FieldBolt User Guide

Welcome to FieldBolt. This guide will walk you through every screen and feature so you can spend less time clicking and more time on the truck. Whether you're a solo plumber or running a 10-person HVAC crew, FieldBolt is built to fit the way trade shops actually work.

How to Log In

Head to fieldbolt.io/login. Use any of these demo accounts to explore:

Your First Tour

After login you land on the Dashboard. The left sidebar is your main navigation — Dashboard, Bids, Jobs, Customers, Calendar, Crew, Invoices, Analytics, Settings. The top header shows your shop name, plan badge with usage (like “Pro · 42/2000”), and your profile menu. Every screen follows the same layout so nothing is more than 2 clicks away.

Your dashboard shows the health of your shop at a glance. Six stat cards track the metrics that matter:

Quick Actions

Four big buttons for the stuff you do every day: New AI Bid, Add Customer, View Calendar, and Analytics. Below that: Recent Bids and Upcoming Jobs so you know what's on deck today and tomorrow.

This is the heart of FieldBolt. A great bid takes about 90 seconds from click to send. Here's every step:

Your customer list is the core of your shop. FieldBolt handles thousands of customers without breaking a sweat.

• Typeahead search across 500+ customers. Search name, phone, email, or address. Results appear as you type.
• Add a new customer inline. No separate form — create them from the bid flow in 10 seconds.
• Multiple addresses per customer. Repeat customers have multiple job sites — FieldBolt tracks them all and lets you pick from past addresses.
• Customer detail page. Full job history, every bid sent, lifetime value, and notes all on one screen.
• CSV import / export. Bring your existing customer list from QuickBooks, Jobber, or Excel. Available on the Team plan.

These are the features that separate FieldBolt from every other bid tool. Most require Pro or Team plans.

Crew management in FieldBolt is built for real shops — not just a static list of names.

• • Crew list: add, edit, or delete crew members. Track skills, hourly rate, and phone.
• • Edit details: click any crew member to update their role, license, or pay rate.
• • Schedule calendar: mark days off — vacation, sick, training, or personal. The scheduler respects these when suggesting availability.
• • Click to mark, Save to commit: just tap days on the calendar, pick the category, then hit Save.
• • Earliest available date: FieldBolt calculates the soonest your crew can start any given job based on current schedule + days off + job size.
• • Route planning: one click opens Google Maps with all of today's job addresses in the optimal order.

Every job flows through four states: Scheduled → In Progress → Completed → Invoiced. You can view them as a Kanban board (1 column on mobile, 4 columns on desktop) or as a table.

• • Job detail page: crew assigned, live expenses, margin tracker, site checklist — one screen has it all.
• • Add expenses during the job: materials, tools, permits, subcontractors. Crew can snap receipts on mobile.
• • Live margin tracking: the moment actual costs exceed estimated costs, you get a yellow warning. If profit dips below 10%, it turns red.
• • AI-generated job site checklist: trade-specific, auto-generated from the bid scope.

Finish the job, get paid. Here's how:

• • One-click generation: on a completed job, click “Create Invoice” — line items auto-populate from the bid.
• • AI payment reminders: 7 days = friendly nudge, 14 days = firmer, 21 days = straight-to-the-point. Tone auto-adjusts based on days overdue.
• • Payment status: Draft → Sent → Paid / Overdue.
• • PDF export: professional PDF with your shop logo, colors, and payment instructions.

Happy customers = free marketing. After every completed job, generate a branded project card and share it in 2 clicks.

• • Square card for Instagram and Facebook.
• • Wide card for Twitter/X and LinkedIn.
• • AI-written captions that mention your shop name and the scope.
• • One-click share: auto-copies caption, downloads card, opens the platform.
• • Branded hashtag like #RiveraPlumbingHVAC auto-included.

FieldBolt works in English and Spanish. Every user on the shop chooses their own language — your owner can use English while your crew leader uses Español.

• • Language: English / Español — per-user preference.
• • Color themes: Orange (default), Blue, Green, Purple, Red.
• • Dark & Light mode.
• • All preferences persist to your user profile.

FieldBolt has two roles. Both see the same data (one shared shop), but with different permissions.

Both users see the SAME data — bids, jobs, customers, and invoices are shared across the shop. Only the permissions differ.

To upgrade:click the plan badge in your header (e.g. “Pro · 42/2000”), or visit the pricing page.

The plan badge in the header always shows your current plan and usage so you know where you stand. No surprises.

Integrate FieldBolt with your own tools, QuickBooks, or custom dashboards.

• • Settings → API Keys to generate a key.
• • Bearer token authentication in every request.
• • Key is shown ONCE on creation. Copy it immediately and store it somewhere safe.
• • Revoke keys anytime if they're compromised.

Example request:

curl https://fieldbolt.io/api/customers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer fb_your_key_here"

Available endpoints: /api/customers, /api/bids, /api/jobs, /api/invoices.

FieldBolt is built mobile-first. Every feature works on your phone — no stripped-down mobile version.

• • Kanban collapses to a single column on phones.
• • Tables scroll horizontally with visible scroll indicators.
• • 44px tap targets everywhere (Apple's recommended minimum).
• • iOS Safari and Android Chrome fully supported.
• • Add to home screen for an app-like experience — no App Store required.

• Always use Smart Questions before generating estimates — accuracy jumps 15–20%.
• Apply a 10–20% safety margin on materials for unexpected costs. 30% for gut remodels.
• Review AI estimates for your specific trade accuracy — edit the lines you know best.
• Use Summarized mode for residential customers, Detailed for commercial.
• Share completed projects to social media immediately — that's when the leads are hottest.
• Enable payment reminders at day 7, 14, 21. Don't wait 30+ days to follow up.
• Add crew days off in advance so the scheduler respects them when suggesting dates.
• Re-run Bid Quality Auditor before sending — it catches missing permits, low labor hours, and scope gaps.
• Check Local Store Pricing before every bid — material costs move fast.

Stuck? We're here for you.

Community forum — coming soon.