What Lode runs
The routine work that keeps a business moving
What Lode is built to run, with evidence beside each proposed action.
Lode is software built to act as an operations team for service businesses. Start with one task that gets stuck between the job system, inbox, accounts and the people doing the work.
The examples below show the records needed, the work to prepare and the person who makes the decision. We confirm connections and access for your business during a walkthrough.
Follow up the work you have already won or quoted
A quote needs a reply, or a completed job needs an invoice. Bring the latest customer message together with the agreed scope and promised date. Review a follow-up that fits the conversation.
| Routine job | Records needed | Work prepared for approval | Who approves |
|---|---|---|---|
| An unanswered lead | Messages and the customer timeline | A first reply with the missing question identified | The office |
| A stalled quote | Quoted scope and the last customer reply | A dated follow-up that fits the conversation | Sales |
| A tender or client update | Job notes, drawings and earlier responses | A draft with supporting records | The project lead |
Replan when a delivery or visit changes
A late delivery can affect the crew, site access and the promise made to the customer. A useful plan shows those dependencies together, with the messages needed for each person.
| Routine job | Records needed | Work prepared for approval | Who approves |
|---|---|---|---|
| A weather or delivery delay | The schedule, access, crews and supplier messages | A revised plan with related messages | The dispatcher |
| An unconfirmed purchase order | Purchase records and the supplier reply | A confirmation chase with evidence | Procurement |
| Materials missing for next week | Planned jobs, parts notes and delivery promises | A readiness list with the blockers marked | The operations lead |
Check extra work and supplier costs
Compare the quote with what happened on site and what the supplier billed. Flag the extra quantity, changed price or unbilled work for the person who can resolve it.
| Routine job | Records needed | Work prepared for approval | Who approves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unbilled change orders (variations) | Site notes, email changes, quoted scope and invoices | Extra work needing a pricing decision | The commercial lead |
| Supplier bill differences | The bill, purchase order and delivery evidence | A three-way check with quantities and prices cited | Accounts |
| Slipping margin or overdue payment | Labor, supplier costs, quotes and invoice history | A flagged difference and proposed follow-up | The owner |
Make a useful check part of the routine
Choose a question your team asks repeatedly, such as which jobs still need a revised price. Agree the records, timing and reviewer before turning it into a regular check.
| Routine job | Records needed | Work prepared for approval | Who approves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changed drawings | Revised drawings and active job references | Affected jobs and proposed variation review | The project lead |
| A regular job check | A plain-English question and permitted records | A regular review with supporting records | The owner |
| A task your current tools do not cover | The firm's bottleneck, rules and existing records | A proposed drawing register or document check | The owner |
Connect the records for your workflow
Start with the result your team needs, then identify the records behind it. The comparison pages explain the connection questions for each tool. Keep access limited to the work you agree.
Where this fits, by trade
The same operating checks, with the detail that matters in each trade.
- Electrical: job context, access notes, quote chases and closing paperwork.
- Facilities: reactive requests with owners, recurring work and client updates.
- HVAC: equipment history, maintenance and install clashes, and delayed equipment.
- Landscaping: materials, weather moves and client replies.
- Plumbing: messages, parts checks and invoices that are chased too late.
Keep the tools your team relies on
Keep jobs, schedules and invoices in the systems you already use. Explore where Lode fits around them, and check the records and access available to your account.
- Compare systems: the hub, with a sourced row for each system.
- Lode vs ServiceTitan: keep ServiceTitan, add Lode for the chasing around it.
- Lode vs Jobber: keep Jobber, add Lode for the follow-ups and the joining-up.
- Lode vs Housecall Pro: keep Housecall Pro, add Lode for the work between visits.
- Lode vs Tradify: assess inbox and accounting routes around its API boundary.
- Lode vs Simpro: connect cost-center evidence, drawings and variations.
- Lode vs Zapier: compare workflow triggers and prepared operational reviews.
Practical guides that go with it
- Job costing for service businesses: the formula, a margin check and a fictional worked example.
- Supplier delays on service jobs: a checklist for when a delivery moves.
- How to follow up a quote: timing and wording.
- Drawing revision and variation control: keep changed scope and approval evidence together.
- Landscape quote and site handover checklist: review scope, pricing and crew handovers.
Tools
- Margin vs markup calculator: see both numbers for any cost and price.
- Does my system have an API?: eleven systems: public API, auth, webhooks, accounting partners and markets, each the vendor's own statement with a source.
How Lode runs it
How it runs explains the steps from connected records to prepared work and approval. The homepage illustration follows the fictional Cedar Mews job using sample data. The security page explains access and approval.
Read the operating examples for other business situations and about Lode for our approach.
You choose what changes
Your team reviews proposed messages, prices and schedule changes before approving them. Keep the decision with the records behind it so the next person can follow what happened.
Start with one task
Choose a task your team chases or rebuilds by hand each week. Bring the job, the tools involved and the decision needed to a walkthrough. We will explore the sample output and agree the next step.
Questions people ask
Does Lode replace my job system?
No. The job system stays the place for jobs, schedules, estimates and invoices. Lode is built to run the routine work around those records and asks before anything changes.
Does Lode send anything on its own?
No. Lode drafts and a person approves, with the evidence visible. That is how Lode is designed to work.
Is it only for small firms?
No. Lode is built for service businesses from growing firms to multi-site groups.
Which trades does Lode cover?
Lode prepares operational work for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, facilities and landscaping firms. The routine jobs in the table are not specific to one trade.
Which task should we start with?
Choose something your team checks or chases by hand each week. Bring one example and the tools involved. Choose a walkthrough time in Google Calendar.
Book a walkthrough
Book a walkthrough to choose a time in Google Calendar.