Jobs, not shifts
The word "scheduling" covers three different products, and only one of them is this.
| What people mean | What they need |
|---|---|
| Booking trade work in for yourself or a small crew | This page |
| Building shift patterns and managing availability | A rostering tool |
| Running batch tasks on a server | Something else entirely |
That third row is not a joke: job scheduling software is also what the IT world calls a batch scheduler. If that is what you came for, this is not it. Trade scheduling software — this — books visits to people.
It matters because the first one has a customer and an address attached to every entry, and the other two do not. A tradie's calendar is not a grid of time — it is a list of people expecting you.
What a booking carries
Open a job in Yamate and the things you would otherwise be hunting for are already on it:
- The customer and the site address
- The quote, if there is one, with the prices you agreed
- Photos from the last visit — before, after, and the meter you had to find
- The history: what you did at that address, and when
- Access notes — the gate code, the dog, which neighbour has the key
That is the difference between arriving informed and arriving hopeful. The repeat call-out does not start from scratch, and neither does whoever covers it for you.
Recurring work, set once
The quarterly service. The tenant who calls every winter. The monthly clean. Weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly — booked once against the customer and the site, rather than rebooked from memory each time.
Appointment reminders can send automatically if you switch them on, which is the difference between a locked door and a job done.
The day opens without reception
Basements, roof cavities, subfloors, regional runs. The schedule opens, shows the day, takes a change, and syncs when the signal comes back — which matters most at exactly the moment you check it, standing somewhere with no bars.
More on how that works: what happens when the signal drops.
The schedule fills itself
Divert the calls you miss and the caller gets a text with your booking link. They describe the job, Yamate asks the follow-up questions that suit your trade and that job, and it arrives as a request you can quote and book.
The divert is set up on your own phone and costs nothing; a dedicated number is a paid extra. Yamate does not answer your phone — it makes sure the person who rang does not simply move on to the next name on their list.
When the job is done
Finished work becomes an invoice with the quoted numbers already in it, and a deposit already paid comes off automatically. The schedule is not a separate app from the money — it is the same job, further along.
Honest fit
Not for you if you are rostering shifts, allocating rooms or equipment, or scheduling anything that is not a visit to a customer. Those are real products and this is not one of them.
For you if you are a tradie booking work in for yourself or a small crew, and the thing you actually need is to know what Thursday looks like without opening three apps.
Try it on next week's work
From $19/mo (founder price, until 30 Sept), locked in while you stay subscribed. 30-day free trial, everything unlocked, no card. Start the trial or have a look at the demo first — no signup.
Questions tradies ask
Is this rostering software?
No. Yamate schedules jobs, not shifts. A job has a customer, an address, a quote and a history on it. If you need shift patterns and availability management, a rostering tool is the right product and this is not it.
Can I set up recurring jobs?
Yes — weekly through quarterly, tied to the customer and the site.
Does it work without reception?
Yes. It opens, shows the day, takes a change, and syncs when signal returns.
Can I see the customer's history from the booking?
Yes — the quote, the photos and the past visits to that address are attached to it.
Does it schedule my crew as well as me?
Yes, on the company plan — a login each, field or office. What it does not do is build rosters or manage availability.
Next steps
General information for Australian tradies, not tax, legal or financial advice. Yamate schedules jobs and prepares invoices; it does not lodge your BAS or report anything to the ATO on your behalf. Automated reminders send only for tradies who switch them on, and quotes and invoices are never sent without your approval.