Abstract:
A method of estimating, scheduling and administrating a job including the steps of: receiving a location of a contractor; determining a status of the job according to the location of the contractor; sending to the contractor a prompt according to the status of the job; receiving a response to the prompt from the contractor and storing the response on a server; and sending the response to a customer for the job.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to an automated system and method for job estimating, scheduling and administration. In particular the invention allows a contractor to receive automated job notifications, provide estimates or quotes, and to schedule and invoice jobs using a wireless computing device such as a smartphone. In addition, notifications may automatically be sent to other parties associated with the job according to their respective role. The invention also automatically compiles bookkeeping information based on invoiced revenue and expense data. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Typically, when a customer requires a contractor, such as a plumber or an electrician, the customer often uses a business directory to locate suitable contractors. Once the customer has found a suitable contractor, the customer contacts the contractor to obtain a quote. Most customers obtain several quotes by telephoning several contractors. However, this process is time consuming for the customer, and inconvenient for many contractors, especially those that are sole traders. 
         [0003]    In order to overcome some of, these problems, websites have been developed that allow a customer to obtain several quotes from a single source. The customer logs into a website and answers a series of questions to determine requirements of the job. The requirements of the job are then sent electronically, typically by email, to several contractors that then have an opportunity to provide a quote to the customer. The customer receives the quotes from the contractors and then contacts the preferred contractor or contractors to perform the job. 
         [0004]    Although this process can be convenient for the customer, it can be difficult for small to medium sized contractors. The process is more advantageous to larger contractors who have personnel dedicated to administrative tasks such as providing quotations, and thus are able to provide quotations more quickly. Furthermore, larger contractors are able to invoice for the work performed more efficiently and thus achieve a well managed cash flow. 
         [0005]    When scheduling jobs, a contractor may use a mapping tool to determine a required time to travel between two or more locations. Using this data in conjunction with an approximate time taken to perform a job, the contractor may draw up a schedule. However this process is also time consuming, and it can be difficult to make changes to the schedule as the schedule must be manually reconfigured. 
         [0006]    Prior art systems exist that allow jobs to be scheduled based on a contractor&#39;s expertise and a priority or urgency of a job. In addition, systems exist that allow the jobs to be effectively scheduled according to a geographical region. Although such systems may be useful for larger contractors, such systems do not allow administration of jobs for use by sole traders or small contractors. 
         [0007]    There is therefore a need for an improved system and method for job estimating, scheduling and administration. 
         [0008]    The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge, either in Australia or elsewhere. 
       OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of some embodiments of the present invention to provide consumers with improvements and advantages over the above described prior art, and/or overcome and alleviate one or more of the above described disadvantages of the prior art, and/or provide a useful commercial choice. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In one form, although not necessarily the only or broadest form, the invention resides in a method of estimating, scheduling and administrating a job including the steps of: 
         [0011]    receiving a location of a contractor; 
         [0012]    determining a status of the job according to the location of the contractor; 
         [0013]    sending to the contractor a prompt according to the status of the job; 
         [0014]    receiving a response to the prompt from the contractor and storing the response on a server; and 
         [0015]    sending the response to a customer for the job. 
         [0016]    In another form, the invention resides in a system for estimating, scheduling and administrating a job including: 
         [0017]    a server connected to the internet, the server including: 
         [0018]    a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the memory includes computer readable program code components configured to cause: 
         [0019]    receiving a location of a contractor; 
         [0020]    determining a status of the job according to the location of the contractor; 
         [0021]    sending to the contractor a prompt according to the status of the job; 
         [0022]    receiving a response to the prompt from the contractor and storing the response on the server; and 
         [0023]    sending the response to a customer for the job. 
         [0024]    In yet another form, the invention resides in a mobile computing device for estimating, scheduling and administrating a job including: 
         [0025]    a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the memory includes computer readable program code components configured to cause: 
         [0026]    receiving a location of a contractor; 
         [0027]    determining a status of the job according to the location of the contractor; 
         [0028]    sending to the contractor a prompt according to the status of the job; 
         [0029]    receiving a response to the prompt from the contractor and storing the response on a server or the mobile computing device; and 
         [0030]    sending the response to a customer for the job. 
         [0031]    Preferably, the status is one of a request for quotation or a live job, and the prompt is a prompt to complete a quote and a prompt to send an invoice, respectively. 
         [0032]    Preferably, the prompt is sent from the server to the contractor when the contractor arrives at or near to the location. 
         [0033]    Preferably, the location includes co-ordinates obtained from a. Global Positioning System (GPS). 
         [0034]    Preferably, the location includes co-ordinates obtained by radio frequency triangulation including cellular triangulation. 
         [0035]    Preferably, the location includes co-ordinates obtained by reference to available local short-range Wi-Fi networks. 
         [0036]    Preferably, the location is displayed to the contractor on a map. 
         [0037]    Preferably, the location is displayed according to the job status. 
         [0038]    Preferably, the quote is completed from a template. 
         [0039]    Preferably, the template is created by the contractor and stored on the server. 
         [0040]    Preferably, the template is created with reference to information generated by the contractor and the customer and stored on the server. 
         [0041]    Preferably, the quote includes a cost of one or more parts. 
         [0042]    Preferably, the cost of the part is determined including the steps of: 
         [0043]    receiving a description of the part; 
         [0044]    sending the description of the part to a retailer; 
         [0045]    receiving from the retailer a cost of the part; and 
         [0046]    updating the quote with the cost of the part. 
         [0047]    Preferably, the cost of the part is retrieved from a price list provided by a retailer. The price list may be stored on the server or locally on the mobile computing device or retrieved directly from the retailer in real time. 
         [0048]    Preferably, a schedule of jobs is automatically created according to a time to perform the job and the location of the job, and the schedule is sent to the contractor. 
         [0049]    Preferably, the schedule is displayed to the contractor on a map. 
         [0050]    Preferably, the contractor is given a rating by the customer, and the rating for the contractor is stored in the database on the server. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0051]    An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0052]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a system for job estimating and scheduling according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0053]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram illustrating a method of job estimating and scheduling according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0054]      FIG. 3  is a screenshot of a contractor registration webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0055]      FIG. 4  is a screenshot of a template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0056]      FIG. 5  is a screenshot of a second page of the template webpage of  FIG. 4  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0057]      FIG. 6  is a screenshot of a job status webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0058]      FIG. 7  is a screenshot of a jobs webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0059]      FIG. 8  is a screenshot of a quote template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0060]      FIG. 9  is a screenshot of a job recovery webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0061]      FIG. 10  is a screenshot of a profit and loss webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0062]      FIG. 11  is a screenshot of a scheduling webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0063]      FIG. 12  is a screenshot of a home webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0064]      FIG. 13  is a screenshot of a customer data webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0065]      FIG. 14  is a screenshot of a search webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0066]      FIG. 15  is a screenshot of a contractor search webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0067]      FIG. 16  is a screenshot of a search results webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0068]      FIG. 17  is a screenshot of a customer jobs webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0069]      FIG. 18  is a screenshot of a quote review webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0070]      FIG. 19  is a screenshot of a quote details webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0071]      FIG. 20  is a screenshot of a previous contractors webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0072]      FIG. 21  is a screenshot of a job overview webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0073]      FIG. 22  is a screenshot of a quote prompt webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0074]      FIG. 23  is a screenshot of a quote template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0075]      FIG. 24  is a screenshot of a parts webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0076]      FIG. 25  is a screenshot of an invoice webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0077]      FIG. 26  is a screenshot of a review invoice webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0078]      FIG. 27  is a screenshot of a list of jobs for quoting webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0079]      FIG. 28  is a screenshot of a list of live jobs according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0080]      FIG. 29  is a screenshot of a job recovery webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0081]    Elements of the invention are illustrated in concise outline form in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are necessary to understanding the embodiments of the present invention, but so as not to clutter the disclosure with excessive detail that will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present description. 
         [0082]    In this patent specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, front and back, top and bottom, etc., are used solely to define one element from another element without necessarily requiring a specific relative position or sequence that is described by the adjectives. Words such as “comprises” or “includes” are not used to define an exclusive set of elements or method steps. Rather, such words merely define a minimum set of elements or method steps included in a particular embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the invention may be implemented in a variety of ways, and that this description is given by way of example only. 
         [0083]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a system  100  for job estimating and scheduling, according to some embodiments of the present invention. A computer in the form of a server  120  is connected to the Internet  110 , to which users, such as a contractor  130  and a customer  140 , have access. The users may access the server  120  using a web browser installed on a computer or a smartphone, or using an application installed on a smartphone or any other similar devices such as tablet computers and netbook computers. However the present invention is not limited to use on such devices. 
         [0084]    The server  120  includes a memory coupled to a processor, and the memory includes computer readable program code components. The program code components are in the form of software installed on a computer readable medium, for example on a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), or any other applicable computer readable medium. The program code components perform the method of the present invention. 
         [0085]    Similarly, the present invention may be performed on a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone, the smartphone including computer readable program code components. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the method of the present invention may be performed on any computing device such as the server  120  or the mobile computing device or both with data transferred between the server  120  and the mobile computing device. 
         [0086]    The present invention allows a customer  140  looking for a contractor  130  for a service, such as a plumber, an electrician or a mowing service, to obtain several quotes by submitting a single set of details regarding a job into a web portal. The details of the job are received by each contractor  130 . The contractor  130  may choose to prepare and send a quote to the customer  140 . The customer  140  may review each quote received from each contractor  130  and choose to engage one of the contractors  130 . 
         [0087]    The invention also allows the contractor  130  to receive requests for quotation on a mobile or portable computing device such as a smartphone and complete and send a quote whilst the contractor  130  is at the job. In addition, the contractor  130  may also sub-contract components of the job. Thus any contractor  130  may use the system  100  to obtain quotations on a sub-contract basis&#39; for components of the job which make up the contractor&#39;s quotation. Building contractors may therefore use the system to managesub-contracts. 
         [0088]    When the contractor  130  arrives at a location of the job entered by the customer  140 , the contractor  130  is automatically provided with a quote template with details of the job entered by the customer  140  requesting the quote. The contractor  130  is prompted by the smartphone to complete the quote. Once completed, the quote is sent to the customer  140  via the server  120 . Furthermore, the present invention allows a contractor  130  to schedule jobs more efficiently. 
         [0089]    If engaged, when the contractor  130  arrives at a job, the contractor  130  is prompted to send an invoice to the customer  140 . Once the contractor  130  has completed the job or each component of the job, the contractor  130  sends the invoice using the smartphone. Someone familiar with the practice of job administration will also understand that a similar method can be used to collect other job-progress related administration data from site operatives to be provided to both the contractor&#39;s head office for review, and to the customer by way of job reports, progress reports or other job administration information (not shown in the current embodiment). 
         [0090]      FIG. 2  shows a method of job estimating and scheduling according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step  201 , a location of a contractor  130  is received. For example, the location may be an address, GPS co-ordinates received from the contractor&#39;s  130  smartphone or triangulation co-ordinates received from the smartphone. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the location may be obtained by any other suitable means such as by reference to local area Wi-Fi networks. 
         [0091]    At step  202  a status of the job is determined according to the location of the contractor  130 . For example, if the contractor  130  has yet to complete a quote at the location, the status is a request for quotation. If the contractor  130  has completed the quotation and the contractor  130  is returning to the location to perform the job, the status of the job is live. 
         [0092]    At step  203 , a prompt is sent to the contractor  130  according to the status of the job. If the status is a request for quotation, the contractor  130  is prompted to prepare a quote. If the status is that the job is live, the contractor  130  is prompted to send an invoice to the customer  140 . 
         [0093]    At step  204 , a response to the prompt from the contractor is received and the response is stored on the server and/or the smartphone. If the status is a request for quotation, the response is a quote. If the status of the job is live, the response is an invoice or other job progress data, as the case may be (not shown in the current embodiment). Finally, at step  205 , the response, of either the quote or the invoice, is sent to the customer  140  for the job. 
         [0094]    An advantage of the present invention is that the contractor  130  does not need to remember or look up a status of a job at a location or rely on a manual system such as a diary or written records of current jobs. Rather, when the contractor  130  arrives at the job location, the contractor  130  is automatically prompted by the smartphone to either complete a quote or complete an invoice according to the status of the job. Furthermore, all details of the job are also displayed according to the location of the contractor  130 . This may include a list of job components or work items which together comprise the scope of the job. For example, if the contractor  130  has completed a quote and the customer  140  has engaged the contractor  130 , when the contractor arrives at the location to do the job, the contractor  130  is prompted to send an invoice either for the complete job, or for components of the job which comprise the complete job. Furthermore, jobs may be efficiently scheduled according to location and a time taken to perform a job. 
         [0095]    The present invention may also be used to notify relevant parties of the status of the job. This may be useful for managers of rented or leased accommodation for example. In one embodiment, a contractor  130  engaged to perform the job may enter details of the times and dates at which he or she intends to undertake the job at the property, by entering relevant data via a computer. The information may be transmitted, by email for example, to all relevant parties, (such as a property occupant, tenant or a property manager) based on preferences set by the customer or property manager in relation to the property (not shown in the current embodiment). 
         [0096]    In order to use the system  100  of the present invention, the contractor  130  must register.  FIG. 3  is a screenshot  300  of a contractor registration webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The contractor registration webpage allows a contractor  130  to register to use the system  100  of the present invention by providing business data. 
         [0097]    The business data may include business details  310  such as a business name  311 , a company number  312 , a contact first name  313 , a contact surname  314 , an address  315 , a phone number  316 , a mobile phone number  317 , an email address  318  and a website address  319 . The business data may also include whether additional taxes or margins (such as Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Australia or Value Added Tax (VAT) in the United Kingdom) are applicable to the job performed by the contractor, and a total percentage of any such applicable taxes. The registration data may also include a feedback section  320  requesting feedback on how the contractor  130  heard about the website of the present invention. In addition, the contractor  130  selects and enters login details  330  such as a username  331  and password  332 . 
         [0098]    Next the contractor  130  selects a number of trade categories  340  relating to the service that the contractor  130  wishes to offer. The contractor  130  may select several trade categories  341 ,  342 ,  343  up to a limit, for example 10. The trade categories may be related, for example trades relating to gardening such as a mowing service, a lawn care service and a tree lopping service. Alternatively, the trade categories may be unrelated such as gardening services and vehicle mechanic services. 
         [0099]    In order to use the service, a contractor  130  may pay a fee. In one embodiment, the fee is paid each time the contractor  130  is engaged to perform a job. However it should be appreciated that any other payment structure may be used, such as a percentage of successful quotes, or a monthly subscription fee. As such the contractor  130  may enter payment details  350  such as credit card details, or any other suitable payment method such as a direct bank transfer. 
         [0100]    Once the contractor  130  has entered the business data, the contractor  130  may save the business data by clicking on a save data button  360  and the business data is transmitted to the server  120  and saved to a database on the server  120 . The business data may also include templates, such as a quotation and an invoice template. By clicking on a template button  370  the contractor  130  may set up templates as described later. The contractor  130  may also download an application for running on a smartphone by clicking on an app button  380 . In addition, the contractor  130  may obtain a privacy policy, terms and conditions, and a contract by clicking on a privacy button  390 , a terms and conditions button  391  and a contract button  392  respectively as is known in the art. 
         [0101]    When the contractor  130  clicks on the template button  370 , the contractor  130  is presented with a template webpage. 
         [0102]      FIG. 4  is a screenshot  400  of a template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The template webpage allows a contractor  130  to provide template data for quotations and invoices. Furthermore, the templates may include standard wording for including in emails sent to the customer  140 . 
         [0103]    The template data may include company information  410  such as a logo  411 , a company name  412  and a company slogan  413 . Quote template information  420  may include a standard text field  421  and a plurality of payment method options  422 . Furthermore, the template data may also include standard text for including in an email such as when making an appointment  430  and when re-scheduling an appointment  440 . The template data may also include a plurality of standard template layouts and designs from which the contractor  130  may select. Once the template data has been entered it is saved in a database on the server  120 . 
         [0104]      FIG. 5  is a screenshot  500  of a second page of the template webpage of  FIG. 4  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The second page of the template webpage allows a contractor  130  to add further template data and may, include invoice data  510  including invoice text  511  and a plurality of payment methods  512 . In one embodiment, the plurality of payment methods defaults to the same payment methods provided in the quote template information  420 . The invoice text  511  may include standard text to be provided on the invoice. 
         [0105]    In addition, template data may include account settings  520  such as selecting a default display method  521 , a default hourly rate  522  and optionally further hourly rate(s)  523 . As previously mentioned, the template data may also include a plurality of standard template layouts and designs from which the contractor  130  may select. The contractor  130  may also enter details (such as applicable postcodes) of region(s) or geographical areas in which the contractor  130  operates. Once the contractor  130  has entered the template data, the template data is transmitted to the server  120  and saved in a database on the server  120 . 
         [0106]    The system  100  also allows the contractor  130  to view current jobs on a map according to the location and the status of the job.  FIG. 6  is a screenshot  600  of a job status webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The job status webpage shows a map  610 , the map  610  including a plurality of markers  611 ,  612  according to the job status. In one embodiment, orange markers  611  show that the job requires quoting or has been quoted. Red markers  612  show that the job is live or has been completed. It should be appreciated that any suitable markers/colour may be used. Furthermore, each status may be listed individually rather than grouping jobs to be quoted and quoted jobs together, and live jobs and completed jobs together. In addition, the webpage includes a legend  620  of the markers  611 ,  612 . 
         [0107]    From the job status webpage, the contractor  130  may view a list of current jobs by clicking on a jobs button  630 , view a bookkeeping webpage by clicking on bookkeeping button  640  or view account settings by clicking on an account settings button  650 . 
         [0108]    When the jobs button  630  of  FIG. 6  is pressed, the contractor  130  is presented with a jobs webpage.  FIG. 7  is a screenshot  700  of a jobs webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the jobs webpage may include a list of quotable jobs  710  and a list of live jobs  720 . The list of quotable jobs  710  are requests for quotation received from customer(s)  140  which have yet to be quoted. The list of live jobs  720  are jobs that the contractor  130  has been engaged to complete. 
         [0109]    It should also be appreciated that the contractor  130  may manually add quotes by entering customer  140  and job details directly, rather than the details being received from a request for quotation. 
         [0110]    The list of quotable jobs  710  may show details of each job such as a customer name  711 , a customer address  712 , a customer phone number  713 , a budget for the job  714 , the frequency of the job (for recurring jobs) and a job status  715 . In addition, the contractor  130  may click on a quote button  716  to prepare a quote of the job, or delete the job by clicking on a delete button  717 . 
         [0111]    Similarly to the list of quotable jobs  710 , the list of live jobs  720  may include a customer name  721 , a customer address  722  and a customer phone number  723 . In addition the list of live jobs  720  may include an agreed rate  724  for the job, a frequency of the job (for recurring jobs—not shown), an extras button  725  and a delete job button  727 . The extras button  725 , allows the contractor  130  to modify a quote in order to add additional items that the customer  130  may have requested, either prior to completing the job, or whilst the job is live. Furthermore, the contractor  130  may send an invoice if the contractor  130  has completed the job by clicking on a job done button  726 . 
         [0112]    When the quote button  716 , or the extras button  725  of  FIG. 7  is pressed, the contractor  130  may complete a quote template for the job, as shown in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  is a screenshot  800  of a quote template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0113]    In order to complete a quote, the contractor  130  may enter a customer name  811 , a customer address  812 , and one or more phone numbers  813 ,  814 . The contractor  130  may then enter one or more work items  820  required to do the job. For example, the work items  820  may be to “mow lawn” and “trim edges”. The contractor  130  may enter a price  821  for each item  820 . Alternatively, the contractor  130  may enter a size of lawn to be mowed for example, and the system  100  may calculate the price  821  based on a size of lawn. In calculating the price  821 , the system  100  may take into account the time required to mow the lawn and waste disposal costs. 
         [0114]    For each work item  820  the contractor  130  may cost parts or subcontractors required for the job. For example, the contractor  130  may require gyprock in order to build a partition wall. In order to cost parts required for a job, the contractor  130  clicks on an applicable work item  820  in order to display a parts popup window  830 . The contractor  130  then enters a description of a part  831 , a unit of measurement for the part (not shown), a total dimension  832  of the part, a part cost  833 , a first dimension  834 , a second dimension  835 , a third dimension  836 , a fourth dimension  837  and a rate  838 . From the dimensions  834 ,  835 ,  836 ,  837 , the server  120  or the smartphone may determine the total dimension  832 . In one embodiment, the part may be costed according to an area. For example the unit of measurement may be in metres squared and only the first and second dimensions  834 ,  835  need to be entered and the third and fourth dimensions  836 ,  837  default to 1. From the area, the server  120  (or the smartphone) may calculate a cost of the gyprock according to an area that is required. The rate  838  may be a cost per hour should a subcontractor be required. A person skilled in the art will realise that other materials and services may be costed using a similar method. Further parts may be costed by pressing a further items button  839 A. Also the cost of the parts may be saved by pressing a save and hide button  839 B. Once the parts have been costed, the price  821  for each work item  820  is updated. 
         [0115]    The contractor  130  may also enter a frequency  840  for recurring jobs, for example, but not limited to, daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annually and annually. Depending on the status of the job, a due date  850  may be entered for the job, either a date for completing the job or quoting the job. Using the due date, the job may be automatically scheduled into the contractor&#39;s  130  job schedule. The contractor  130  may also indicate when the job has been completed by clicking on a job completed button  860  or alternatively whether each work item  861 ,  862  has been completed, or an applicable percentage of each work item that has been completed. 
         [0116]    Depending on the status of the job, the contractor  130  may either send a quote or send an invoice. The quote may be sent to the customer  140  by clicking on a send quote button  870 . If the job has been completed, a send invoice button  880  will be visible in order that the contractor  130  can send an invoice to the customer  140 . 
         [0117]    Depending on preferences established by the customer  140 , the quote(s) and/or invoice(s) provided by contractor(s) may also be automatically forwarded to other parties associated with the property, such as the property manager, line manager or property owner (who may or may not be the customer who initiated the job). 
         [0118]    The contractor  130  may recover jobs that have been previously deleted from the contractor&#39;s  130  account.  FIG. 9  is a screenshot  900  of a job recovery webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The job recovery webpage shows a list of deleted jobs  910 . Each deleted job  910  may show a short description of the job. In order to restore the job, the contractor  130  may click on a respective restore button  911 . 
         [0119]    When the book keeping button  640  of  FIG. 6  is pressed, the contractor may view a profit and loss statement.  FIG. 10  is a screenshot  1000  of a profit and loss webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The profit and loss webpage may include income  1010 , expenses  1020  and profit  1030 . The profit and loss may be displayed according to criteria  1040  such as a trade, a customer, and a time period, such as a month, 6 months or a year. In addition, the contractor  130  may add an expense by clicking on an add expense button  1021 , or any other suitable field. The contractor  130  may also import details of expenses by pressing a button which will cause the server to access details of transactions recorded by the contractor&#39;s  130  financial institution. Furthermore, the statement may be printed by clicking on a print button  1050  or the statement may be exported to a chosen file format by clicking on an export button  1060 . 
         [0120]    The present invention also allows the jobs to be scheduled.  FIG. 11  is a screenshot  1100  of a scheduling webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to automatically schedule jobs, the contractor  130  clicks on an automatic schedule button  1110 . The server  120  analyses the jobs according certain criteria, such as a distance between each job, a time to complete a job, a due date and a geographical area, and creates the schedule. 
         [0121]    Once the server  120  has scheduled the jobs, a list  1130  is displayed to the contractor  130  of the jobs. The list  1130  may show a date  1140 , a description  1150 ,  1160  of the job and a due date  1170  of the job. The contractor  130  may manually adjust the schedule by dragging and dropping jobs in the list. Furthermore, the schedule for a particular day may be displayed on the map of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0122]    Using a web browser, a customer  140  may search for a suitable contractor  130  by using the system  100  of the present invention. 
         [0123]      FIG. 12  is a screenshot  1200  of a home webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The home webpage allows a customer to login by providing a user name and password  1210 . If a customer  140  has not registered the customer  140  may register by clicking on a customer registration button  1260 . However a customer may perform a keyword search for previous jobs by entering search terms into a search box  1220 . 
         [0124]    The customer  140  may view a description and a flow chart of how the website works by clicking on an information button  1230 , and perform a detailed search by clicking on a find “tradie” button  1240 . The customer  140  may research previous prices for jobs that have been contracted via the website for a particular trade at a particular location by clicking on a research button  1250 . 
         [0125]    Furthermore, a contractor  130  may register to receive leads from prospective customers, by pressing a contractor button  1270  and the contractor  130  enters their details using the webpage of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0126]    In order to register, a customer  140  enters customer data.  FIG. 13  is a screenshot  1300  of a customer data webpage according to an, embodiment of the present invention. The customer data may include customer contact details  1310  such as a first name  1311 , a surname  1312 , a phone number  1313 , a mobile phone number  1314 , an email address  1315 , a preferred contact method  1316  such as by phone or email and a username  1317  and password  1318 . 
         [0127]    Similarly, corporate customers, such as property managers, may establish numerous linked accounts for staff and management. Staff and manager accounts may be established with appropriate permissions with respect to placing orders for works with contractor(s)  130  (not shown in this embodiment). Furthermore, the customer  140  may enter a plurality of default job locations  1330  such as a home address, a holiday home address or a business address. Similarly, a corporate customer may enter numerous addresses that they own or manage. 
         [0128]    The customer  140  may also enter numerous contact details for parties associated with a property, such as property owner, line manager, builder or property occupant/tenant (not shown in current embodiment). The customer  140  may also identify default types of communication that may be automatically provided to each party, such as ‘forward all quotes’ or ‘forward invoices’ or ‘send entry notice prior to contractor access to property’ (not shown in current embodiment). 
         [0129]    Once the customer  140  has entered the customer data, the customer data is transmitted to and stored on the server  120  in a database. In addition, the customer may view contractors  130  that the customer  140  has previously used by clicking on a previous contractor  130  button  1130 . 
         [0130]    In order to find a contractor  130 , the customer  140  completes a search webpage.  FIG. 14  is a screenshot  1400  of a search webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, the customer  140  enters customer data  1410  such as a name, address and contact details. The customer data  1410  may be automatically populated from the customer data entered in the webpage of  FIG. 13 . Alternatively, if the customer  140  has not registered, a customer account is created from the customer data. Similarly to  FIG. 13 , the customer  140  selects a preferred contact method  1420  and time  1430 . 
         [0131]    The customer  140  also enters job details  1440 . The job details  1440  may include a trade  1441  (for example a gardener), an address  1442  of where the job is to take place and a brief description of the job  1443 , for example mowing a lawn. Alternatively, the customer  140  may enter a number of work items which together form a description of the job  1444 . 
         [0132]    In addition, the customer  140  may research previous job descriptions and prices by using a previous job search page;  FIG. 15  shows a screenshot of a previous job search webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to research previous jobs, the customer  140  enters search criteria  1510 . The search criteria may include a suburb  1511  and/or postcode  1512 , a brief description  1513  of the work, and a type of trade  1514  (for example an electrician). The customer  140  then presses a search button  1520  in order to initiate the search. The search criteria  1510  are transmitted to the server  120  and the server searches for the most relevant previous job descriptions, and then returns the most relevant previous jobs to the customer  140 . 
         [0133]      FIG. 16  is a screenshot  1600  of a search results webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present example, two previous jobs have been found by the server  120  to be most relevant to the search criteria entered in  FIG. 15 . Previous job details  1610 ,  1620  are then sent to the customer  140 . The previous job details may include a trade  1611 ,  1621 , a suburb  1612 ,  1622  where the job was performed, a cost of the job  1623 , a date  1624  the job was performed and a rating provided by the customer  140  of the job. The customer  140  may view more information pertaining to the previous job by clicking on a more details button  1615 ,  1625  to show details of work items relevant to the previous job. 
         [0134]    Once a customer  140  has logged in, the customer  140  may view existing jobs and quotes on the customer  140  account.  FIG. 17  is a screenshot  1700  of a customer jobs webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The customer jobs webpage includes a list of quotes  1710 , live jobs  1720  and completed jobs  1730 . 
         [0135]    The list of quotes  1710  may be listed according to, but not limited to, a job description  1711 , a current lowest price  1712 , and a number of quotes received  1713 . Each time a quote is received, the server  120  compares the quote with other quotes received to determine the lowest price received. The customer  130  may display further details relevant to each quote  1710  by clicking on a see more button  1714  which displays a list of each work item for the job, including any amendments made to work item descriptions by the contractor  130  providing the quote 
         [0136]    Similarly the list of live jobs  1720  may be listed according to a job description  1721 , an agreed price  1722 , and a status  1723  of the job. The status  1723  may detail whether the job is yet to be quoted, the job is yet to be done, has been completed and whether the invoice has been paid. The customer  130  may display further details pertaining to each live job by clicking on a see more button  1724 . 
         [0137]    The completed jobs  1730  may be listed according to a job description  1731  and a final price  1732  or cost of the job. Furthermore, the customer  140  may contact the contractor by clicking on a contact “tradie” button  1733  and also allows the customer  140  to provide a rating  1735  for the contractor  130 . The customer  130  may display further details of each completed job by clicking on a see more button  1734  to display the work items pertaining to that job. 
         [0138]    The customer  140  may also review quotes received for a job.  FIG. 18  is a screenshot  1800  of a quote review webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similar to  FIG. 17 , the quote review webpage shows a job description  1811 , a current lowest quote  1812  and a number of quotes received  1813 . Furthermore, the quote review webpage shows a list of quotes  1820 , including a first and a second quote  1821 ,  1822 . The customer  140  may arrange the quotes  1820  according to a quoted price  1830  or a rating  1840 . In order to accept either the first or second quote  1821 ,  1822 , the customer  140  may click on an accept quote button  1860  causing the job status to be automatically updated on the server  120  and an email to be sent to the contractor  130 . In addition, the customer  140  may view prices of similar jobs performed by contractors by clicking on a compare button  1870 . 
         [0139]    From the quote review webpage of  FIG. 18 , the customer  140  may click on a quote in order to view details of the quote.  FIG. 19  is a screenshot  1900  of a quote details webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The quote details webpage may include a contractor name  1911 , a contractor phone number  1912 , a quote  1913  for the job, and a rating  1914  of the contractor  130 . The customer  140  may accept the quote by clicking on an accept button  1915 . The quote details may also show any special conditions  1920  that the contractor  130  may have imposed on the job. Furthermore, the quote details may detail each work item of the job  1931 ,  1941  and a price  1932 ,  1942  for each work item of the job. For example for a gardening or landscaping job the work items may include “mow lawn” and “trim lawn edges”. The customer  140  may also amend any details of the job, for example any requirements such as “please also prune the roses” by clicking on an amend button  1950 . 
         [0140]    The customer  140  may also view contractors that the customer  140  has previously engaged.  FIG. 20  is a screenshot  2000  of a previous contractors webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The previous contractors webpage shows a list of previous contractors  2010 ,  2020  that have been engaged by the customer  140 . The list may also detail a name  2011 ,  2021  of the contractor  130 , a phone number  2012 ,  2022  of the contractor  130 , a description of a previous job or jobs  2013 ,  2023  performed by the contractor  130 , and a star rating  2014 ,  2024  of the contractor  130 . In addition, the contractor  130  may request a new quote from the contractor  130  by clicking on an add job button  2015 ,  2025 , or provide a rating  2016 ,  2026  if the customer  140  has yet to provide a rating for the job performed by the contractor  130 . 
         [0141]    Whilst the contractor  130  is mobile, such as on the road, the contractor  130  may use a smartphone or similar device to perform quotes and send invoices using templates that were created using the template webpage of  FIG. 5  as previously described. Furthermore, the contractor  130  may also perform other job administration tasks such as delete jobs and re-schedule jobs. 
         [0142]      FIG. 21  is a screenshot  2100  of a job overview webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The contractor  130  may view all jobs according to their location and status on a map. Similar to the map shown in  FIG. 6 , each job is shown according to a coloured marker. In one embodiment, live and completed jobs are shown as red markers  2110  and quoted and quotable jobs are shown as orange markers  2120 . It should be appreciated that any applicable marker may be used and that live, completed, quoted and quotable jobs may be shown by individual markers. 
         [0143]    In order to view details of the job, the contractor  130  presses an applicable marker  2110 ,  2120  and a table  2130  is displayed showing the job details. The job details may include a customer name, an address, a phone number, a budget, a recurrence of the job for example weekly, monthly, and a status of the job, for example whether the job has been booked for quoting, quoted, a live job or a completed job. Depending on the status, the contractor  130  may click on a button to quote the job, delete the job or invoice the job. 
         [0144]    As previously described, when a contractor  30  arrives at a location for quoting or performing a job, the smartphone displays a prompt to the contractor  130  to either prepare a quote for the job or to prepare an invoice for the job depending on a status of the job. If the status of the job is a request for quotation, the contractor  130  is prompted to prepare a quote. If the status is live job, the contractor  130  is prompted to prepare an invoice. 
         [0145]      FIG. 22  is a screenshot  2200  of a quote prompt webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. As previously mentioned, the quote prompt webpage is displayed to the contractor  130  when the contractor  130  is at or near to the location of the job when the status of the job is a request for quotation. The quote webpage includes job details  2210  such as a customer name, a customer address, a customer phone number, a budget and a time for performing the quote. In order to perform the quote, the contractor  130  clicks on a quote button  2220 . Additionally, the contractor may delete the job by clicking on a delete button  2230 , or may view the map of the job overview webpage of  FIG. 21  by pressing a map button  2240 . 
         [0146]    By clicking on the quote button  2220  of  FIG. 22 , the contractor  130  is presented with a quote template.  FIG. 23  shows a screenshot  2300  of a quote template webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The quote template webpage includes client details  2310  and one or more work items  2320 . For example the work items  2320  may be “mow lawn” and “trim edges of lawn”. The quote template may detail a cost for each work item and a total cost for the job. Once the contractor  130  has completed entering each work item, the quote is saved to the server  120 , and may also be sent to the customer  140  by email by clicking on a send quote button  2330 . 
         [0147]    It should also be appreciated that the contractor  130  may manually add quotes by entering the customer and job details directly, rather than the details being received from a request for quotation. Furthermore, an address of the job may be acquired from the GPS co-ordinates obtained from the smartphone and the address automatically updated. 
         [0148]    Similarly to the webpage of  FIG. 8 , for each work item the contractor  130  may cost parts or subcontractors required for the job. For example, the contractor  130  may require gyprock in order to build a partition wall. In order to cost parts required for a job, the contractor  130  clicks on a split button  2321  in order to view a parts webpage.  FIG. 24  is a screenshot  2400  of a parts webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The parts webpage shows a job name  2410 , a current cost of the job  2420 , a date  2430  of the job, a description of the work item  2440 , a description of a part  2441 , a unit of measurement  2442  for the part, a total dimension  2443  of the part, a part cost  2444 , a first dimension  2445 , a second dimension  2446 , a third dimension  2447 , a fourth dimension  2448  and a rate  2449 . From the dimensions  2445 ,  2446 ,  2447 ,  2448 , the server  120  (or the smartphone) may determine the total dimension  2443 . For example, the part may be costed according to an area. Thus the unit of measurement may be in metres squared and only the first and second dimensions  2445 ,  2446  need to be entered and the third and fourth dimensions  2447 ,  2448  default to 1. Further dimensions may be added by clicking on button. From the area, the server  120  (or the smartphone) may calculate a cost of the gyprock according to an area that is required. The rate  2449  may be a cost per hour should a subcontractor be required. A person skilled in the art will realise that other materials and services may be costed using a similar method. Further items may be costed by pressing a further items button  2470 . The total cost  2450  is the total cost of all items for the work item. 
         [0149]    In the current embodiment, the cost of parts is not displayed to a customer  140 , rather a total cost to perform the job may be seen by the customer  140 . Furthermore, a margin may be applied to the cost of any parts obtained from a supplier. 
         [0150]    In a further embodiment, the server  120  may determine costs of materials and parts in real time by obtaining costs for materials and parts from supplier databases either downloaded into the smartphone memory or stored on the server. 
         [0151]    Once the contractor  130  has completed a quote and the quote is accepted by the customer  140 , the job is scheduled, and thus the status is “live job”. When the contractor  130  arrives at the location, a prompt is received on the smartphone to complete and send an invoice. 
         [0152]      FIG. 25  is a screenshot  2500  of an invoice webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the webpage of  FIG. 22 , the invoice webpage includes customer details  2510 . In order to send an invoice to the customer  140 , the contractor  130  clicks on a send invoice button  2520 . If the contractor  130  has performed extra work, the contractor  130  may edit the quote by clicking on an add extras button  2530 . Extras may include the addition of hedge trimming requested by the customer  140  whilst the contractor  130  was on site. 
         [0153]    In order to view a map showing all current jobs, the contractor clicks on a map button  2540 . 
         [0154]    Before sending the invoice the contractor  130  may review the invoice.  FIG. 26  is a screenshot  2600  of a review invoice webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The review invoice webpage includes customer details  2610 , such as a name, an address, a phone number and an accepted quote amount. The contractor  130  may add extra work items by clicking on an extras button  2620  and send the invoice by clicking a send invoice button  2630 . Furthermore, the contractor  130  may choose to invoice all work items by clicking on an all done button  2640  or the contractor may choose to only invoice certain work items by clicking on a respective done button  2650  relating to a specific work item. The contractor  130  may save the invoice by clicking on a save button  2660 . 
         [0155]    Similar to the webpage of  FIG. 7 , the contractor  130  may view a list of jobs for quoting.  FIG. 27  is a screenshot  2700  of a list of jobs for quoting webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. The list may be displayed according fields such as a job name and a client name and address  2710 , a due date  2720 , and a current cost  2730 . The contractor  130  may delete a job by clicking on a delete button  2740 . The contractor  130  may sort the jobs according to any of the fields. 
         [0156]    Similarly to  FIGS. 7 and 27 , the contractor  130  may view a list of live jobs.  FIG. 28  is a screenshot  2800  of a list of live jobs according to an embodiment of the present invention. The list of live jobs may be listed according to a job name and client name and address  2810 , a quoted amount  2820  and a job due date  2830 . Furthermore, the contractor  130  may send an invoice according to the quote by clicking on a send invoice button  2640 . The contractor  130  may also recover any deleted jobs.  FIG. 29  is a screenshot  2900  of a job recovery webpage according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 29  and similar to  FIG. 9 , the contractor  130  may recover jobs that have been previously deleted from the contractor&#39;s  130  account by clicking on a restore button  2910  corresponding with a respective job  2920 . 
         [0157]    In summary, some advantages of the present invention include: 
         [0158]    1) The customer may obtain quotes from several contractors by entering details of a job only once; 
         [0159]    2) The contractor does not need to remember or manually look up any details of a job as the contractor is automatically prompted to perform a task when he or she arrives at a location according to a status of the job; 
         [0160]    3) Data may be collected from contractor operatives in the field/at job sites, and automatically stored with other relevant job records which are then accessible both by operatives in the field using mobile computing devices and from the Contractor&#39;s office location via computers connected to the internet; 
         [0161]    4) Jobs may automatically be scheduled according to a location of the job and a time taken to perform the job; 
         [0162]    5) Appropriate notifications can be automatically sent to parties associated with a property, such as an entry notice to advise a building occupant of the intended date for the contractor&#39;s works to be undertaken based on the status of the job; 
         [0163]    6) Costs of parts/materials may be obtained automatically from retailers; 
         [0164]    7) Invoices and quotes may be prepared by the contractor quickly and easily using pre-prepared templates; and 
         [0165]    8) Other project administration data may be collected from contractor field operatives and automatically sent to the contractor&#39;s office for processing or reported to the customer or other parties, as appropriate. 
         [0166]    Although the present invention has been described in relation to contractors such as electricians, plumbers and gardeners, it should be appreciated that the present invention may be applied to any trade or service that is performed at a location such as mobile dog cleaning services and hairdressing services. Also, although the current embodiment reflects primarily collection of cost data (including quotes and invoices), a person skilled in the art of job administration will understand that the system described may also be applied to collect other job specific data from field operatives that is relevant to each phase in the process of the job administration and execution. 
         [0167]    The above description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for purposes of description to one of ordinary skill in the related art. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment. As mentioned above, numerous alternatives and variations to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the above teaching. Accordingly, while some alternative embodiments have been discussed specifically, other embodiments will be apparent or relatively easily developed by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, this patent specification is intended to embrace all alternatives, modifications and variations of the present invention that have been discussed herein, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the above described invention.