Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions we get most often. Longer topics link to full articles.
Do I have to use Telegram?
No. Every action Telegram lets you take, you can do from the desktop dashboard. Telegram is faster when you're not near a computer, but it's optional.
See Full desktop parity with Telegram.
How much does TradesOps cost?
£9.99 per month, per business, flat. 30-day free trial, no card required up front.
See Pricing, trial and billing.
Can customers pay me by card?
Yes, once you've connected Stripe. Every stage invoice email carries a Pay by card button. The customer pays through Stripe's hosted checkout; TradesOps marks the invoice paid automatically.
Stripe's standard UK fees apply (approx 1.5% + 20p per card payment).
See Taking card payments with Stripe.
Does the AI make up prices?
No. IntelliQuote reads your site-visit notes and drafts a labour + materials figure based on what you described. You always review + adjust the numbers before the customer sees them.
If the customer sees a price that surprised you, it's because your notes described a scope that suggested that price — the AI didn't guess.
See How quotes work.
What happens on the customer's side when I approve an enquiry?
The customer receives a branded email from your-slug@tradesops.uk inviting them to pick a quote-visit slot at /b/your-slug/book/<token>. They pick a time; you get a Telegram (or dashboard) notification asking you to Confirm.
Can I edit a quote before it goes to the customer?
Yes. /dashboard/quotes/[id]/edit shows every field as an editable form — scope of work, labour narrative + price, materials narrative + price, duration, assumptions, exclusions. Save changes as draft, or approve and send from the same page.
The payment schedule auto-rescales when you change the labour or materials price so it always sums to the total.
Can I edit a quote after I've sent it?
Yes — as long as the customer hasn't accepted yet. Open the quote and tap Edit and resend. Save the changes and the customer gets a fresh email with the updated numbers. The old link they had stops working the moment you resend, so they'll always see the current version.
Once a customer has accepted, the quote is locked — see the next answer.
What if a customer replies to a quote?
Their reply lands as a customer message on the enquiry page. You reply from your own email client for now — reply-from-TradesOps is a fast-follow.
See Customer replies and your inbox.
What if a customer asks me to change something after they've accepted?
You can't edit an accepted quote. Cancel it (mark declined manually), redraft with the new scope, send them the new quote, they accept it. This is annoying for small tweaks but keeps the trail clean for real disputes.
Does TradesOps work for [my trade]?
TradesOps is designed for UK tradespeople who quote per-job — electricians, plumbers, roofers, joiners, decorators, builders, kitchen fitters, tilers, plasterers, heating engineers, landscapers, and similar. If your work is per-hour (e.g. drop-in handyperson), TradesOps still helps but you'll skip the payment-schedule stuff.
Can I use TradesOps for VAT-registered work?
Yes. Tick VAT registered in Settings → Business profile. Every quote and invoice then shows a VAT line calculated at your rate (default 20%). IntelliQuote drafts VAT-exclusive prices; the total is the VAT-inclusive amount.
Can I try TradesOps if I don't have my own website yet?
Yes. Your public enquiry link (tradesops.uk/b/your-slug/enquire) is a real, shareable customer-facing page — you can send it to prospects via WhatsApp, email, or QR code without a website of your own.
What happens if I cancel?
Access continues to the end of your current billing month. After that, you can log back in, export data, or reactivate any time. TradesOps holds your data for 30 days after cancellation, then deletes.
See Pricing, trial and billing.
I've got a suggestion. Where do I send it?
help@tradesops.uk. We read everything.