Can FreeAgent be joined up with my quoting and jobs?
Yes, in principle. I use FreeAgent for my own business and have connected my tools to it. It has estimates (its word for quotes), invoices and projects, plus an API, a way for other software to read and add to your data. Booking jobs is separate: FreeAgent lists booking apps, and joining one up is where I come in.
How I use it myself
FreeAgent came free with my business bank account at Mettle, and that is why I picked Mettle: keeping costs low mattered at the start. Mettle's page says FreeAgent is included if you make at least one transaction a month from the Mettle account.
My invoices are drafted in FreeAgent and sent as a PDF with my own branding, using FreeAgent's figures. My quotes are separate documents, not FreeAgent estimates.
I have connected a few things to my own account:
- When a payment comes in, it is matched to the right invoice, but only when the amount is exact and the bank description names the client or the invoice. Anything less certain comes to me.
- I get a list of anything overdue.
- FreeAgent's Corporation Tax estimate is compared with what my tax savings pot should hold, and I get a reminder to check the pot has at least that.
- Receipts in my inbox are attached to the matching expenses in FreeAgent when the receipt number lines up. Anything it cannot be sure of comes to me.
The useful part for me is not having to think about it. I got a message when a client paid, so I did not have to go and check. As I put it, it is "answering questions before I think, oh, I need to ask that question."
I have not done much else with FreeAgent, and nothing chases my clients automatically yet. I have too few clients to need it. That will change as I send more quotes.
What FreeAgent does by itself
FreeAgent's features page lists Estimates, Invoices, Projects and Time Tracking, and says you can "Send invoices and payment reminders automatically".
Its help article on reminder emails says you set a number of days before or after the due date, and can repeat the reminder until the invoice is paid.
Booking apps you can try without me
FreeAgent's integrations page lists partner apps. TradeBooked is described as providing booking, quoting, invoicing and compliance records for UK trades. Appointedd is an online booking system. Commusoft is described as scheduling work, synced to FreeAgent. I have not used any of these and am not recommending one, but if one fits, you may not need me.
What the API allows
FreeAgent's developer documentation describes software being able to create and update contacts, estimates and invoices, email them, and turn an estimate into an invoice. Its getting started page points to a sandbox, a practice account with made-up figures, for building and testing.
What a joined-up version could look like
This is what I would aim to build for a client, not something I have delivered yet. An enquiry comes in by email or from your website. A contact and a draft estimate are created in FreeAgent, and you get a message to check it. You send it. When the job is done, it becomes an invoice.
The booking half depends on which diary or booking tool you use and whether it can be connected. I check that before promising anything.
When you do not need me
- If you only want reminders on late invoices, use FreeAgent's.
- If you send a handful of quotes a month, doing them by hand in FreeAgent is fine.
A joined-up version will not price a job for you, decide whether to take it, or replace your accountant.
If you want help with it
I'm Will, and Practical Automation is a one-person consultancy for small businesses in south west London, and anywhere in the UK remotely. Dates are agreed with you in advance, mostly evenings and weekends, so I will not promise a fast turnaround.
The first step is a free 30 minute call about how a quote becomes a booked job in your business today. If FreeAgent plus one of the apps above already covers it, that is a perfectly good outcome and I will tell you so. No pressure at all.