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Done vs spreadsheets, phone calls, and email
Most installation operations we meet run on a spreadsheet, a phone, and a shared inbox. At low volume, that works. Below, one installation is walked through both ways, so you can see where the manual version starts to cost you.
One installation, two ways to run it
The same EV charger order from intake to aftercare: first on phone and spreadsheet, then on Done.
Today
With Done
01Order intake
Today
An order comes in from the webshop or a salesperson. Someone copies it into the spreadsheet, and that row becomes the system of record. Its status is whatever someone last remembered to type.
With Done
The order arrives through the Partner API or is created in Backoffice, and the customer is notified at once. The app walks them through a photo pre-check, and AI flags likely extra costs before anyone is dispatched.
02Finding an installer
Today
You call the contractor you trust in that area. Busy? You call the next one, email a third, and wait. A new region means starting from zero: finding, calling, and vetting on gut feel.
With Done
The job is offered to installers by location and skills, with an earnings preview, over push and SMS. 80% of customers reach an available installer the same day and 50% within two hours.
03Customer contact
Today
After handoff, the conversation moves to the installer's phone, where you cannot see it. If they go quiet, you find out when the customer calls you to ask where their installer is.
With Done
Customer and installer plan the visit in the app: chat with photos, video, and documents, plus calls and scheduling. Every message is on the job record, and AI escalates when an installer is slow to reply.
04Extra work
Today
The installer finds the fuse box needs an upgrade and agrees a price with the customer on the driveway. You hear about it when the invoice arrives, or when the customer disputes it.
With Done
The installer builds a quote from your price list and the customer approves it in the app. Only approved costs can be invoiced, so there are no surprise bills to dispute.
05Installation day
Today
The job gets done, probably well. Documentation depends on the installer: some send photos, some send nothing. Quality control is whatever the customer happens to mention.
With Done
Product information, manuals, and registration details are in the installer app. The installer files a structured report with photos, a PDF is generated, and a webhook fires. Same standard on every job.
06Invoicing
Today
Every installer invoices in their own format, on their own schedule. Someone checks each invoice against the job, the agreed extras, and the original quote. The pile never quite reaches zero.
With Done
Invoicing and payouts run from the job data: customer invoice, installer self-billing, and VAT, including reverse VAT and the green-tech deduction. The customer rates the installation, and the result lands in your analytics.
07When something goes wrong
Today
The complaint lands with you, but the history lives in phone calls nobody logged. There is no root cause to find and no pattern across regions, only another fire to put out.
With Done
Every message, photo, quote, and report is on the job record. You see what happened and when, and analytics show whether it is a one-off or a pattern worth fixing.
The work that never shows up in a budget
None of it is a line item. All of it is in your team's week, and it grows with every order.
Chasing installers
Calls and texts to confirm jobs, move appointments, and ask for photos. Coordination grows with every order, until it is a full-time job, and then two.
“Where is my installer?”
After handoff, customers only have your number. Every gap in communication becomes a call your team takes without knowing the answer.
The invoice pile
Each installer invoices their own way. Someone checks every line against the job and the extras, and disputes whatever nobody approved.
Side by side
At low volume, nothing beats a phone and a spreadsheet for speed. The rows below show what changes when volume arrives.
Works at 10 installations a month
With a handful of jobs and installers you know personally, a spreadsheet and a phone do the job.
DoneManual coordinationWorks with hundreds of jobs running at once
This is where manual coordination breaks: more open jobs than anyone can track by phone.
DoneManual coordinationOne record per job: chat, photos, quotes, reports
Manually, the history is scattered across calls, texts, and inboxes.
DoneManual coordinationSame documentation standard on every job
Done: a structured report with photos on every job.
DoneManual coordinationCustomer communication you can see after handoff
Manually, the conversation moves to the installer's phone. On Done, chat and calls happen in the app, with AI watching response times.
DoneManual coordinationPrice control on extra work
Done: quotes from your price list, approved in the app. Only approved costs can be invoiced.
DoneManual coordinationAutomatic invoicing and installer payouts
Manually, every installer sends their own invoice, and someone checks each one.
DoneManual coordinationConsistent quality across regions
Done: 9-step vetting, and every installation rated by the customer.
DoneManual coordinationData to find the root cause when complaints land
DoneManual coordinationA new region without starting from scratch
Done's 500+ vetted installers are already on the platform. Manually, a new region means finding and vetting contractors again.
DoneManual coordination
| Capability | Done | Manual coordination |
|---|---|---|
Works at 10 installations a month With a handful of jobs and installers you know personally, a spreadsheet and a phone do the job. | ||
Works with hundreds of jobs running at once This is where manual coordination breaks: more open jobs than anyone can track by phone. | ||
One record per job: chat, photos, quotes, reports Manually, the history is scattered across calls, texts, and inboxes. | ||
Same documentation standard on every job Done: a structured report with photos on every job. | ||
Customer communication you can see after handoff Manually, the conversation moves to the installer's phone. On Done, chat and calls happen in the app, with AI watching response times. | ||
Price control on extra work Done: quotes from your price list, approved in the app. Only approved costs can be invoiced. | ||
Automatic invoicing and installer payouts Manually, every installer sends their own invoice, and someone checks each one. | ||
Consistent quality across regions Done: 9-step vetting, and every installation rated by the customer. | ||
Data to find the root cause when complaints land | ||
A new region without starting from scratch Done's 500+ vetted installers are already on the platform. Manually, a new region means finding and vetting contractors again. |
The spreadsheet got you here
If your operation runs on a spreadsheet, that is not a failure. It is how nearly every installation business starts. At ten jobs a month, with contractors you trust and customers you can call back yourself, manual coordination is quick, flexible, and good enough.
Somewhere around a hundred installations a month, it stops being enough. The same few people end up carrying every call, every invoice, and every complaint.
That gap is what Done was built for, and crossing it does not require building an operations team first. E2Charge launched a complete charger-plus-installation offer without an installer network of its own. Hundreds of installations later, it holds a 4.7/5 customer satisfaction score. Let Done run the operation with Installation Services, or put your own crews on Done Platform and add network capacity when you need it.
Frequently asked questions
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Keep selling. Stop coordinating.
Tell us how many installations you run a month and who coordinates them. We will tell you honestly whether Done pays off at your volume.
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