Electrical contractors often run two businesses under one roof. The service side answers calls about dead outlets, tripping breakers and flickering lights, and sells panel upgrades, EV chargers and generators. The construction side bids jobs off drawings, orders wire and gear by the reel and the pallet, and manages crews through rough-in, inspections and trim-out. Each side needs different software, and a lot of electrical shops feel that split.
This guide sorts the common tools by the job they do, with what each one does and its published price, checked on each vendor's own site. We don't rank them. Whether you lean service, construction or both decides what belongs in your stack.
The short answer
- Run service jobs: A field-service management app (ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, Housecall Pro, Jobber, Service Fusion) for dispatch, estimates, invoices and payments.
- Bid construction work: Takeoff and estimating software built for electrical (McCormick, ConEst IntelliBid).
- Price service work: A flat-rate price book, built in or dedicated, such as Profit Rhino.
- Keep the books: QuickBooks Online or Xero, or construction accounting for larger shops.
- Answer the phone: A phone and texting setup that answers when everyone is in an attic or a crawl space.
What electrical software has to handle
- Service calls with safety in them: A sparking outlet, a burning smell or a panel that is hot to the touch is a safety call, not a scheduling question. Whoever answers needs a script.
- Upgrade sales: Panel upgrades, EV charger installs, whole-home generators and surge protection. These need site photos, load questions and clear options.
- Permits and inspections: Most electrical work beyond simple repairs needs a permit and an inspection, under local rules. Your schedule has to leave room for inspection dates.
- Code cycles: The National Electrical Code is NFPA 70 (NFPA, checked October 18, 2026), and states and cities adopt editions on their own schedules. Estimates and price books need updating when your jurisdiction adopts a new one.
- Bid work: Takeoffs from drawings, labor units, material pricing that moves with copper, and bid proposals.
- Licensing: Electrical licensing is set by states and sometimes cities, with journeyman and master levels in many places. Keep license numbers where the office and permit applications can find them.
Field-service management apps
| Tool | What it does for an electrical shop | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| ServiceTitan | A larger platform for multi-truck residential and commercial service: dispatch, price book, memberships and reporting; sells Phones Pro, a built-in phone system | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor; priced per technician (ServiceTitan pricing) |
| FieldEdge | Field-service software aimed at electrical, HVAC and plumbing contractors | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor (FieldEdge pricing) |
| Housecall Pro | Scheduling, dispatch, estimates and invoicing; Essentials adds flat-rate pricing, Max adds a sales proposal tool and service plans | Basic $79/mo ($59 billed annually), Essentials $189/mo ($149), Max $329/mo ($299) (Housecall Pro pricing) |
| Jobber | Quotes, scheduling, invoicing and payments; Grow adds job costing and quote options for larger jobs | Core from $29/mo billed annually ($49 month to month) for 1 user, up to $699/mo for 15 users on Plus month to month (Jobber pricing) |
| Service Fusion | Scheduling, estimates and invoicing with unlimited users; Pro adds progress billing for longer jobs | Starter $245/mo ($208 billed annually), Plus $382/mo ($325), Pro $627/mo ($533) (Service Fusion pricing) |
For a shop that does both service and construction, ask whether the field-service app handles progress billing and longer projects, or whether you will run bid work somewhere else. Service Fusion lists progress billing on its Pro plan, per its pricing page.
Estimating, takeoff and price books
| Tool | What it does | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| McCormick Systems | Takeoff and estimating software for electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors, from takeoff through bid proposal, with a digital takeoff tool | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor; the site offers a demo (McCormick Systems) |
| ConEst | IntelliBid electrical estimating (Standard, Plus and Pro editions, on premises or cloud) and SureCount digital takeoff | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor (ConEst) |
| Profit Rhino | Prebuilt flat-rate price books for electrical, plumbing and HVAC service work | Quote-based; confirm with the vendor (Profit Rhino) |
| CompanyCam | Timestamped job photos for panels, rough-in before drywall and finished work | Core $63/mo, Crew $129/mo, Scale $199/mo billed annually; Enterprise custom (CompanyCam pricing) |
Rough-in photos are worth the habit. Once the drywall is up, a photo of where every box and run sits saves time on future service calls and settles questions with the general contractor or inspector.
Accounting
| Tool | What it does | Published pricing (checked October 18, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online (Intuit) | Bookkeeping, invoices, bills, reports; the accounting app most field-service apps sync with | Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $85/mo, Plus $140/mo, Advanced $340/mo list; Intuit often discounts the first months (Intuit pricing) |
| Xero | Bookkeeping, invoices, bank reconciliation, reports | Early $27/mo, Growing $59/mo, Established $97/mo list, with a new-customer promotion at times (Xero US pricing) |
Construction work brings retainage, progress billing and certified payroll on some public jobs. Smaller shops often handle that in QuickBooks Online or Xero with an accountant's help; larger ones move to construction accounting. Decide based on how much bid work you do.
Phones and texting
Electricians are hard to reach by design: the work happens in attics, crawl spaces and panels where nobody should be taking calls. The office, if there is one, is juggling permits, inspections and supply-house orders. Meanwhile the caller with half the house dark wants to know when someone can come.
- Phone features inside your field-service app: ServiceTitan's Phones Pro links calls to jobs (ServiceTitan). Housecall Pro's CSR AI answers calls and chats and books jobs (Housecall Pro). Jobber's Receptionist answers calls and texts and books visits (Jobber).
- A standalone business phone app: Quo charges $15 to $47 per user per month, and its Sona AI agent includes 10 calls free with paid tiers from $25 to $199 a month (Quo pricing, checked October 18, 2026).
- An AI and texting layer next to your app: An AI that answers every call, asks your safety and triage questions, takes the details and puts them in a shared inbox. This is where Chargezen fits.
Write the safety lines first. If a caller reports sparks, smoke, a burning smell or a downed line, they should get away from it and call 911 or the utility. A partial outage may be the utility's problem, not yours, so ask whether neighbors are out too. Whoever or whatever answers your phone should say those things every time.
Sample stacks by shop size
| Shop | Typical stack |
|---|---|
| Service-focused owner-operator | An entry-level field-service app, a photo habit, accounting, and a number that answers while you are in a panel |
| Service plus small bid work | A field-service app with flat-rate pricing, estimating software for bids, accounting sync, and a shared inbox for calls and texts |
| Construction-heavy contractor | Takeoff and estimating software, project and accounting tools built for construction, a field-service app for the service department, and phones that keep one history per customer |
A checklist for choosing
- Does the field-service app handle flat-rate service pricing and good-better-best upgrade options?
- Can it track permits and inspection dates on the job?
- Do you need takeoff and estimating for bid work, and does it export to your project and accounting tools?
- How will your price book and estimates be updated when your area adopts a new code edition?
- Who answers the phone when every electrician is on a job, and what safety lines do they say?
- Can the office see every call and text with a customer in one place?
- What does it cost for your mix of service techs and construction crews?
How Chargezen helps
Chargezen isn't a field-service app, and it doesn't try to be one. It doesn't book jobs, schedule or dispatch crews, write estimates or send invoices, and it doesn't connect directly to Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, QuickBooks or Xero today. Keep the app that runs your jobs. Chargezen is the phone, text and AI layer next to it: the part that makes sure every electrical customer who calls or texts gets an answer.
- An AI receptionist on your business number: Concierge answers calls day and night with the greeting you write, answers common questions from what you teach it, and takes the job details for your team. When a caller needs a person, it alerts your team in the Finn app and emails or texts the teammates you pick. See AI receptionist and the phone channel.
- Safety lines on every call: Teach Concierge your safety and triage script: sparks or burning smell, outage scope, utility first. It asks the same questions on every call and passes the job to the team.
- Photos by text: Customers can text a photo of the panel, the breaker label or the spot where they want an EV charger, and it shows up in the conversation for the estimator.
- A teammate can join any call: Listen in from the browser or the Finn app, tap Join the call, and Concierge tells the caller you are there. From the Finn app you can transfer the call to another teammate.
- Calls and texts in one team inbox: Every call, voicemail and text lands in the customer's conversation, so whoever picks it up sees the whole history. See the team inbox.
- Missed calls and voicemails on your phone: The Finn app shows missed calls and voicemails with transcripts. From a missed-call notification, a teammate can call back or send a text in one tap.
- Recordings by your rules: Callers hear your recording notice first, and you choose how long recordings are kept. See call recording.
- The number customers already have: Get a new US local or toll-free number, or bring the number on your trucks and yard signs. See business phone number.
What Chargezen doesn't do on the phone: no phone menu, no ringing a group of phones, and no forwarding calls to personal cell numbers. Concierge answers, and teammates join or take over from it. Your field-service app stays the place where jobs get booked, priced and billed, so a teammate copies the job details from the conversation into it.
Concierge Starter is $20 a month with 20,000 credits. Pro is $199 a month with 199,000 credits, or $1,990 a year. Phone and text charges are billed as used. See pricing.
Related terms: voice AI agent, human handoff and AI answering service. Related guides: HVAC business software, roofing business software and AI receptionist vs answering service vs voicemail. Software for other trades: plumbing, cleaning, pest control, lawn care and painting. See how Concierge answers the phone for electricians, or Concierge for home services.
Frequently asked questions
What software do electricians use?
Service-focused electricians mostly use a field-service management app, a flat-rate price book, accounting software and a phone system. Contractors who bid construction work add takeoff and estimating software such as McCormick or ConEst IntelliBid, and often construction accounting.
Is estimating software worth it for a small electrical shop?
If you mostly do service calls, a flat-rate price book usually matters more. Takeoff and estimating software pays off when you bid jobs from drawings regularly. Both McCormick and ConEst quote prices on request (checked October 18, 2026), so ask for a demo with one of your own past bids.
Can an AI receptionist handle electrical emergencies?
It can say your safety lines every time, take the details and alert your team, which is often better than voicemail. It should never be the only safety plan: callers with sparks, smoke or downed lines need to hear "get away and call 911 or the utility" first.
Does Chargezen replace my field-service app?
No. Chargezen doesn't book, dispatch, estimate or invoice, and it doesn't connect directly to field-service or estimating apps today. It answers calls and texts and gives your team the details to enter in the app you already use.
