MMDSolutions

Business admin for UK trades

Enquiry to invoice: a simple workflow for UK trades

By MMD Solutions Ltd · Reviewed 23 October 2026

Keep one job record from first enquiry to payment review. Use the same basic steps across trades, then add only the details the work needs.

The six steps

  1. Capture the request. Record the customer, job address, requested work and contact route. Give urgent requests an owner to review.
  2. Check the scope. Record measurements, survey questions, access and exclusions where relevant. Identify who approves the work and who pays.
  3. Agree the quote. Review the price and terms, then retain the agreed version and acceptance evidence. Get approval before doing extra work.
  4. Confirm the booking. Check availability, materials and access. Distinguish a requested date from a confirmed date.
  5. Record completion. Note work done, outstanding items, approved extras and relevant document references.
  6. Review the invoice and balance. Issue invoices through your accounts system. Check payments and credits before chasing; resolve disputes separately.

At every stage, keep one clear next action and a date. These are suggested admin steps; the right sequence depends on the job.

Adapt the details to the work

Illustrative examples, not mandatory fields or a technical checklist
Trade or workUseful detailsNext decision
Plumbing and heatingReported fault, appliance or system, property and approval contactOwner review, visit or routine service?
ElectricalRequested work, location, existing information and inspection needsWhat must be assessed before quoting?
Roofing and buildingSurvey findings, scope, access, materials and project stagesAre scope and stage payments agreed?
Joinery and kitchen fittingChecked measurements, specification, customer choices and delivery datesIs the specification ready for approval?
Painting, decorating and plasteringAreas, surface condition, preparation, finish and accessWhat preparation and exclusions need agreeing?
Landscaping, fencing and groundworksSite measurements, access, materials, waste and weather dependenciesIs a site visit or scope clarification needed?
Cleaning and property maintenanceTasks, frequency, access, exclusions and payerOne-off booking or agreed repeat work?
Other tradesOutcome, site, scope, approval and completion evidenceWhich extra detail changes the next action?

Start with the fields you use. Do not collect every detail in this table for every job. The ICO data-minimisation principle requires personal information to be relevant and limited to what is needed. Keep access codes out of general job notes.

Example: a decorating job with an extra room

Record the rooms, preparation and agreed finish against the job. If the customer later requests another room, agree the extra scope and price before starting it and retain that approval. At completion, pass the agreed work and extras to invoice review. This illustrates the same handover used for an extra fitting, repair or section of fencing.

Business Companion explains that extra work needs consumer permission before proceeding. Check the appropriate national guidance for the contract.

Use the guidance for the UK nation and customer

Separate domestic consumer work from business contracts. The information, cancellation and payment rules depend on the contract and how it is made. Business Companion provides guidance for England, Scotland and Wales; use nibusinessinfo consumer-contract guidance for Northern Ireland.

Trade competence, safety, certification and building requirements remain specific to the work and location. A job note or “complete” stage does not replace an assessment or required certificate. An unattended enquiry queue is not an emergency response route.

GOV.UK lists invoice requirements, including additional requirements for different business types and VAT. Keep invoices, credits and balances in your accounts system.

Use the workflow in MMD Tracker

Create a customer and job, choose the stage and set the next action. Open the optional enquiry section for work type, priority, approval contact, access and scope. Use the completion section for completed work, extras and the invoice reference.

Payment status is manual. The dashboard separates invoice review from disputes. Quotes, online acceptance, diary booking and accounting integration are future milestones.

See tracker features · Current pricing · Signed-in product milestones

Useful next guides

Evidence and scope

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Official sources are linked beside the claims they support. The six-step sequence and trade examples are MMD product guidance, not a legal checklist or measured customer results. Test the workflow against your own jobs before moving your records.

MMD Solutions provides practical customer management and admin support for UK trade businesses.

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The paid pilot lasts 30 days from activation. Callback costs £49; Callback with either Enquiry & quote follow-up or Invoice & payment reminders costs £68; Callback with both additions costs £87. There is one £49 standard setup fee, making the first payment £98, £117 or £136 respectively. Prices are before any applicable VAT. Standard setup covers compatibility checks, standard configuration, message templates, testing and a handover, with up to one hour of setup time. We confirm availability, compatibility, scope and costs before you agree to start. Each addition includes 50 outgoing SMS segments per service month and normal customer replies. Long texts can use more than one segment. We notify you before the limit and pause additional automated messages at the cap. A £10 prepaid top-up for 100 outgoing segments needs your approval; no automatic overage charges. At day 30 you explicitly choose whether to continue at the same monthly price, held for your first three months. After that agreement, the service renews monthly; you can cancel the next renewal through the billing portal or by contacting us. If you do not continue, we agree how to return call handling to its previous setup. Existing customers pay £19/month per addition and one £49 setup fee to configure one or both additions. Custom integrations are scoped and quoted separately, with third-party fees and any maintenance agreed before work starts. Research participation, marketing and analytics are separate choices. Honest feedback is welcome; no positive review is required and the initial conversation carries no obligation to buy. Callback includes up to 20 voicemail messages or 20 processing minutes per service month, whichever is reached first, for one business number. Each message is counted separately and its duration is rounded up to a whole processing minute: a 20-second message uses 1 minute; a 61-second message uses 2. Messages are limited to 2 minutes. Unused allowance does not roll over. We confirm activation and reset dates, and how calls are handled at the limit, before activation. Extra callback usage must be agreed separately; there are no automatic paid top-ups.

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