 | Frame | 465,000 | Paid |
Billing schedule · % of contract
Deposit5%
Slab15%
Frame15%
Lock-up35%
Fit-out20%
Practical completion10%
Builds by stage
Slab1
Frame2
Lock-up1
Fit-out1
Completion1
Requests a week12 wks
It shows what the setup reports, not measured results.
06 // Before/After
Same builds, different paperwork
How the main tasks ran before and after the Jobber and QuickBooks Online setup.
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiries | Email inbox, every inquiry treated the same | Jobber requests with custom fields and a score |
| Site visits | Paper checklists and phone photos | Jobber visits with checklists and required photos |
| Change orders | Agreed on site, priced later | Jobber quotes approved before work starts |
| Progress billing | Spreadsheet updated after inspections | Stage invoice released by the completed visit |
| Bookkeeping | Invoices typed into QuickBooks Online | Jobber to QBO sync for customers, invoices and payments |
| Job costing | Margin known at the end | QBO Projects and classes by build |
| Owner updates | Phone calls asking for news | Visit and invoice notices from Jobber |
07 // Scope
Phased delivery, one phase at a time
Each phase ships on its own and is reviewed before the next begins.
Phase 1Requests + visits
Jobber front end
- Request form and custom fields
- Scoring and assessment visits
- Visit checklists and photos
Phase 2Quotes + billing
Contract and stages
- Contract quote with stage lines
- Change order quotes
- Stage invoices from visits
Phase 3Sync + costing
QuickBooks Online
- Jobber to QBO sync and item map
- Projects and classes by build
- Build-stage dashboard
Typical scope
US$3,500-5,000per phase
Typical scope for this kind of project: US$3,500-5,000 per phase. Not included: tax filing or payroll.
Talk through the first phase
Field-service and accounting systems, designed and set up so each job runs from request to paid invoice without retyping.