How long does setup take?
Most shops are quoting their first job in under 5 minutes. There's no long onboarding or training required — create your account, add your pricing rates, and start tracking. If you want to import customers or configure QuickBooks, we'll walk you through it, but it's completely optional.
Do I have to use QuickBooks?
No. QuickBooks integration is an optional add-on on the Pro and Elite plans. PowderShopOps works great on its own — you get full job tracking, quoting, and profit reporting without ever connecting an accounting package. If you do use QuickBooks, one click sends a formatted invoice straight to QBO when a job is complete.
How does quoting work?
You set your default rate per square foot once in settings. Then for each quote you add line items — parts with square footage, per-piece pricing, or flat rates. PowderShopOps calculates the total, applies rush fees, discounts, and tax automatically. Customers get a clean PDF quote, and one click converts an approved quote into a live job.
What is the customer portal?
Each org gets a unique customer portal link you can send to clients or put on your website. Customers enter their email, receive a magic link (no password needed), and can see exactly which stage their job is at — Blast, Wash, Coat, Cure, QC, or Pack & Ship. No phone tag, no "where's my stuff?" calls.
Can my whole team use it?
Yes. The Starter plan covers up to 3 team members, Pro includes up to 10, and Elite is unlimited. Each team member has their own login, and you can control who can create quotes or mark jobs complete. Time entries are tracked per user so you can see who worked on what.
How does profit calculation work?
PowderShopOps tracks your revenue (from the quote) against your costs — powder used (lbs × your cost per lb), masking materials, labor time, and any misc costs you enter. The P&L report shows gross profit and margin per job and in aggregate so you always know which jobs are making you money.
What is the Parts Library?
The Parts Library lets you save a customer's standard parts — description, color, finish, and pricing — so you don't re-enter them every time. Open a customer record, go to the Parts Library tab, and add their repeat items. When building a quote for that customer, you can pull saved parts directly into the quote lines.
Is my data secure?
Yes. All data is isolated by organization — no shop can ever see another shop's data. Sessions use signed JWT cookies, API tokens are encrypted at rest, and all traffic is over HTTPS. QuickBooks tokens are individually encrypted in the database. We don't sell or share your data with anyone.
What happens after the free trial?
Your trial lasts 14 days with no credit card required. At the end, you choose a plan and enter payment info to keep going — or your account goes read-only (nothing is deleted). You can cancel any time from your account settings; you're never locked in. Founding member pricing is locked in for life as long as your subscription stays active.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The shop board and run schedule are optimized for phones and tablets so your team can update job stages from the floor without walking to a computer. The full app runs in any modern mobile browser — no app store download required.
What kind of support do you offer?
Starter and Pro plans get email support with responses within one business day. Elite plans get priority support — real humans, faster response, and direct access to the team that built the software. We also have a setup guide and FAQ built into the app so you're never stuck on basics.