With the astronomical costs involved in running a modern contracting business, contractors now more than ever need to be on the ball when it comes to documenting and invoicing works carried out.
Most contractors record their work in handwritten diaries which they give to each employee and from here maybe once each month entries have to be transferred to invoice books or to a computer system. But as we all know too well, when the pressure comes on to get through workload it can be very easy to make a slipup and forget to take note of a certain job or worse again the diary is lost. This can potentially lead to a client customer not being correctly invoiced.
This should no longer be the case with today’s purpose built app-based solutions to help streamline the process. This year more than ever, cashflow is critical due to the significant costs involved such as diesel, tyres machinery and spare parts. Invoices need to be sent out on a monthly basis and not the traditional way which was once or twice a year.
In this piece, we take a look at two Irish companies offering app-based platforms and their features.
Kingswood Computing
Established in 1987 by Gerry Lynskey, Kingswood Computing specialises in agricultural contracting, livestock and veterinary management software solutions. Two package options are available to suit the varying needs of individual contractors.
Billing App
For the contractor who just wants to focus on recording job data and getting his/her money in, Kingswood have a simple, mobile solution called the Billing App. From the cab, the contractor can record job details, enter payments received, check customer balances as well as apply calculated interest to outstanding balances if he or she wishes. From here, all invoices and statements can be sent via email.
There is also a job scheduler function that allows the contractor to allocate jobs to particular operators days or weeks in advance. Once the Billing App has been installed and linked with the business, the operator can only see their allocated jobs and not financial information. When the job is done, it is flagged on the app as completed along with that particular job-specific information which can be edited at a later date if necessary.
A key indicator function will tell the contractor information such as how much revenue has been generated for the year to date, how much money they have outstanding at any point in time and a list of jobs completed but not yet billed etc.
There is also an added geo-tracking feature. This means the app can be used to monitor operators’ clock in and clock out times. Meanwhile, a geo-locator function can record the time and place, start and finish times of each job automatically.
The printing out of invoices and statements can be easily done from a computer or while all the billing activities can be done from the phone.
The Billing App is priced at €250 plus VAT per year.
Full Contractor Accounts
For the larger contracting enterprise requiring a more comprehensive computer-based accounting solution, Kingswood offers a Full Contracting Accounts package. This includes sales and purchase ledgers, VAT analysis, job cards and invoicing. All this information feeds into end of year accounts reports for both the accountant and the contracting business. The firm is also provided with profit and loss, enterprise costings and monthly budgeting. In turn, the contractor can work out VAT every two or three months as well as having complete oversight of costs at the end of the year.
The software system is developed to issue the following reports:
Customer/supplier reports – age of debt, invoice/payment listing. Financial reports – cashflow, profit and loss, balance sheet. Vat – invoice and payments/receipts-based VAT. Management reports – activity costing, yearly comparisons etc. Cashflow budgeting – actual cashflow v budget – monthly/annual. Audit reports – for accountancy and taxation purposes. Kingswood also offers a mobile Job Card as part of the package which works in conjunction with the computer software. The Job Card app is used for inputting job details and checking customer balances by phone, keeping track of ongoing client activities. The operator enters the job details on the phone app and the information is instantly sent to the Kingswood server.
The Job Card information is then automatically synced across all devices meaning all the same information is displayed on one portal. The package with training will cost over €1,000 plus VAT with a further annual subscription fee of €250 plus VAT.
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OneClick Accounts
OneClick Accounts is the creation of west Cork man Peter O’Donovan. Seeing years of how contractors’ bad habits around recording work costs a business money, Peter decided to develop his own app-based system. Peter, who is also the son of an agricultural contractor, said he designed the app and program with simplicity and ease of use in mind. The software carries out work behind the operational screen to help make life easy for contractors during busy periods.
He felt that bad practices such as employees writing down job information in notepads that got left behind here and there, notepads ruined with oil and even writing the job information in the dust on a machine, meant it was inevitable that some jobs were not recorded fully and that information was lost and not invoiced for.
The machine drivers download the OneClickAccounts app on their smartphone. Each driver has a login unique to that business. On the app there is a pre-populated list on a drop-down menu for all the customers and all the jobs carried out by the business, helping to eliminate the need to input any information.
The only data that has to be entered is the number of bales made or acres mown etc. Other customised job descriptions for each customer can also be included, which might include selections for baled silage such as barrel wrap, net wrap or extra plastic etc. This takes away the need for drivers to key in job descriptions. All the jobs are selected from a menu, like the contact list on a phone.
There is a box to add a description or a comment on each job so the contractor knows the story when the information is sent over and can communicate it to the customer when it comes to invoice time.
For confidentiality, drivers don’t have access to invoices or reports for any customer, only the information required to record the job. The employee or driver can enter information even if there is no phone coverage. It will then sync afterwards when the phone signal comes back.
The contractor can login to his/her computer using an internet browser. Once logged in, they can see all the customers’ transactions, for a selected period or the entire history. Generating the invoice is as simple as clicking on the customer and checking all of the work for the period. Once approved, a link is then clicked to generate the invoice. The invoice is generated for email or in PDF format for print. The program also records when the invoice was sent to the customer automatically. 
The only data that has to be entered is the number of bales made or acres ploughed etc.
The only work the contractor has to do is approve the information coming from the driver’s phone. On the system the contactor can look at the total money collected for each job. This allows him/her to see in live time the busiest operations and the customers for whom he does the most work.
Peter explained that the package is a yearly subscription, depending on the size of the business ranging from a few hundred euro upwards.
He also noted that a new phone app with added features is due to be released later this year, with other features such as improved financial operations being worked on. 
With OneClick Accounts all jobs are selected from an existing menu.
With the astronomical costs involved in running a modern contracting business, contractors now more than ever need to be on the ball when it comes to documenting and invoicing works carried out.
Most contractors record their work in handwritten diaries which they give to each employee and from here maybe once each month entries have to be transferred to invoice books or to a computer system. But as we all know too well, when the pressure comes on to get through workload it can be very easy to make a slipup and forget to take note of a certain job or worse again the diary is lost. This can potentially lead to a client customer not being correctly invoiced.
This should no longer be the case with today’s purpose built app-based solutions to help streamline the process. This year more than ever, cashflow is critical due to the significant costs involved such as diesel, tyres machinery and spare parts. Invoices need to be sent out on a monthly basis and not the traditional way which was once or twice a year.
In this piece, we take a look at two Irish companies offering app-based platforms and their features.
Kingswood Computing
Established in 1987 by Gerry Lynskey, Kingswood Computing specialises in agricultural contracting, livestock and veterinary management software solutions. Two package options are available to suit the varying needs of individual contractors.
Billing App
For the contractor who just wants to focus on recording job data and getting his/her money in, Kingswood have a simple, mobile solution called the Billing App. From the cab, the contractor can record job details, enter payments received, check customer balances as well as apply calculated interest to outstanding balances if he or she wishes. From here, all invoices and statements can be sent via email.
There is also a job scheduler function that allows the contractor to allocate jobs to particular operators days or weeks in advance. Once the Billing App has been installed and linked with the business, the operator can only see their allocated jobs and not financial information. When the job is done, it is flagged on the app as completed along with that particular job-specific information which can be edited at a later date if necessary.
A key indicator function will tell the contractor information such as how much revenue has been generated for the year to date, how much money they have outstanding at any point in time and a list of jobs completed but not yet billed etc.
There is also an added geo-tracking feature. This means the app can be used to monitor operators’ clock in and clock out times. Meanwhile, a geo-locator function can record the time and place, start and finish times of each job automatically.
The printing out of invoices and statements can be easily done from a computer or while all the billing activities can be done from the phone.
The Billing App is priced at €250 plus VAT per year.
Full Contractor Accounts
For the larger contracting enterprise requiring a more comprehensive computer-based accounting solution, Kingswood offers a Full Contracting Accounts package. This includes sales and purchase ledgers, VAT analysis, job cards and invoicing. All this information feeds into end of year accounts reports for both the accountant and the contracting business. The firm is also provided with profit and loss, enterprise costings and monthly budgeting. In turn, the contractor can work out VAT every two or three months as well as having complete oversight of costs at the end of the year.
The software system is developed to issue the following reports:
Customer/supplier reports – age of debt, invoice/payment listing. Financial reports – cashflow, profit and loss, balance sheet. Vat – invoice and payments/receipts-based VAT. Management reports – activity costing, yearly comparisons etc. Cashflow budgeting – actual cashflow v budget – monthly/annual. Audit reports – for accountancy and taxation purposes. Kingswood also offers a mobile Job Card as part of the package which works in conjunction with the computer software. The Job Card app is used for inputting job details and checking customer balances by phone, keeping track of ongoing client activities. The operator enters the job details on the phone app and the information is instantly sent to the Kingswood server.
The Job Card information is then automatically synced across all devices meaning all the same information is displayed on one portal. The package with training will cost over €1,000 plus VAT with a further annual subscription fee of €250 plus VAT.
OneClick Accounts
OneClick Accounts is the creation of west Cork man Peter O’Donovan. Seeing years of how contractors’ bad habits around recording work costs a business money, Peter decided to develop his own app-based system. Peter, who is also the son of an agricultural contractor, said he designed the app and program with simplicity and ease of use in mind. The software carries out work behind the operational screen to help make life easy for contractors during busy periods.
He felt that bad practices such as employees writing down job information in notepads that got left behind here and there, notepads ruined with oil and even writing the job information in the dust on a machine, meant it was inevitable that some jobs were not recorded fully and that information was lost and not invoiced for.
The machine drivers download the OneClickAccounts app on their smartphone. Each driver has a login unique to that business. On the app there is a pre-populated list on a drop-down menu for all the customers and all the jobs carried out by the business, helping to eliminate the need to input any information.
The only data that has to be entered is the number of bales made or acres mown etc. Other customised job descriptions for each customer can also be included, which might include selections for baled silage such as barrel wrap, net wrap or extra plastic etc. This takes away the need for drivers to key in job descriptions. All the jobs are selected from a menu, like the contact list on a phone.
There is a box to add a description or a comment on each job so the contractor knows the story when the information is sent over and can communicate it to the customer when it comes to invoice time.
For confidentiality, drivers don’t have access to invoices or reports for any customer, only the information required to record the job. The employee or driver can enter information even if there is no phone coverage. It will then sync afterwards when the phone signal comes back.
The contractor can login to his/her computer using an internet browser. Once logged in, they can see all the customers’ transactions, for a selected period or the entire history. Generating the invoice is as simple as clicking on the customer and checking all of the work for the period. Once approved, a link is then clicked to generate the invoice. The invoice is generated for email or in PDF format for print. The program also records when the invoice was sent to the customer automatically.
The only data that has to be entered is the number of bales made or acres ploughed etc.
The only work the contractor has to do is approve the information coming from the driver’s phone. On the system the contactor can look at the total money collected for each job. This allows him/her to see in live time the busiest operations and the customers for whom he does the most work.
Peter explained that the package is a yearly subscription, depending on the size of the business ranging from a few hundred euro upwards.
He also noted that a new phone app with added features is due to be released later this year, with other features such as improved financial operations being worked on.
With OneClick Accounts all jobs are selected from an existing menu.
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