As an electrical contractor, you need a way to keep track of your expenses and income. QuickBooks for electrical contractors is a great accounting solution that allows you to manage your finances. 

Beyond revenue and costs, though, there are a few tasks that QuickBooks on its own can’t deliver fully on. Here are the top 7 best electrical software options to fill the gap that QuickBooks for electrical contractors is missing.

But first, here is an overview of what electrical contractor software is.

What is electrical contractor software?

An electrical contractor software system helps manage your business operations by scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, creating reports, and more. Overall it is used to improve your business’s efficiency, make admin work a breeze, and finally to get you paid faster.

Other features that electrical software offers include:

• Customer portals.
• Mobile options.
• Integrating with QuickBooks.
• Job time tracking.

QuickBooks for electrical contractors: Which version is best?

QuickBooks for electrical contractors offers you two options — QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

There are a few factors to consider when choosing the right QuickBooks software for your business. Some factors to consider include:

• The size of your electrical contracting business.
• The desired features.
• If you constantly need access to QuickBooks outside of the office.
• If you need to track your inventory, equipment, etc.

QuickBooks Online is a great option if you constantly work outside the office and need access to your accounting software on the go. The online version of Quickbooks for electrical contractors is often a better choice as it’s useful to have access to job and customer information while on the job.

On the other hand, QuickBooks Desktop has a few different features like the ability to create a sales order. The biggest difference is that QuickBooks Desktop is only available for office use which works for some field service businesses.

Beyond QuickBooks: What to look for in electrical contracting software

Before we get into the 6 best software options that sync with QuickBooks for electrical contractors, here are some features of electrical contracting software to look out for.

Powerful time tracking for QuickBooks

Almost half of business owners rely on paper and pen time tracking to record time. With electrical scheduling software, time tracking becomes simple. Time spent on jobs is automatically recorded and synced into QuickBooks for electrical contractors, so you don’t have to manually enter the time each job takes.

Not only does this lighten the admin work electrical contractors have to deal with, but it also allows for better accuracy when it comes to tracking time. It is a crucial part of being a profitable business and requires an accurate and consistent process.

Strong timekeeping records

Labor costs are the hardest to estimate. For the majority of field service businesses, it is also the most expensive job cost. Many businesses rely on guessing and not accurate measures to track time.

As mentioned above, good management software will take time tracking information and sync it with QuickBooks in real-time. It makes time tracking even easier so you can focus entirely on the electrical aspects of the job. 

Job scheduling for your QuickBooks customers

A good management software lets you schedule jobs for existing QuickBooks customers. It should also make it easy to track leads, create new customers and eventually schedule jobs for them. 

QuickBooks for electrical contractors is great for creating estimates and electrical invoices as all of your customers and inventory are readily available to you. But it has limitations when it comes to the job lifecycle and doesn’t have certain features like creating work orders. 

A management software solution fills that niche and makes job scheduling a complete all-in-one process.

Effective business management

Your expertise is in electrical work, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a set business management process. 

A management software synced with QuickBooks for electrical contractors can make a world of difference when it comes to effectively managing your business.

In fact, companies with a formal sales process are more likely to see consistent revenue than those without one. 

We discovered that sales forces were most effective at managing their sales pipelines if they had invested time in defining a credible, formalized sales process.

Electrical management software can automate many parts of your sales process, including custom work order forms. All of which translates into higher revenue for your electrical contracting business. 

Easy dispatching and job routing

Electrical work requires you to be out in the field a lot of the time. As a result, it’s beneficial to have access to job information and customer information while on site. 

Having mobile options available can make dispatching and job routing easy and efficient.

A lot of electrical contractor software offers automated routes that integrate with popular mapping apps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze.

Not only does this benefit you by saving time, but it also saves you from spending too much on fuel and makes mileage more efficient. 

If you are working with other electrical contractors, good management software allows you to dispatch jobs in bulk and notify every technician about what work they will be in charge of. You can also easily convert estimates into work orders and have them ready for dispatching with the click of a button.

Estimate creation

Creating estimates is usually the starting point for any new job. Making estimates in QuickBooks for electrical contractors is an option for many businesses. The issue is that QuickBooks does not have a work order form to transition an estimate into a work order. 

The best way to overcome this gap is with management software that creates estimates that convert to work orders and also sync with QuickBooks for electrical contractors.

Lead management

Did you know that the majority of overperforming companies use customer management software for managing their leads?

65% of sales professionals use a CRM, and 97% consider sales technology “very important”

With every new customer worth their weight in gold, this makes powerful lead management a must-have feature. 

Especially considering how difficult keeping track of leads is when you have tons of admin work and a manual, unorganized lead management system.

With electrical contractor management software, you can be sure that your leads are followed up on and converted to sales. 

The top electrical contracting software for QuickBooks users

1. Method:Field Services

Known for having the best Method:Field Services’ integration with QuickBooks for electrical contractors makes it easy to manage your accounting, sales, and job details. 

Method:Field Services syncs with both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop to instantly update your data in both your accounting software and job management software.

This way, you can sync customer and job information from QuickBooks and turn estimates into work orders and invoices with just a few clicks. With Method:Field Services, you don’t have to deal with hours of double data entry.

Beyond this, Method’s mobile app allows for easy customer approval with on job e-signature capturing. 

An electrical contractor software like Method:Field Services also helps you with:

• Route optimization and scheduling. Get your jobs done more efficiently with automatic route creation and a built-in mapping system.
• Flexible pricing that scales with you. Method works with you to find a price you can afford and that can easily grow with you as you expand your business. They offer solutions for you starting at $15 per month.
• Creating a solution that meets your every need. Method:Field Services allows you to create a customizable field service solution for tasks specific to electrical contracting.
• Connecting your office and field crews. Get mobile time tracking, route planning, estimate creation, project updates, and more all in the Method:Field Services business management app.
• Help every step of the way. The Method team offers stellar customer support and is available to help you create a personalized management system.

Get started with the #1 solution for those using QuickBooks for electrical contractors with your free no-commitment trial. 

2. AutoEntry

Image credit: Sage

With AutoEntry, you can automate data entry for bills, receipts, invoices, and more. This management software allows you to sync your data for approval in QuickBooks. That means you can avoid double data entry as AutoEntry does the work for you. 

With AutoEntry you get the following benefits:

• Create your own ready-for email or print invoice templates.
• Manage your vendors and customer relationships by creating contacts and notes.
• Easily send reminders, track payments, and more.
• Track billable hours and easily sync that information to QuickBooks. 

AutoEntry uses a credit system in their pricing plans that go from a Bronze plan (starting at $12) to a Platinum plan (starting at $98). Each credit determines an uploaded file to AutoEntry. A single invoice or receipt costs 1 credit, an invoice or receipt with line items to be captured costs 2 credits, and a single page of bank statements costs 3 credits.

Although AutoEntry is known for being user-friendly, many users have a difficult time connecting with their customer support team.

3. Housecall Pro

Image credit: Crozdesk

The next notable solution for those using QuickBooks for electrical contractors is Housecall Pro. It is an all-in-one business management tool for electrical contractors looking to run their business on the go.

Housecall Pro has made a name for itself with easy-to-use digital tools for scheduling jobs, managing payments, automating marketing efforts, and more.

Some of the benefits of Housecall Pro include: 

• Scheduling and dispatching any size project.
• Simple invoicing and payment collection.
• Mobile app for on-the-go use. 
• Online portal for easy access to job information.

Housecall Pro is designed to help electrical contractors stay organized and get more work done.

Their pricing model starts at $49 per month with their Basic plan but only offers QuickBooks integration in their Essential plan, which starts at $109 per month.

4. RedTeam

Image credit: RedTeam

With RedTeam you can create estimates and invoices, track time, review job costs, track expenses, and more. This cloud-based management software allows you to access job details from anywhere and at any time.  

Some of the benefits that RedTeam offers include:

• Paperless contracts and document creation.
• A free mobile app.
• Offline access to data.
• QuickBooks for electrical contractors integration. 

RedTeam has two pricing plans, one that’s free, and one which costs $500 per month. While they do offer a lot of robust features, this tool is expensive for a lot of electrical contractors. 

5. Buildertrend

Image credit: Buildertrend

The next solution to consider if you love QuickBooks for electrical contractors is Buildertrend. It offers easy scheduling and dispatching options. Plus, it lets you manage and share job information with customers, associates, and other technicians. 

Some of the benefits of using Buildertrend include:

• Easily collect payments and digital signatures.
• Gather leads from your website’s contact page.
• Automate your email campaigns.
• Import leads, estimates, and customer details from Excel.

Buildertrend offers two pricing plans: the Core and Pro plan. The Core plan starts at $299, and the Pro plan starts at $499. 

Overall, Buildertrend offers powerful features but can be a bit on the expensive side for electrical contractors. 

6. Corecon

Image credit: Corecon

Last but not least on this list of solutions for those using QuickBooks for electrical contractors is Corecon. 

With this tool, you can manage contacts, track leads, and create estimates. Corecon’s main goal is to simplify your workflows and give you only the tools that you need to manage your electrical jobs.

Some of the benefits of using Corecon include:

• Less manual data entry.
• An easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require IT staff. 
• An attentive customer support team.
• A mobile app for data at your fingertips. 

Corecon offers personalized quotes on individual employee licenses as well as company-wide plans. 

One thing to keep in mind about Corecon is that many users have had trouble with Corecon accurately syncing to QuickBooks. This can lead to some manual entry when automation would be useful.

Considerations before you buy

Two of the biggest benefits of using electrical business management software are that it reduces manual errors and empowers you with detailed, real-time reports. 

Carefully examine the electrical contracting business software solutions we included in the list above. Then sign on for the electrical business software that fits your business needs. 

Wrap up: The electrical contractor solutions you need in your toolbox

Now that you have all the information on software that syncs with QuickBooks for electrical contractors, you are well equipped to find a solution that helps your business grow.

Some of the features to keep an eye out for are: 

• A seamless QuickBooks integration.
• Easy scheduling and route optimization.
• A user-friendly mobile app for when you’re on the go. 
• Flexibility to ensure your business needs are met.

See how you can take your electrical contracting jobs to the next level with Method:Field Services.

Image credit: Astrosystem via Adobe Stock

A work order is a helpful form used by field service businesses to keep track of the tasks involved with completing a job. Unfortunately, the work order QuickBooks Online offers is limited to a series of makeshift forms.

Which isn’t enough for most field service companies:

The good news is that QuickBooks users can keep their workflows smooth by using field service management software like Method:Field Services and other field service business solutions. More on this later on.

First, you’ll dive into the type of work order QuickBooks Online currently offers and then explore the options that ProAdvisors recommend for solving the work order gap. 

Creating QuickBooks Online work orders

QuickBooks work orders aren’t already built into the Online version of the software. As a result, many users use features like the Delayed Charge and Estimate tools to make work orders in QuickBooks Online. 

However, this isn’t a perfect solution, so let’s take a look at alternative options.

Creating a Delayed Charge in QuickBooks Online

A Delayed Charge looks pretty similar to an invoice but does not disturb your profits and losses.

Here’s how to create a Delayed Charge:

1. Click the + New icon and press Delayed Charge under the Customers tab.

2. Enter the job information, which can include products/services and customer details.

3. Click on the Save and close button.

Using a Delayed Charge to replace a QuickBooks work order has its flaws and can only offer a few basic work order features.

In fact, QuickBooks Online users have concerns that the Delayed Charge tool does not allow you to print your form — a problem for many businesses.

Creating an Estimates in QuickBooks Online

Using an Estimate as a work order replacement in QuickBooks Online is also a popular workaround. 

Similarly to a Delayed Charge, using estimates as QuickBooks work orders create problems. One being that the form’s total and subtotal are not customizable for businesses that don’t want the cost of the job on the work order.

QuickBooks ProAdvisors caution businesses not to spend too much time on these workarounds if they do not fit your business processes. Instead, they recommend solutions that offer a headache-free way of creating QuickBooks work order forms. 

ProAdvisors share that apps.com is a great place to start your search, as the 600+ solutions listed here are known for integrating well with QuickBooks Online.

Keep reading to find out how you can get hours back into your business with the following work order apps for QuickBooks Online.

Best work order apps for QuickBooks Online

1. Method:Field Services

QuickBooks Online ProAdvisors will tell you how customizable and accurate you can make your work orders with Method:Field Services. Not only can you seamlessly integrate this work order app for QuickBooks Online, but Method:Field Services offers tools to save you time and give your business a competitive edge. 

Kayla from Savvy Bird Consultancy is an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor. She is a firm believer that concise processes will give your business the best chance to focus on growth and sees Method:Field Services as the way to achieve this.

Creating QuickBooks Online work orders has never been easier with Method:Field Services tools. Here’s why:

• You can convert estimates into work orders and invoices in a few clicks.
• Customer approval is as easy as collecting an e-signature from your customer.
• You can dispatch, schedule, and invoice your work orders in bulk.

With this quick video, let’s go through how Method:Field Services can simplify your work order QuickBooks Online process.

Key features

Every business is different, and Method:Field Services has you covered for repeat customers and recurring jobs. You can speed up work order creation in bulk to save your business valuable work hours. 

Even when your field crew is on the go, you can connect them with your office team using the Method mobile app. This way, your office team can update customers on work progress or delays. If any schedule changes happen, it’s easy for your office team to reach your field crew and dispatch new work orders.

Beyond this, you can get paid faster by getting customer sign-offs for work order completion via e-signatures. Whether in the field or the office, your team has access to customer information and work orders, so you can give your customers the best possible service.

Method:Field Services work orders are also equipped with a time tracking app to make your payroll process as easy as possible. These entries have two-way sync with QuickBooks for a quick and easy payroll.

Key benefits

The possibilities for how you can customize Method:Field Services to boost efficiency for your business are endless, but a few of the key benefits are:

• Revenue comes in faster.
• Admin work is minimized.
• More repeat business. 
• Consistent accuracy and a reduced chance of manually mistyping info. 
• Get data-driven insights from work order reports With Method:Field Services.

2. Fishbowl

Fishbowl is a work order app for QuickBooks Online that offers a full-service business management software equipped with inventory management, barcode scanning, and bills of materials. 

This management software integrates with QuickBooks with two-way sync for accurate and efficient work order creation.

When looking for a QuickBooks Online work order solution, think of the price range your business is looking to fall into and see if Fishbowl pricing options fit.

With Fishbowl, you can expect the following key features:

• Inventory management.
• Barcode scanning and inventory tracking.
• Purchase orders and invoice creation.

With Fishbowl, you get a full-featured work order QuickBooks Online app at a low cost. It includes everything from invoicing to reporting.

3. Jobber

Jobber is a QuickBooks Online work orders app that allows you to turn a job request into a job on the spot. 

There work order forms include a lot of the key sections a good work order needs. Some of these include customer information, service items, and additional notes for you and your team to communicate about custom jobs easily.  

You can also use Jobber to organize and assign team members to jobs. Jobber also allows you to immediately notify your team of changes in their work schedule, all on their mobile app.

Tracking time for job completion is also a breeze with Jobber as it can easily sync with QuickBooks, which makes payroll and invoicing lighter work.

Some of the benefits of using Jobber for your work order needs are:

• More revenue for your business.
• Less admin work for your team.
• Fewer errors from manual data entry.

Jobber can help your business stay on top of business operations and offers a standard customizable work order QuickBooks Online integrated form. 

What to look for in a work order app for QuickBooks Online

Seamless customer signature capture

You want to choose a work order app for QuickBooks Online that gives your team access to work order information for when they are out in the field. This way:

• Less admin work needs to be done back at the office.
• Your sales cycle is faster — which means you get paid faster.
• Customer questions get answered in real-time.

Turn QuickBooks Online work orders into invoices

Turning work orders into invoices with the click of a button will save your business valuable time and get you paid faster.

 Not only are you avoiding the manual task of double data entry, but you are also ensuring the data from your work order is the same on the invoice. 

Strong customer support

Be mindful of the customer support offered when looking for a work order app for QuickBooks Online, as some vendors only offer expensive training and customer support. 

Instead, you want a field service management solution with free resources like tutorials and help articles to help your team learn the software.

Moreover, you also want to have ways to contact your provider that work for your business hours and style of operations. Whether through phone, email, or online chat, this is an important factor to consider. 

Wrap up: How to elevate your QuickBooks Online work order process

The work order QuickBooks Online offers can cause some frustration as it doesn’t allow for customizations and leaves out important details.

Here’s what to look for in a QuickBooks work order solution:

• Scheduling and dispatching capabilities.
• Seamless integration with QuickBooks.
• A mobile app.
• Customizable forms.

Take the work order QuickBooks Online offers to the next level with a free Method:Field Services trial.

Image credit: Sittinan via Adobe Stock

What is a work order?

Mainly used in the service industry, a work order is the term for a document that keeps track of all the tasks involved in completing a job requested by your customer.

Work orders include details such as:

• The specific actions required in completing the job.
• A forecast for when the job should take place.
• Which team member you’re tasking with the work.
• The materials or tools needed.

Any additional information specific to your business processes.

Understanding how to create a work order in QuickBooks Online keeps your business running smoothly, as it lets you outline all the job tasks clearly.

A work order can be saved as a draft before finalizing. Plus, it can be reviewed and approved by management before you start a job to verify project details before you begin.

Drawing from our experience, we recommend using a work order template that has a unique identification number to prevent your work orders from getting mixed up.

Your work order QuickBooks Online template should include space for details like:

• The scope of the project.
• If the job is assigned to a specific team or employee.
• Whether the job is linked to an existing estimate or job.
• A list that provides a summary of labor, materials, and other charges.

Best fully integrated QuickBooks work order apps

QuickBooks integrates with applications beyond those in Microsoft Office or Google Workspace. Some third-party companies have noted QuickBooks’ lack of work order functionality, and in turn released software solutions that tackle this issue. 

Our experts investigated apps with integrated services that represent the best solutions for how to create a work order in QuickBooks Online and Desktop.

Method:Field Services

It has never been easier to simplify your job management process from end to end with Method’s integrated QuickBooks work order software. Method:Field Services syncs with QuickBooks Online and Desktop to instantly update your data.

This two-way sync pulls your customer details and job information from QuickBooks into a work order so that you can schedule and dispatch jobs sooner. After putting it to the test, this cloud-based field service solution ensures that you no longer have to spend hours sifting through old files. Not to mention, you eliminate the issue of double data entry.

With Method:Field Services, you can leverage built-in work order form options using QuickBooks data in the office, then dispatch this information to field technicians on their mobile device. This makes updating schedules a breeze and increases the number of jobs you can complete.What’s more is that with the Method mobile app, customer approval is immediate, as your field crews can input an e-signature before leaving the job site. Preview how you can improve your day-to-day by using Method:Field Services below.

After completing jobs, you can convert work orders to invoices in just a few clicks and receive payments through an online customer payment portal. In these portals, you can record, track, and accept transactions in just a few clicks. This makes Method:Field Services our favorite option when asking how to create a work order in QuickBooks Online and Desktop.

Method portals make things easy as they populate your customer interaction history across all communication channels. Plus, they’re designed for self-service, so your customers can answer questions and resolve issues independently — without having to wait for a reply from your support team.

These portals also feature discussion forums, where your new customers can find and respond to posts from previous ones.

Also, you can sync the time tracking entries associated with each work order to QuickBooks for quick and easy payroll processing.

A work order tracking system like Method:Field Services helps you:

• Grow revenue faster.
• Retain customers and drive more repeat business.
• Maximize productivity with less admin work.
• Send sales receipts or validate estimates on-site with e-signature capture.
• Stay up to date with an automation that sends notifications or alerts upon status changes.
• Improve flexibility with a platform that allows for attachments or supplementary documents.

It’s not surprising that Method:Field Services is a popular choice for many industries. For example, if you’re looking for the best lawn care software compatible with QuickBooks, look no further.

Start your free trial to solve your QuickBooks work order problem and speed up your sales process.

Growing your business as a contractor can feel impossible.

Method can help

Field ProMax

The next solution on this list of top QuickBooks work order apps is Field ProMax.

For those new to Field ProMax, it’s a field service management software that integrates with QuickBooks. It benefits your business by maximizing your productivity and efficiency.

Our team discovered through using this product that you can manage your operations better with Field ProMax by:

• Creating work orders and dispatching them to on-field teams.
• Tracking locations of your crew and job status for real-time updates.
• Generating recurring work orders.
• Automating your service requests.

Field ProMax also lets you:

• Manage customers and services.
• Schedule days off.
• Assign team leads.
• Create inventory lists.
• Review analytics.
• Download custom reports.

After trying out this product, we found that Field ProMax makes it easy to sync customers and items with QuickBooks. The best part is that you can create work orders online and print them out without any QuickBooks limitations.You can start with an estimate in Field ProMax and convert it to a work order. After completion, the work order will automatically create a QuickBooks invoice.

That said, this option comes at the highest price point when compared to Method and Jobber.

Jobber

The final solution on this list of QuickBooks work orders app is Jobber. After using Jobber, we have found that you can turn a work request into a job or book a new job on the spot.

Jobber’s work orders include key features like customer information, service items, and additional notes so that you and your employees have a clear idea of what the business day looks like.

When a busy day requires rescheduling, use Jobber to assign and reassign your teams to jobs. As indicated by our tests, you can also immediately notify your team of schedule changes using the mobile app.

With Jobber, your team can track their time and job completion to keep everyone on the same page. All this information then gets synced with QuickBooks to make payroll and invoicing a breeze.

However, some users have noted limits in customization and mobile functionality.

Take your QuickBooks work orders to the next level with a free trial of Method:Field Services.

Image credit: Blue Planet Studio via Adobe Stock