Custom Software for Trades
Job Tracking, Quoting, Invoicing. Built for plumbers, electricians, and builders who are running their business from WhatsApp groups and paper notebooks but know there has to be a better way.
15 apps shipped. Based in Cork. Fixed price builds.
The Problems Every Growing Trades Business Hits
You started with a notebook, a phone, and word of mouth. It worked. Then the jobs piled up and the cracks started showing.
All our job details are in WhatsApp threads
The customer's address is in one message, the description of the work is in another, and the photo of the problem is somewhere in the group chat from last Tuesday. When you're on site trying to find the details, you're scrolling through hundreds of messages. It's not a system — it's a mess that happens to work most of the time.
Quoting takes forever and we lose track of what we quoted
You write quotes on paper, or in a Word document, or in a text message. Half the time you can't remember what price you gave three weeks ago. When the customer comes back and says "you said it would be two thousand," you've no record to check against. A proper quoting tool would take minutes instead of an hour.
There's no photo record of the work we've done
You take before-and-after photos on your phone, but they're mixed in with personal photos and never attached to the right job. When a customer disputes the work six months later, or when you want to show a new client what you've done before, the evidence is buried in someone's camera roll.
Friday evening is spent doing admin instead of finishing for the week
Invoices, timesheets, chasing payments, updating the diary for next week. The actual skilled work gets done during the day, but the business side eats your evenings and weekends. The admin doesn't have to take this long — it takes this long because the tools are wrong.
We can't tell which jobs are actually profitable
You know what you quoted, but do you know what the job actually cost? Materials, labour hours, travel, callbacks — when none of this is tracked properly, you can't see which types of work make money and which ones you're doing at a loss. You're busy, but you're not sure you're profitable.
Custom Tools for Trades Businesses
Not a generic app that tries to do everything. Not enterprise software designed for construction firms with 500 staff. Tools built around how your business actually runs day to day.
Job Trackers
Every job in one place: customer details, site address, description of work, status, photos, and notes. See what's booked, what's in progress, and what's waiting for sign-off. No more scrolling through WhatsApp to find the details.
Quoting Tools
Create professional quotes on site or back at the office. Save templates for common jobs, add line items, and send a branded PDF to the customer. When they accept, the quote becomes a job automatically. Every quote is stored and searchable.
Customer Portals
Give your customers a simple login where they can see the status of their job, view quotes, approve work, and download invoices. It looks professional, saves you phone calls, and sets you apart from competitors still working off text messages.
Photo Documentation
Attach photos directly to each job: before, during, and after. They're timestamped, linked to the right customer, and stored securely. When someone queries the work six months later, you have the evidence immediately.
Invoicing
Generate invoices from completed jobs with one click. Track what's been paid and what's outstanding. Send reminders automatically. Turn Friday evening admin into a five-minute task.
Job Profitability
Track actual costs against each job: materials, labour hours, travel. See which types of work are profitable and which ones are costing you money. Make better decisions about what work to take on.
RepairDesk: Ticket-Based Job Tracking in Production
We built RepairDesk — a repair ticket management system that handles intake, status tracking, photo documentation, and customer notifications. The workflow is very similar to what trades businesses need: a job comes in, gets tracked through stages, and closes out with an invoice. It's live and in production. The same approach applies directly to plumbing, electrical, and building work.
From Conversation to Working Software
No 60-page specification documents. No six-month timelines. We keep it simple.
We Have a Conversation
You tell us what's not working. We listen, ask questions, and figure out whether we're the right fit. No jargon, no sales pitch. Over a call or a coffee in Cork — your choice.
We Build It With You
You see working software within weeks, not months. We build in short cycles so you can give feedback early and often. No disappearing for three months and hoping for the best.
You Use It, We Support It
We hand it over, train your team, and stick around. Real support from the team that built it — not a call centre in another country.
Fixed Price. No Surprises.
You get an exact quote before any work starts. No hourly billing, no scope creep surprises, no invoices that keep growing.
Starter
From €3,000
A job tracker or quoting tool to replace paper and spreadsheets. Typically 3–4 weeks.
Growth
From €6,000
Job tracking with quoting, invoicing, photo records, and a customer portal. 4–8 weeks. Also fits repair counters (see our jewellery & watch repair software), equestrian yards & livery, and other job-based businesses.
Scale
From €12,000
End-to-end system with scheduling, profitability tracking, and integrations. 8–12 weeks.
Custom Software for Trades: Common Questions
What does JMS Dev Lab build for trades businesses?
JMS Dev Lab builds custom software for trades businesses in Ireland (plumbers, electricians, builders): job tracking, quoting and estimates, invoicing, scheduling, and customer portals. Tools are built around how you actually run jobs — fixed-price, EU-hosted, and GDPR compliant. It's for businesses that have outgrown paper dockets, WhatsApp, and spreadsheets but don't need heavy enterprise field-service software.
How much does custom software for a trades business cost?
Builds are fixed-price, quoted in full before any work starts — no hourly billing or surprise invoices. Replacing a spreadsheet or paper system with a proper web app starts from €3,000 (about 3–4 weeks); multi-feature tools with quoting, invoicing and a customer portal from €6,000 (4–8 weeks); larger end-to-end systems from €12,000. You get the exact number up front.
How long does a build take?
Most projects ship working software within weeks, not months: typically 3–4 weeks for a single-job tool and 4–8 weeks for a multi-feature system with quoting, invoicing, and a portal. JMS Dev Lab builds in short cycles so you see progress and give feedback early, rather than waiting months.
Can the software be used from the van or on site?
Yes. Tools are web-based and work on a phone or tablet, so you and your crew can update jobs, capture photos, and send quotes from site. Everything syncs back to one place, so the office always sees the latest.
What makes JMS Dev Lab different from an off-the-shelf field-service app?
Off-the-shelf apps make you fit their workflow and charge per user every month. JMS Dev Lab builds around how your business actually works, at a fixed price, and you own the code — no per-seat fees that creep up. It also builds and runs its own software: seven apps are live on the Shopify App Store, including RepairDesk for ticket-based job tracking.
Do you work with trades outside Cork?
Yes. JMS Dev Lab is based in Cork and works with trades businesses across Ireland, and remotely beyond. The first conversation is free and with no obligation, and we'll be honest about whether custom software is worth it for your size of business.
Our Guarantee: Scope Match or You Don't Pay
We agree on a clear scope before work starts. If the delivered software doesn't match the agreed scope, you don't pay the final instalment. The price we quote is the price you pay — no surprise charges, no scope creep invoices, no "we underestimated so you owe more."
Every project includes milestone check-ins so you see working software throughout — not just at the end. See our published fixed prices.