How to do a change order in Jobber

Which way to use

• The customer already said yes in person, and it is small: edit the job.
• You want a written approval and don't mind a second job or copying lines by hand: create a similar quote.
• You want the customer's signature on the change itself, before the work, on the same job: send a change order for sign-off.

Way 1: Edit the job

This puts the extra work on the job so it reaches the invoice. Nothing goes to the customer.

1. In Jobber, open the job.
2. Edit the line items. Add a line for the extra work with its quantity and price, or change a line that grew.
3. Save. The job total goes up and the invoice will include the new line.
4. To keep a record, add a note on the job with what the customer agreed to, when and how, and attach a photo of the work.

What it records: the new lines and the new total. What it doesn't: that the customer agreed to them. If the bill is questioned later, the record is your note and your memory.

Some contractors edit the original quote instead and ask for approval again. That works, but the quote no longer shows what the customer first agreed to.

Way 2: Create a similar quote

This gets a written approval for the extra work, through Jobber's client hub.

1. Open the job's original quote and choose Create Similar Quote from the More menu. Jobber copies the line items, the client message, the title, the disclaimer, deposits and discounts.
2. Delete the original lines and add the extra work. Change the title so it is clear this is extra work, for example "Extra work: pot lights in hallway".
3. Send the quote. The customer opens it in client hub and approves it. If Require client signatures is on in your client hub settings, they sign as they approve, and Jobber keeps the signature as a note on the quote.
4. Once it is approved, get the work onto a job. Converting the quote makes a new job. To keep everything on the original job, add the approved lines to that job by hand.

What it records: an approved quote, with a signature when you require one. What it doesn't: a link to the job the work belongs to. You end up with two jobs, or with lines copied by hand.

Way 3: Send a change order for sign-off

A change order is a short document for the extra work only: what changed, why, the price, and the new job total, signed by the customer before the work. Jobber doesn't make one, so you use a tool that connects to Jobber. Jobber's DocuSign integration (on Jobber's Connect and Grow plans) can send a document you write for signature, but the signed copy stays in DocuSign and no lines come back to the job; see Changed vs DocuSign. Here is how it goes with Changed, which writes the change back to the job:

1. Connect Changed to Jobber once. Your jobs, customers, and products and services come across. See Start with Jobber.
2. On site, open the job on your phone and tap New change order. Film a short video, take photos or type what changed. Add lines from your products and services. See Make a change order.
3. Tap Send for sign-off. The customer gets a link by text or email. See Send for sign-off.
4. The customer opens it on their phone, with no account or app, sees the change, the photos and the new total, and signs with a finger or by typing their name. See What the customer sees.
5. Changed writes the change back to the same Jobber job: the lines, a pinned note with the signed PDF and photos, the Change orders field, and a deposit invoice when you asked for one. The original quote is never touched. See What goes back to Jobber.

What it records: the customer's signature on the change itself, their consent to sign electronically, the time, their internet address and device, and a signed PDF with a sign-off certificate. See The signed PDF.

The three ways side by side

What a good change order has

Whichever way you go, write down the same things:

• What changed, in plain words, and why.
• Each line with its price, and any work you are taking out as a credit.
• The total before the change, the change, and the new job total.
• Any change to the schedule.
• That it amends the original agreement and the rest of that agreement stays the same.
• The customer's signature, and the date, before you do the work.

For a blank one to print or fill in, see the change order template. For whether an e-signed change order holds up, see Are e-signed change orders legal?