Prospect
A new contact. Canvassed, imported, or added manually.
Lead
Estimate created. Now actively being worked.
Client
Estimate accepted. Invoicing, payment, and retention.
The Full Lifecycle
One customer. One record. Zero rework.
How contractor estimating software works - one customer, one record, from door knock to repeat business. Every note, estimate, booking, invoice, and payment stays attached to the same record - from canvass to cash.
Canvass → Client
Notes reused end-to-end
AI-powered Create Docs
Mobile-first
Google Business Profile Reviews
Lifecycle Timeline
From knock to repeat business
Scroll through the 15 phases. The customer record never duplicates - it just moves forward.
Prospect
State 01 · Prospect
Find them. Remember what you learned.
Every prospect starts as an address on a map. As you canvass, each door becomes a pinned record with photos, outcomes, and follow-up notes - ready to feed the estimate when they're ready to buy.
- Canvass routes, revisits, storm overlays
- Notes & photos attached to the address
- Tasks & callbacks sync to your calendar
Canvass map
412 Maple Ave
Roof hail damage visible. Homeowner wants quote by Friday.
Phase 01 · Canvass
Find the opportunity
Open the canvass map on your phone. Door-to-door routes, revisit planning, nearby clustering, and NOAA storm overlays. Address is the only field required to create a prospect.
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Phase 02 · Capture prospect
Log what you learned at the door
Outcome, notes, photos, callbacks, next steps - all logged on the same record from the phone. Spoke with homeowner, left flyer, not interested, no answer, do not knock - every result is tracked.
Phase 03 · Notes + tasks
Organize follow-up work
Notes are customer context (feeds AI estimate later). Tasks are private checklist items (never fed to AI). Add due dates and - if Google Calendar is connected - reminders land on your phone automatically.
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Phase 04 · Book appointment
Let them self-book
Send a booking link by SMS, or show the QR code at the door. Time-zone aware, double-booking prevention, multiple appointment types (phone, video, on-site). Booking creates or updates the same record and syncs to Google Calendar.
Lead
State 02 · Lead
Your notes become the estimate.
AI turns the canvass notes you already captured into a line-itemized estimate in under 60 seconds. Send by SMS. The customer reviews and signs with eSignature right from their phone - no app, no signup.
- Import prospect notes into Quick Input
- AI extracts line items & pricing
- eSignature flips Lead → Client
Notes
Tear off old layer, architectural shingles, flashing + valley work.
Estimate
AI draft
Tear-off + disposal$1,850
Architectural shingles$6,420
Labor & flashing$2,980
Total$11,250
Signed
Phase 05 · Import notes to Create Docs
Reuse the context you already captured
Open Create Docs and import the customer's notes directly into Quick Input. Contact info, address, and existing quote linkage are preserved. Private tasks are intentionally excluded.
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Phase 06 · AI builds the estimate
Voice, paste, or imported notes → estimate draft
AI parses messy real-world input (full paragraphs, bullets, voice dictation, mixed scope + pricing). It extracts customer info, job scope, appointment details, and line items, then highlights populated fields for quick review. The prospect is now a Lead.
Phase 07 · Send by SMS
Deliver the estimate where clients live - their phone
Send via SMS, email, QR code, or offer link. The client taps a link, reviews line items and pricing, and can sign right from their phone with eSignature. No app install, no signup.
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Phase 08 · Track views + AI follow-ups
Never guess "did they see it?"
See first-view time, view count, and signature events. AI-written follow-ups send on a configurable cadence (Day 3 / 6 / 14 by default) and auto-stop when the estimate is signed or declined.
Phase 09 · Estimate signed
Lead becomes a Client
The customer signs on their phone with built-in eSignature. The same record transitions from Lead to Client - no new row, no duplicate entry. Full history (canvass context, notes, tasks, appointments, view activity) stays attached.
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Client
State 03 · Client
Finish the job. Get paid. Keep the record.
The signed estimate becomes the invoice in one tap - same line items, same customer, same record. The customer portal keeps current and historical estimates, invoices, payment links, signed approvals, and job photos together. Client pays through Stripe or Square on their phone. Everything syncs to your accounting automatically.
- Signed estimate → invoice, zero retyping
- Customer portal for estimates, invoices, payments, and job photos
- Auto-sync to QuickBooks & Wave
PAID
Invoice #2041
Roof replacement$11,250
Sent via SMSViewed
Stripe payment
Confirmed · just now
+$11,250
Synced to QuickBooks
Client + invoice created
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Phase 10 · Convert to invoice
One action. Zero retyping.
Open the signed estimate, switch Create Docs into invoice mode, and line items, pricing, customer info, and address are reused. Edit anything that changed, then send.
Phase 11 · Send invoice by SMS
Same delivery, now for collection
The client opens the invoice in their customer portal on any phone. They pay through your connected Stripe or Square account - or tap a PayPal or Venmo wallet button right on the same payment page if you've connected PayPal Business. They can also revisit signed estimates, older invoices, and job photos from the same place. Status updates when viewed and when paid.
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Phase 12 · Get paid
Stripe or Square - plus PayPal & Venmo wallets
Deposits or full payments go straight to your connected provider. Add PayPal Business as a wallet layer and PayPal and Venmo show up as one-tap buttons on the same payment page (Venmo when eligible) - no separate app or money request required.
Phase 13 · Ask for the review
Paid job becomes a Google review
The moment the invoice is fully paid, FEM texts the customer your Google review link - automatically or with one tap. Paste your review link once in settings; no Google sign-in or OAuth setup required. Every finished job becomes a shot at a 5-star rating while the good experience is still fresh.
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Phase 14 · Auto-sync to accounting
QuickBooks + Wave, no export button
New clients and invoices sync automatically. Existing bookkeeping data isn't overwritten destructively, and the core workflow keeps running even if accounting temporarily hiccups. Connect QuickBooks and Wave at the same time if needed.
Phase 15 · Retain the relationship
Same record. Forever useful.
The record keeps working for future quotes, repeat service, upsells, warranty work, seasonal follow-up, and new bookings - with full history of what you sold, what was paid, every signed approval, and every job photo along the way. Customers can reopen their portal to see that same history, tap “Request more work” to start the next job on the same record, or refer a friend straight from the portal - no duplicate customer rebuild required.
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Repeat Customer CRM
The lifecycle keeps going when the customer comes back
Returning customers should start as a new job on the same record, with grouped history, reusable context, and no duplicate customer rebuild. See repeat-customer CRM →
Product Principles
Why this lifecycle works
Three truths the timeline depends on - and that most other tools still miss.
One customer, one record
The customer row is persistent from canvass to payment. FEM changes its state; it never duplicates the row.
Zero duplicate input
Notes fuel the estimate. The estimate fuels the invoice. The invoice fuels accounting. Nothing gets retyped.
Mobile-first, field-native
Built to run from a phone in a driveway - not a desktop back office. Voice input, SMS delivery, QR bookings.
Your next customer goes through all 15 phases.
The only question is whether you retype the same info at every step - or let FEM carry it forward.