Simpro is a Brisbane-built field service management platform used by thousands of trade and service businesses across Australia. Electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, fire protection companies, security installers, solar businesses - if you run a team of field workers managing jobs, quotes, and invoices, Simpro is probably on your radar or already in use.
The platform covers the full job lifecycle: lead capture, quoting, scheduling, job management, mobile field worker apps, invoicing, and accounting integration. It's powerful, but that power means there's a lot to configure and maintain properly. We see plenty of businesses using maybe 30% of what Simpro can do.
What Simpro Does Well
- Job management - Full lifecycle from quote to job to invoice. Track costs, time, materials, and profitability per job.
- Quoting - Build detailed quotes with labour, materials, and markup. Template quotes for common job types. Multi-stage quoting for larger projects.
- Scheduling - Visual scheduler for dispatching field workers. Drag-and-drop assignment. Real-time availability views.
- Mobile app - Field workers access jobs, capture time, photos, signatures, and complete work orders from their phone or tablet.
- Inventory - Stock management, purchase orders, supplier management. Track materials used per job.
- Asset management - Track customer assets (equipment, systems). Schedule maintenance, record service history.
- Project management - For larger jobs spanning weeks or months with multiple stages and cost tracking.
- Invoicing - Generate invoices from completed jobs, sync to accounting software, track payments.
Optimising Your Simpro Setup
Most Simpro users can get significantly more value from the platform with some optimisation:
Workflow Configuration
- Job stages - Configure stages to match your actual workflow. Don't use the defaults if they don't reflect how your business operates.
- Quote templates - Build templates for your most common job types. Saves quoting time and ensures consistency.
- Pre-builds - Create pre-built cost centres for common tasks (e.g., "Install GPO", "Replace hot water unit"). These speed up quoting and job costing.
- Custom fields - Add fields that capture data specific to your trade. Compliance information, asset details, warranty tracking.
Mobile App Best Practices
- Ensure all field workers are trained on time capture - this is where job costing accuracy lives or dies
- Require photo capture at key job stages (before, during, after) for compliance and dispute resolution
- Set up material usage tracking so inventory stays accurate
- Use forms for compliance documentation (safety checks, test results)
Quick Wins
- Set up automated SMS reminders for upcoming service visits (reduces no-shows)
- Configure email triggers for invoice follow-up
- Use the dashboard and reporting to track job profitability - you might be surprised which job types actually make money
- Set up recurring jobs for maintenance contracts instead of manually creating them each time
Accounting Integration
The accounting integration is critical. If it's not right, you'll waste hours reconciling:
Xero Integration
Simpro's Xero integration syncs invoices, payments, and contacts. Getting it right means:
- Mapping Simpro tax codes to Xero tax codes correctly (GST, GST-free, input taxed)
- Configuring account mapping for revenue, cost of goods, and WIP
- Deciding on sync direction (Simpro to Xero, or bidirectional for payments)
- Handling credit notes and adjustments properly
MYOB Integration
Simpro also integrates with MYOB. The considerations are similar - account mapping, tax code mapping, and sync direction.
Integration Issues We See
- Duplicate contacts - Contacts created in both Simpro and Xero without proper matching rules
- Tax code mismatches - GST calculated differently because of mapping errors
- WIP handling - Work in progress not flowing correctly between systems, causing BAS reporting issues
- Sync failures - Intermittent sync errors that go unnoticed until month-end reconciliation
Common Simpro Problems
- Under-utilisation - Using Simpro as a glorified job list when it can handle quoting, inventory, asset tracking, and project management.
- Poor data quality - Incomplete customer records, missing site information, inconsistent job categorisation. Makes reporting useless.
- Field worker resistance - Staff not using the mobile app properly, entering time after the fact instead of in real-time, skipping photo capture.
- Accounting sync issues - Xero or MYOB integration not configured correctly, causing reconciliation headaches every month.
- No reporting - Not using Simpro's reporting to track job profitability, technician productivity, or quote conversion rates.
- Overcomplicated setup - Too many custom stages, unnecessary fields, and convoluted workflows that slow everyone down.
How HELLO PEOPLE Can Help
Our Simpro Services
- Simpro setup & optimisation - New implementations or cleaning up and optimising an existing setup
- Accounting integration - Getting the Xero or MYOB integration right, including tax code mapping and account configuration
- Custom integrations - Connecting Simpro to your CRM, supplier systems, or other business tools via API
- Data migration - Moving to Simpro from ServiceM8, Tradify, AroFlo, or spreadsheets
- Workflow design - Configuring job stages, quote templates, and pre-builds that match how your business actually works
- Training & support - Getting your office and field teams productive on Simpro
Free Simpro review. We'll look at your setup and give you practical recommendations for getting more value from the platform. Get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Simpro need manual upgrades?
No. Simpro is SaaS and updates automatically. But you need to stay across what's changing - new features, UI changes, and workflow improvements are released regularly.
Does it integrate with Xero?
Yes, natively. Invoices, payments, and contacts sync. The key is getting the setup right - account mapping, tax codes, and sync direction. We can help if you're having trouble.
Is Simpro just for electricians?
Not at all. Plumbing, HVAC, fire protection, security, solar, data/comms, and general field service businesses all use Simpro. Any trade managing jobs and field workers can benefit.
Summary
Simpro is a powerful platform for Australian trade and service businesses, but most users are scratching the surface. Proper workflow configuration, clean accounting integration, and good mobile adoption make an enormous difference to job profitability and admin efficiency. Need help? Book a free Simpro review.