What's new in trade software and AI

How a trade business can use it

Roofing and restoration crews can finally keep the insurance claim number and job status on the project instead of buried in the description, which makes handoffs between the office and the field cleaner. Admins and managers set the fields up on the web, and standard users and above can fill them in. It's a beta for all customers, so wait for filtering and mobile views before you rebuild your workflow around it.

How a trade business can use it

The quick win is admin you'd otherwise type twice: paste a work-order email and have it become a request, or ask which approved quotes never got scheduled to catch money slipping through. Per Jobber's help center, it can create quotes (total, deposit and discount only) but can't create or edit jobs or invoices, delete records, or touch your schedule, so you still finish those in Jobber. Check what it creates before a customer sees it.

How a trade business can use it

If your office shares one Quo number, ask it every morning which texts and missed calls never got a callback; that's the cheapest lead you'll ever win back. Quo says it's free on every plan during the beta and that it will give notice before that changes. It runs on web and desktop only, not the phone app yet. It's internal only: for AI that answers your customers, Quo sells its Sona agent separately.

How a trade business can use it

The weather routine is the feature to test first: show it once how you handle a rain day, then see whether it gets the next one right. Work waits for your approval, which is the right setup for a crew owner, but treat beta output as a draft. Jobber's announcement doesn't give Teammate pricing, so ask before you assume it's included in your plan.

How a trade business can use it

One owner quoted in the announcement says ChatGPT saved at least 10 hours of data entry on a single 30-page contractor quote, so checking supplier quotes and material lists is a realistic first job to hand it. The webinars and academies are a low-risk way to learn. OpenAI's post doesn't list prices for the program; ChatGPT itself has a free tier. Keep a human check on every number before it goes to a customer.

How a trade business can use it

For a mechanical shop, the draw is membership plans and per-line-item tech commissions without a long setup project. The AI pricing benchmarks can show whether your flat-rate prices are out of line for your area; treat them as a reference, not a reason to cut prices. Housecall Pro says the packages come in multiple pricing tiers but didn't publish them in the announcement, so get the price in writing before a trial ends. Check your state's rules before you turn on card surcharging.

How a trade business can use it

If Google sends you calls, this is the one to try this week: ask how your business did this month, then ask for help replying to your latest review. Your Business Profile is free, and Google's post doesn't say a paid Gemini plan is required. Read every reply before you post it; a generic AI response can do more harm than no reply.

How a trade business can use it

If you already run payroll in QuickBooks, Intuit says you get the new features automatically, based on your current payroll tier. The Payroll Agent helps most with crews whose timesheets are messy: let it flag missing punches, but check overtime and job costing yourself before you approve a run. Intuit's announcement doesn't list new prices, so compare with Gusto or Square Payroll if you aren't on QuickBooks yet.