Glossary: CRM and field service software terms for trades

Types of software

CRM (customer relationship management)

Software that keeps every customer’s contact details, history, estimates, jobs and messages on one record. For trade businesses, the CRM is often built into field service software rather than sold alone. See the contractor CRM guide.

Field service management (FSM)

Software built around jobs, schedules and technicians. It usually covers scheduling, dispatch, a technician app, estimates, invoicing and payments. Jobber, Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan are field service tools.

All-in-one platform

Software that bundles marketing (listings, reviews, website, social media) with customer management, scheduling and invoicing. Thryv is the main example on this site, covered in my Thryv review.

Gmail CRM

A sales CRM that runs inside Gmail, usually through a browser extension that adds a panel to your inbox. Copper and Streak are examples, compared on the CRM for Google Workspace page.

Technician app

The mobile app techs use in the field to see their schedule, job notes and prices, take photos, collect signatures and close out the job. Test it with a real tech during any free trial.

Client portal

A web page where customers log in to see estimates and invoices, pay, book appointments or message you.

Leads and sales

Lead

A potential customer who has contacted you or asked for a quote but hasn’t booked yet.

Lead source

Where a lead came from: Google, a referral, a yard sign, a truck wrap or a paid ad. Tracking it shows which marketing brings jobs, not just calls.

Pipeline

A view of open estimates or deals grouped by stage, such as sent, viewed, approved or lost. It shows what’s waiting on a follow-up.

Estimate (quote)

A priced offer for a job that the customer approves before work starts. Good software lets the customer approve and sign it online.

Good, better, best options

An estimate that offers three versions of the same job at different prices, such as a like-for-like water heater, an upgraded tank and a tankless unit. See plumbing software for examples.

Proposal

A longer, branded estimate for big jobs such as a system replacement, often with photos, options and financing. HVAC companies use them most, as covered on the HVAC software page.

Consumer financing

A loan offered to the homeowner at the estimate stage, so they can pay over time. Housecall Pro’s financing page says its partner Wisetack charges the business a flat 3.9% of the financed amount.

Online booking

A booking page or button that lets customers pick a time slot themselves. Some tools let you auto-accept bookings or approve each one.

Two-way texting

Sending and receiving text messages with customers from the software, using a business number, so the whole team sees the thread.

Review request

An automatic text or email asking a customer to leave a review, usually on Google, right after a job is finished.

Google Business Profile

Google’s free listing for a business on Search and Maps, with hours, service area, photos and reviews. Make sure you, not a vendor, are the profile’s primary owner.

Google Local Services Ads

An ad format from Google for local service businesses that appears above regular results on some service searches. Google generally charges for leads rather than clicks [VERIFICAR].

Reserve with Google

A Google feature that lets customers book appointments from your Google listing. Thryv says its scheduling connects to it.

Scheduling and dispatch

Dispatch

Assigning a job to a specific tech or crew, at a specific time, and sending them the details.

Dispatch board

A screen showing every tech’s day side by side, where the office drags jobs between techs and time slots. It matters most for shops with several trucks.

Work order

The record of what a tech must do on a job: the task, address, parts, notes and checklist. Some tools call it a job or a visit.

Recurring job

A job that repeats on a schedule, such as weekly mowing or a twice-yearly tune-up, with visits generated automatically. See the landscaping software page.

Route optimization

Ordering a day’s jobs to cut drive time, and rebuilding the route when jobs move or cancel. It matters most in lawn care and other route-based work.

GPS tracking

Showing where techs or trucks are, through the tech’s phone or a device in the vehicle. Some tools also use GPS to verify clock-ins.

Crew scheduling

Scheduling a team that works together on one truck as a single unit, instead of each person separately. Landscaping and construction crews depend on it.

On-my-way text

An automatic text telling the customer the tech is on the way, often with an arrival estimate.

Call booking

Booking a caller straight onto the schedule while they’re still on the phone, usually by a customer service rep or an answering tool.

Pricing and money

Flat-rate pricing

Charging a set price per task, including labor, parts and margin, instead of billing hourly. Plumbing and HVAC shops use it so every tech quotes the same price.

Price book

The list of tasks and items your business sells, with flat prices, descriptions and sometimes photos. Techs build estimates from it.

Time and materials

Billing for actual hours worked plus parts used, instead of a flat price.

Job costing

Comparing what a job earned with what it cost in labor, materials and other expenses, to see which work is profitable.

Card processing fee

The percentage and per-transaction fee charged on each card payment. Published rates are compared in the contractor CRM guide.

ACH (bank payment)

A payment pulled directly from the customer’s bank account. It usually costs less than a card payment.

QuickBooks sync

A connection that sends customers, invoices and payments from your field software to QuickBooks. Check whether it supports QuickBooks Online or Desktop, and which plan includes it.

Per-seat pricing

A price charged for each user. Copper, Streak and Pipedrive price this way, and some field service plans include a set number of users.

Onboarding fee

A one-time setup charge paid when you start a subscription. Some providers state the amount and some don’t.

Agreements and records

Maintenance agreement

A contract where the customer pays, monthly or yearly, for scheduled service visits and usually member pricing. Also called a service agreement or service plan.

Membership

A maintenance agreement sold as a club, with perks such as priority service and discounts on repairs. HVAC companies use the term most.

Seasonal contract

A landscaping or snow agreement that covers a set season, billed per visit or in equal monthly payments.

Auto-renewal

A contract term that renews the subscription automatically unless you cancel by a deadline. Read the notice period before you sign.

Equipment history

The record of each system at a customer’s address: make, model, serial number, install date, warranty and service history.

Section 608 records

The refrigerant records EPA’s Section 608 program requires from technicians, such as disposal records for appliances holding 5 to 50 pounds of refrigerant. EPA’s recordkeeping page lists them.

Pesticide application record

The record a lawn care company keeps for each pesticide application. Rules vary by state, and Washington, for example, requires certified applicators to keep records for seven years, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Permit tracking

Recording the permit number, inspection dates and inspection results on a job, so the final inspection and the last payment don’t slip.