Software for tradesmen, from first call to final payment.
IBIOS is software for tradesmen and UK trade businesses. Customer records, quotes from supplier documents, supplier orders and pay by link all sit on one job record, so the whole job is in one place, for any UK trade business. Coming soon: AI Receptionist.
Comparing systems? Our job management software guide for UK trades sets out what is live, what is coming soon, and which trades IBIOS suits best.
Generic software was not built for trade businesses
Generic CRMs are built for subscription software companies. Accounting packages are built for accountants. Enterprise sales tools are built for large sales teams. None of them were built for a UK trade business where the sale is a one-off customer job, the product comes from a supplier order, the work is done on site, and payment is collected at the end.
The gap shows up in practice. A generic CRM is not designed to link a supplier order to a customer job. An accounting package cannot build a quote from a supplier PDF. A generic phone line cannot check the job record when a customer asks whether their order has arrived — something the IBIOS AI Receptionist (coming soon) will do.
IBIOS was built inside a working trade business — Isabella Bathrooms in Doagh, Co. Antrim. Every module reflects the actual workflow of a business that takes customer jobs, sources materials, schedules fitting, and collects payment. Not a product designed by a software company — a product built by people who ran the business first.
Common problems. Specific solutions.
Enquiry calls missed when on a job
Coming soon: the AI Receptionist will answer when you can’t, book appointments, capture details, and alert you
Quotes built manually from supplier pricelists, line by line
Quote Studio reads a supplier PDF into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products and applies your margin
No central record of which materials are ordered for which job
Order Management links every supplier order to the customer job from the moment it is raised
Payment chased by phone after job completion
Pay by Link — send a payment link by email, or paste it into your own message, on job completion. No follow-up call needed.
Customer calling to check job status when you are on another job
Coming soon: the AI Receptionist will check the live job record and give a status update — without interrupting you
No audit trail if a dispute arises about what was agreed
Every IBIOS action is logged with timestamp, user, and device — full audit trail for every job
Soon
Coming soon: enquiry calls answered when you can’t
PDF to quote
Quote Studio reads a supplier PDF into quote lines in about 60 seconds
Built for how trade businesses operate
AI Receptionist (coming soon)
Coming soon: will handle enquiry calls, appointment bookings, and job status queries when you can’t, for any trade business type.
Quote Studio
Upload a supplier PDF, merchant quote, or photo. IBIOS reads it into quote lines in about 60 seconds, then matches them to your own products, applies your margin and generates the customer document.
Customer & job CRM
Every customer, every job, every interaction in one record. No spreadsheet, no sticky note, no lost email thread.
Supplier Order Management
Raise orders from the job record. Track acknowledgements, deliveries, and invoices in one place — linked to the job they belong to.
Pay by Link
Email a payment link, paste it into your own message, or embed a QR code in the quote. Customer can pay straight away. No chasing. Reconciled to the job automatically.
Full audit log
Every action in IBIOS is recorded — who changed what, when, from which device. Complete audit trail for every customer and job.
Buying guide
Choosing software for a trade business: start with the shape of your jobs
Written by the IBIOS team. IBIOS was built inside a working bathroom showroom in Northern Ireland, where it runs the business day to day. Last updated 18 October 2026.
How do you choose job management software for a trade business?
Ignore the feature lists for a moment and describe one typical job, start to finish. Is it a short visit and an invoice, a project with materials ordered in, or a sale from stock? The shape of that job tells you which kind of software you need far more reliably than any demo.
- Describe a typical job. From first contact to final payment, including who touches it and where it usually stalls.
- Find the kind of software that fits that shape. Short visits suit field-service suites; projects with materials suit job and order systems; counter sales suit EPOS.
- Check how prices get in. Supplier price lists and quotes should be read in, not retyped.
- Check how money is recorded. Deposits and balances against the job, with references you can find later.
- Check who sees what. Staff, subcontractors and managers need different views of the same job.
- Separate live from promised. Ask every vendor what runs today and what is on the roadmap, in writing.
Do you need one system, or a few that work together?
Smaller businesses often do better with one or two well-chosen tools than with an all-in-one system they half use. Your accounts software is usually already chosen, and should stay.
Each IBIOS product works on its own: quoting, bookings, CRM, inventory, order management, payments and others. Start with the one that fixes your worst bottleneck and add others when they earn their place.
When is a field-service suite the better choice?
If your work is mostly short visits by engineers carrying their own materials, field-service and job-management suites are built for exactly that: phone apps, job sheets, reminders and quick invoicing. We would rather you bought the right tool.
IBIOS is stronger where a job involves supplier prices, a quote, a deposit, supplier orders, stock or a showroom.
What does a trade business need to keep, whatever software it uses?
Across the UK, including Northern Ireland, you need records that support your VAT returns and accounts, and customer data handled under UK data protection law. Sector rules, such as gas, electrical or building regulations, vary by trade and in some cases by nation.
Your software should make the quote a customer accepted, the payments they made and the work you did easy to find years later.
Field-service suite, accounts package, generic CRM or IBIOS?
How the usual options tend to work out for a UK trade business.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Field-service / job-management suite | Short visits, engineer phone apps and quick invoicing. | Often light on supplier quotes, supplier orders and stock. |
| Accounts package with invoicing | Invoices, VAT and bookkeeping. | No real job record: dates, materials and notes end up elsewhere. |
| Generic CRM | Leads, pipelines and follow-up emails. | No supplier orders, stock or goods-in for a business that sells physical products. |
| IBIOS | Trade businesses that quote from supplier prices, take deposits, order from suppliers and hold stock. | Early access by waiting list. The AI receptionist, QuickBooks and Xero sync, delivery and counter sale (EPOS) are coming soon, not live yet. |
What you need in place before you switch
- A written description of one typical job, start to finish.
- Your supplier price lists and your own catalogue as files.
- Your quote, deposit and payment terms.
- A list of staff and subcontractors, and what each should see.
- A clean customer list to import.
What it costs
The subscription is rarely the expensive part. Lost quotes, unbilled materials and time spent retyping supplier prices usually cost far more. Weigh any software against those.
Founding prices for waiting-list members are explained on the pricing page. You choose the products you use.
Last reviewed October 2026.
What people get wrong
- Choosing on a slick demo rather than on one of your own jobs.
- Buying an all-in-one system and using a fraction of it.
- Replacing accounts software that was working fine.
- Moving a messy customer list across without cleaning it first.
- Giving every login access to cost prices and payments.
- Paying for a roadmap instead of what runs today.
Related reading
- Quoting software buying guide
- UK trade software compared
- Quote to cash for trade businesses
- Digital trade business checklist
- How IBIOS compares with job management software
- Job management software for UK trades
Trade business software FAQs
Is IBIOS only for bathroom businesses?
No. IBIOS was built inside a bathroom showroom, but each product works on its own for any UK business that needs it.
Can I start with one product and add others later?
Yes. Each IBIOS product works on its own, so you can start with one and add more when you need them.
Does IBIOS replace my accounts software?
No. Keep your accounts software; QuickBooks and Xero sync are coming soon, not live yet.
Is IBIOS job management software or field service software?
Mainly job management software. If your work is mostly short engineer visits, a field service software suite may suit you better; IBIOS is strongest on quotes, supplier orders and stock, with visits scheduled against each job.
Can staff ask IBIOS questions about the business?
Yes. Ask IBIOS answers typed questions over your live data; voice questions are coming soon.
How do I get IBIOS?
Join the waiting list. IBIOS is in early access and there is no free trial.
Not sure where you fit?
Describe one typical job to us. We will tell you which IBIOS product, if any, would help first, and say so plainly if another kind of software would serve you better.
IBIOS Limited · company no. NI743167 · 10 Ballyclare Road, Doagh, Ballyclare BT39 0PE · Production is hosted in the UK.
The trade platform built for the way trade businesses work.
Quoting, orders, and Pay by Link — built by a trade business, for any UK trade business. AI Receptionist coming soon. Early access by waiting list.