A Complete Guide to Getting Started with TradeCraft

Welcome to TradeCraft! We're thrilled to have you on board. This guide is your one-stop resource for setting up your account and mastering the core workflows that will help you streamline your operations, save time, and grow your service business.

Chapter 1: Your Initial Setup (10 Minutes)

First, let's get your company's digital headquarters established. A few minutes of setup now will save you hours down the line.

1. Complete Your Company Profile

Navigate to Settings > Company Profile. This is where you'll add your:

• Company Logo: Appears on all customer-facing documents.
• Company Info: Name, email, phone, and address.
• Default Tax Rate: Set a default tax rate to be automatically applied to new estimates and invoices.

This information gives your estimates and invoices a professional, branded look.

2. Invite Your Team

Go to Settings > Users & Roles and click Invite Employee. You can add your team members and assign them one of the following roles:

• COMPANY_ADMIN: Full access to all settings, financials, and operations.
• OFFICE_STAFF: Can manage customers, jobs, estimates, and invoices.
• DISPATCHER: Can create and assign jobs, with access to the Schedule and Dispatch board.
• FIELD_TECHNICIAN: A simplified view focused on their assigned jobs, status updates, and notes.

Chapter 2: Building Your Business Database

Next, let's populate TradeCraft with your core business data.

• Add Customers: Go to the Customers tab. A centralized CRM is key to tracking service history and managing communications effectively.
• Build Your Catalog: Under the Catalog tab, add your common products and services. Pre-defining names, descriptions, and prices will make creating estimates and invoices incredibly fast.
• Register Equipment: Use the Equipment tab to log your valuable assets. You can track who has what tool and log maintenance history to keep everything in top condition.

Chapter 3: Your First Workflow: Estimate to Payment

This is the core operational flow of TradeCraft. Let's walk through a typical job.

Estimate -> Approval -> Job -> Dispatch -> Completion -> Invoice -> Payment

1. Create an Estimate: Go to Estimates and create a new one. Select your customer and add line items directly from your catalog.
2. Send for Approval: Send the estimate to your customer. They receive a link to a public page where they can review and digitally sign for approval.
3. Convert to Job: Once approved, convert the estimate to a job with a single click. All the details are automatically carried over.
4. Manage the Job: The new job appears on the Schedule and Dispatch Board. Assign it to a technician, who can then update the status from their mobile device (On Route -> In Progress -> Completed).
5. Invoice & Get Paid: After the job is complete, generate an invoice. The customer can pay online via the public invoice link, and the payment is automatically recorded.

Chapter 4: Mastering Your Daily Operations

These pages are your command center for day-to-day management.

The Dashboard

This is your 30,000-foot view. Instantly see key stats like Total Revenue and Active Jobs. The Revenue Overview chart gives you a visual breakdown of your income by month, helping you spot trends at a glance.

The Schedule

A full-calendar view of all scheduled jobs. Use the filters to view the schedule for a specific technician or job status, making it easy to find open slots and prevent conflicts.

The Dispatch Board

This is your real-time air traffic control. See all active jobs organized by status in a Kanban-style layout (Scheduled, Dispatched, In Progress, etc.). It provides immediate clarity on who is doing what and where.

Chapter 5: Advanced Configuration

As you grow, TradeCraft scales with you.

• Page Permissions: As an Admin, you can go to Settings and then Permissions to control exactly which pages each role can access, giving you granular control over your team's view.
• Email Templates: Customize the content of emails for invoices and estimates under Settings > Templates to match your brand's voice.
• Reporting: Visit the Reports page to gain critical insights into your top-performing services and technician productivity.

You're now equipped with the knowledge to manage your business efficiently with TradeCraft. Explore the platform, and don't hesitate to reach out to our support team if you have any questions!