Job card software for South African electrical contractors

CoC documentation, DB board photos, compliance readings, solar installations, and invoicing — all in one app. Offline-first for load shedding. ZAR pricing for SA electrical contractors.

The problems SA electrical contractors face

Electrical contracting in South Africa carries significant liability exposure. The Certificate of Compliance (CoC) is a legal requirement for every new installation and change to an existing installation. DB board photos, meter readings, and compliance evidence must be documented per job — not stored in random folders on a technician's phone. Load shedding means the app must work offline. And the solar installation market is growing fast, bringing multi-tech coordination complexity with it.

Problem: CoC documentation scattered across technicians' phones

The Readings/Compliance photo stage links DB board photos, meter readings, and compliance evidence directly to the specific job card and customer. Every photo is GPS-tagged and timestamped at capture. When a body corporate asks for the CoC evidence from a job done six months ago, you find it in seconds — not by phoning the tech and asking them to dig through their camera roll.

Problem: DB board photos taken but impossible to find afterwards

Every photo is tagged to the job, the stage, the technician, and the customer. Search by address, job number, date, or customer name. The DB board photos from a Sandton apartment complex are not mixed in with the photos from a Randburg factory — each job has its own photo record, organised by stage.

Problem: Solar installation jobs require multi-tech teams and careful coordination

Assign a lead electrician and one or more support technicians to a single solar installation job. Each receives the job on their own phone. Each clocks in and out independently. The full labour hours from the whole team roll up into a single invoice. For large commercial rooftop installs that run over multiple days, the job stays open until every tech has completed their work.

Problem: Load shedding interrupts job documentation mid-job

The mobile app is offline-first. All job data is stored locally on the technician's phone. Electricians can take photos, capture meter readings, complete compliance documentation, clock out, and get the customer's signature with no connectivity whatsoever. When the lights come back on and the phone reconnects, everything syncs automatically in the background.

Problem: Load shedding creates demand spikes that are hard to manage

When load shedding trips circuits across a suburb, inbound callouts spike. The dispatch board shows every incoming job and every available technician in real time. Assign the nearest available tech to each callout — no phone calls, no confusion, no double-bookings. Priority levels flag emergency callouts so they jump the queue.

Problem: High liability means every job needs a complete audit trail

Every job card in WorkOrderPro carries a full audit trail: who was assigned, when they clocked in and out, which photo was taken at which stage and GPS location, which customer signed off and at what time. If an electrical fault is disputed months after a job, the job card is the record. Photos are tamper-proof from the moment they are uploaded — SHA-256 hash verified, originals stored unedited.

Certificate of Compliance documentation, built into every job

In South Africa, a Certificate of Compliance is required for all new electrical installations and for changes to existing installations. The electrician who signs the CoC is personally liable. The documentation burden is real: meter readings, DB board condition before and after, compliance measurements, and photographs of the completed work.

WorkOrderPro's Readings/Compliance photo stage is designed for exactly this. When the technician reaches the compliance documentation step in their job workflow, they photograph the DB board, capture meter readings, photograph the completed installation, and record the compliance notes — all linked to the specific job card, job site, and customer account. Nothing is stored in a separate folder or a personal phone gallery.

Because photos are GPS-tagged at the point of capture and become tamper-proof once the job moves past in-progress status, the documentation record is trustworthy. The coordinates confirm the technician was at the correct job site when the photos were taken. If the CoC is ever challenged, the evidence is verifiable.

See more on the job photo documentation feature and how each stage maps to real job workflows.

Arrival stage

Documents the state of the DB board, meter, and installation before any work begins. If there is pre-existing damage or a non-compliant situation inherited from a previous contractor, it is captured before your tech touches anything.

Readings/Compliance stage

Meter readings, earth leakage test values, DB board photographs after the work, and any compliance-related measurements. These photos and notes become the CoC evidence record, attached permanently to the job card.

Completion stage

Final installation photos, customer sign-off, and the auto-generated invoice. The full job record — from arrival through compliance documentation to completion — is searchable and permanently linked to the customer and job site.

Solar installation job management

Solar installation is one of the fastest-growing verticals for electrical contractors in South Africa. The combination of persistent load shedding and falling solar system costs has driven residential and commercial demand to levels that were unimaginable five years ago. Solar jobs are also operationally more complex than standard callouts: they typically require multiple technicians, multiple visits, equipment tracking, and detailed CoC documentation for the electrical connection.

Multi-technician install teams

A typical residential solar install may require one technician to mount the panels and a second to handle the electrical connection and DB board work. Both are assigned to the same job in WorkOrderPro. Each receives the job brief on their phone. Each clocks in and out independently. The invoice reflects the combined labour hours of both technicians, correctly itemised.

Equipment tracking for installed systems

Equipment registry — coming in the fast-follow release on Professional and Enterprise plans — will let you register each installed inverter, battery bank, and solar array with serial numbers, install dates, and warranty expiry. When the customer calls for a service visit two years later, the technician sees exactly what was installed and when. Service history builds automatically with each subsequent job.

Structured photo documentation per install phase

Panel placement, mounting, cable runs, DB board connections, and final testing each get their own photo documentation. The six photo stages — arrival, work in progress, materials used, completion, departure, and readings/compliance — cover the full install sequence. Every photo is linked to the job and cannot be edited or deleted after upload.

Offline-first for site-level connectivity issues

Commercial and industrial solar installations often happen in buildings with limited cellular signal. The offline-first mobile app means technicians capture photos, record readings, and complete their job documentation regardless of connectivity. Everything syncs when they get back to a signal area — no job documentation is lost.

Features specific to electrical contractors

Every feature is designed to address the actual operational challenges of running an electrical contracting business in South Africa — from the liability of CoC sign-off to the coordination complexity of multi-tech solar installs.

Readings/Compliance photo stage for CoC evidence

Dedicated photo stage for CoC documentation — DB board photos, meter readings, compliance test values, and final installation photographs. Linked permanently to the job card. GPS-tagged and timestamped. Tamper-proof from the moment of upload. Available on all plans.

Dispatch board for load-shedding demand spikes

Manage multiple inbound callouts simultaneously when load shedding triggers a spike in demand. See which technicians are available and where they are. Assign the nearest available tech instantly. Emergency priority jobs are flagged so they are handled first. Full calendar with drag-and-drop on Professional and Enterprise plans.

Multi-tech time tracking for solar install teams

Every technician assigned to a job clocks in and out on their own phone. Time is tracked per technician, per job. For a three-person solar installation team, the invoice reflects each tech's hours separately, or as a combined labour total — your choice. Works offline during load shedding and syncs on reconnect.

Equipment registry for inverters and solar systemsComing soon

Register each installed inverter, battery bank, DB board, and solar array with make, model, serial number, install date, and warranty expiry. Service history builds automatically with each visit. Professional and Enterprise plans — coming in the fast-follow release.

Offline-first mobile app for sites without signal

Industrial sites, rooftop installs, and buildings in load shedding all have connectivity gaps. The mobile app stores all job data locally — photos, notes, readings, signatures. No connectivity required. Android and iOS. Sync happens automatically when connectivity is restored.

On-site quote builder for solar and DB board jobs

Build itemised quotes on-site from the service catalogue — inverter supply, installation labour, DB board modifications, surge protection, cable. Customer approves by signing on the technician's phone before any work starts. No quote goes unapproved, no scope creeps past what was agreed.

ZAR pricing for South African electrical contractors

From R999/mo base + R349/technician (up to 5 electricians). No USD exposure, no setup fees. PayFast billing.

Professional from R1 999/mo base + R499/technician adds the full dispatch board, equipment registry (coming soon), and team performance insights for larger contracting businesses.

See full pricing

Electrical contractor questions

Can I use the Readings/Compliance photo stage for CoC documentation?

Yes. The Readings/Compliance stage is specifically designed to capture meter readings, DB board photographs, compliance measurements, and CoC evidence — all linked to the specific job, job site, and customer. When a CoC query arises months later, you pull up the job card and the photos are there, GPS-tagged and timestamped at the exact time they were taken.

How does the app work during load shedding?

The mobile app is offline-first. Electricians can complete the full job workflow — clock in, take photos, document DB boards, complete compliance readings, and get customer sign-off — with no internet connection. Data syncs when power and connectivity return. Load shedding does not interrupt job documentation.

Does load shedding actually create more work for electricians?

Yes. Load shedding creates demand spikes for electrical contractors. Tripped circuits, damaged appliances, inverter installations, surge protector replacements — these callouts spike during and immediately after load shedding events. The dispatch board lets you manage multiple inbound callouts simultaneously and assign the nearest available technician quickly.

Can I manage solar installation jobs with multiple technicians?

Yes. Multiple technicians can be assigned to a single job. Each technician has their own clock-in and clock-out record. Install teams for large commercial or residential solar jobs are fully supported — the lead tech and support techs each track their own time, and all labour rolls up into a single invoice.

Can I track inverters and solar panels as installed equipment?

Equipment registry — on Professional and Enterprise plans — will let you register each installed unit with make, model, serial number, install date, and warranty expiry. Service history builds automatically with every subsequent job. This feature is coming in the fast-follow release after launch.

What happens if an electrician cannot take a required CoC photo on-site?

The photo override system handles this. If a technician cannot take a required photo — camera broken, site restriction, customer refused — they must provide a written reason (minimum 50 characters), select a reason category, and confirm with an attestation tick. The override creates a flagged record and the dispatcher is notified immediately. The job has a documented explanation rather than a silent gap.

Further reading: How to manage CoC documentation with job photo software

Built for South African electrical contractors

14-day free trial. No credit card required. ZAR pricing from R999/mo base + R349/technician. Offline-first for load shedding.

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