https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/Dated, sourced AI and software launches for small trade businesses, with a plain-English take on each.en-usMon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#companycam-custom-fieldshttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#companycam-custom-fieldsFri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000Job photosCompanyCam projects now have custom fields for details like job type, claim number, status or project value, with text, number, yes/no, date, dropdown, URL and currency field types. They work in the web app and through CompanyCam's API and MCP connection; mobile views, filtering and search aren't in the beta yet. 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. Source: https://intercom.news/companycam/159794-custom-fields-are-live-in-open-beta https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#servicetitan-max-atlas-homhhttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#servicetitan-max-atlas-homhTue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000AI agentsAt its Pantheon conference, ServiceTitan made Max, its package of AI agents across booking, dispatch and the back office, available to all residential in-home contractors, opened a limited Max pilot for commercial and roofing contractors, and launched an Atlas mobile app that answers owners' questions about sales and revenue from their phone. It also announced Homh, a marketplace that lets homeowners and their AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude) find and book participating ServiceTitan contractors. How a trade business can use it: This one is for established shops: ServiceTitan's live blog says Max opens to plumbing, heating, electrical and garage-door customers with four or more technicians, and ServiceTitan doesn't publish prices. If you run one or two trucks, the useful part is Homh's scorecard: it rates contractors on punctuality, hired rate and job quality. Those are the numbers homeowners' AI assistants will start judging you on, so track them whatever software you use. Homh is invite-only in a few areas for now. Source: https://www.servicetitan.com/press/servicetitan-announcing-new-and-expanded-capabilities-at-pantheon-2026 https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#jobber-chatgpt-claude-connectorshttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#jobber-chatgpt-claude-connectorsFri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000AI connectorsJobber launched a ChatGPT plugin and a Claude connector that answer questions about your clients, quotes, jobs, invoices and requests from your real Jobber data, and can create clients, properties and requests from an email or your call notes. Jobber says it's available to all Jobber customers, and its help center says the free ChatGPT and Claude plans work with 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. Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jobber-launches-mcp-bringing-home-and-commercial-service-data-and-workflows-directly-into-chatgpt-and-claude-302890385.html https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#quo-agenthttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#quo-agentThu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000Business phoneQuo (formerly OpenPhone) released Quo Agent, an assistant built into its business phone app that answers questions about your calls, texts, contacts and team, such as which inbound messages never got a reply. It can draft replies, create tasks and update contacts, but nothing goes out until you approve 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. Source: https://support.quo.com/changelog https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#jobber-teammatehttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#jobber-teammateWed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000AI agentsAt its Jobber Now event, Jobber announced Jobber Teammate, an AI agent built into Jobber that sends a morning briefing (money collected and outstanding, scheduled jobs, crew status), drafts quotes and marketing campaigns for your review, and learns routines such as rescheduling the day for bad weather. It's in beta, with early access for Jobber customers starting the same day. 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. Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jobber-unveils-jobber-teammate-the-first-ai-agent-for-home-and-commercial-service-businesses-to-plan-act-and-learn-like-a-real-team-member-302886414.html https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#openai-chatgpt-small-business-programhttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#openai-chatgpt-small-business-programTue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000AI assistantOpenAI announced a ChatGPT for small businesses program with hands-on webinars, in-person small business AI academies across the US, starter guides, and plugins and skills from partners including Intuit, Shopify and Wix. It is built around ChatGPT Work, OpenAI's agent for multi-step tasks. 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. Source: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-small-business-program/ https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#housecall-pro-trade-packageshttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#housecall-pro-trade-packagesWed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000Field serviceHousecall Pro released its first trade-specific packages, preconfigured with onboarding, templates and workflows for HVAC, plumbing and electrical businesses. They add a mechanical KPI dashboard, membership plans on jobs and estimates, AI-driven pricing benchmarks for price-book items, price-book commissions, credit-card surcharging and technician efficiency reporting. 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. Source: https://www.housecallpro.com/resources/trade-specific-software-hvac-plumbing-electrical/ https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#google-gemini-business-profilehttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#google-gemini-business-profileWed, 10 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000GoogleGoogle announced small-business features for the Gemini app: connect your Google Business Profile so Gemini can analyze your search impressions, calls and direction requests, draft replies to reviews and update your hours or posts. It also added Business notebooks that flag items like an unanswered customer question, rolling out globally except the EEA and UK. 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. Source: https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/gemini-features-for-businesses/ https://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#intuit-quickbooks-workforcehttps://toolsforthetrade.pages.dev/whats-new/#intuit-quickbooks-workforceWed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000Payroll and HRIntuit announced QuickBooks Workforce in the US, an HR system built into QuickBooks Online that covers payroll, time tracking, benefits, hiring, onboarding and compliance. Its Payroll Agent collects and checks time data, flags inconsistencies and runs payroll on the owner's behalf. 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. Source: https://investors.intuit.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1310/intuit-unveils-quickbooks-workforce-radically-transforming-human-capital-management-for-small-and-mid-market-businesses