AI job summaries, drafts and the pre-job brief

Overview#

TradesWork puts AI where the work happens instead of in a separate chat. On a job page, the AI assist card writes drafts from the job's own notes, appointments and equipment: a summary for the office, the job summary for the invoice, or a text to the customer. You edit the draft, and nothing is saved or sent until you click a button. In the field app, each appointment opens with a short Before you go in brief. It's written by AI when available and built from your records when not.

Before you start#

• AI must be connected and on. If AI isn't connected on the server, or an owner turned it off in Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences, the AI assist card is hidden for everyone (not shown greyed out).

• Who can use it: every role except viewers. Each button also needs the matching permission:

  • Summarize this job: anyone who can see the job.

  • Write the job summary: people who can edit invoices.

  • Draft a text: people who can message customers. Send as text only appears when texting is set up.

• Check invoice for missing items needs AI plus permission to approve AI proposals (owners, admins, dispatchers, accounting).

• Technicians see the brief only for appointments they're assigned to.

Steps#

Draft with AI on a job#

1. Open the job (from Schedule › Jobs & Appointments, a customer, or search).

2. Find the AI assist card in the right-hand column.

3. Optionally type direction in the box, for example "mention the warranty" or "shorter".

4. Click a button:

   • Summarize this job: 3 to 6 short lines for the office covering the problem, what's been done, open estimates, money owed and the next step.

   • Write the job summary: a short "what we did today" for the invoice, from the technician's notes.

   • Draft a text: one text message to the customer, under 300 characters.

5. While it works, the button says Writing…. The draft appears under AI draft: in an editable box.

6. Edit the draft. Then choose:

   • Add as note: saves it as a job note (summaries).

   • Send as text: sends it to the customer (texts only).

   • Copy: copies it to paste elsewhere.

   • Rewrite: asks again, improving your edited version and following your direction.

   • Discard: throws it away.

Check the invoice for missing items#

1. On a job with an open (unpaid, not void) invoice, click Check invoice for missing items under the AI assist card.

2. TradesWork compares the notes with the invoice and looks for work mentioned but not billed.

3. The message says either "The invoice matches the notes. Nothing missing." or "Possible missing items found. Review them in Approvals."

4. Open AI approvals to see the proposed pricebook lines, each with the note text it came from. Approve, reject or undo them there.

Read the pre-job brief (field app)#

1. In the field app, open an appointment.

2. Before you go in is at the top: 3 to 5 short lines covering the equipment and its age, what happened last time, open estimates, membership, any balance owed and access notes.

3. A badge shows where it came from: AI summary or From your records (built from the same facts without AI).

4. Tap Refresh to rebuild it, for example after the office adds a note.

5. The brief downloads with the day's appointments, so it opens without signal once loaded. If it couldn't load, you'll see "Couldn't load the brief." and a try-again button.

Write it for me in the field app#

On the appointment's notes, the technician can tap Write the job summary. On an estimate option, Write the option summary is available. Review the AI draft: review before using it, then tap Use this, Rewrite or Discard.

Settings that change this#

Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences:

• Use AI in TradesWork: off hides every AI control for everyone.

• Invoice review agent mode: controls the automatic invoice checks after jobs finish (the manual button works whenever AI is available).

• Technician AI tools: switches for the field app's Job assistant, Diagnostic troubleshooting and Equipment info.

• Usage, last 30 days: requests and estimated cost per feature, including "Summarize this job" and "Pre-job briefs".

Tips#

• Good notes make good drafts. The AI only uses what's on the job.

• Use Rewrite with a direction instead of starting over. It keeps your edits.

• Read every customer text before sending. You are the sender.

Troubleshooting#

• No AI assist card on the job. Cause: AI isn't connected, is turned off, or your role doesn't include AI (viewers). Fix: an owner checks Settings › AI › AI Assistants & Data Preferences.

• Only Summarize this job appears. Cause: you can't edit invoices or message customers. Fix: none needed, or ask for a role change.

• No Send as text button. Cause: texting isn't set up for this job's customer. Fix: use Copy, or set up texting in Settings › Phones › Phone Numbers, Call Recording & Texting.

• "There are no notes to check the invoice against." Fix: add the technician's notes first.

• The brief says From your records. Cause: AI was unavailable when it was built. Fix: tap Refresh once AI is back.

FAQ#

Is anything saved automatically? No. Drafts stay on screen until you add, send or copy them.

What does the AI see? The job, notes, appointments, equipment and line items. For texts, at most the customer's first name. Never phone numbers, emails, addresses or payment details. Your data isn't used to train models.

Does the brief cost money each time I open it? No. It's cached per appointment and rebuilt only when the facts change or you tap Refresh.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

ServiceTitan's AI features sit in separate tools. In TradesWork, AI lives on the job itself, always as an editable draft, and the technician's brief is built into the appointment screen. When AI isn't available, the controls are hidden and the brief falls back to a summary of your records.