How Fence Bros Saves Time and Grows with iTrade

Dom iTrade
Aug 23, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Oct 3

Fence Bros is the go-to team for outdoor services, from fencing and pergolas to retaining walls and landscaping projects. Their motto is simple: get the job done right, on time, and on budget. With a strong archive of happy customers, their reputation rests on quality workmanship and reliability.

But providing this level of service requires more than skill on the tools. It demands smooth, efficient business operations in the background. That’s where iTrade job management software comes in.

Fence Bros team standing in front of a completed wooden fence, showcasing quality craftsmanship supported by iTrade job management software.

The Heart and Soul: Meet Greg and Shirley

In 2019, Shirley Bosman and Greg Hills took over Fence Bros with a vision: deliver great craftsmanship while building strong customer relationships.

Shirley, with her background in hospitality, calls herself a “customer service fanatic” and believes that communication is absolutely essential. Alongside her, Greg, the team’s Chief Fencing Officer, brings 30 years of building experience to ensure quality across every project.

Together, they balance business growth with team morale, backed by the right systems to keep everything on track.

The Problem: A New Business Needs the Right System

When Shirley and Greg took over Fence Bros, they quickly realised that running a new business required more than just skill on the tools. To deliver top-quality work while keeping operations smooth, they needed a solid, reliable system to handle quoting, invoicing, staff tracking, and everything in between.

“We had just purchased the company and needed a good, solid system which would provide all the facilities that we required. We had a look at various systems and programs and found that iTrade was perfect for our needs. Almost two years later, we are still happy with the system.”

Why They Chose iTrade

With plenty of job management systems on the market, why did Fence Bros choose iTrade?

For Greg and Shirley, it came down to ease of use, the right features, and seamless integrations that matched their growing business needs.

Speed and Simplicity: “We found that iTrade offered everything that we were looking for, and it was quick and easy to use. Made our quoting and invoicing so much quicker.”
Xero Integration: “The integration with Xero is great. Makes the accounting side of the business much easier, and all the information is readily available.”
Customer-Friendly Features: “We really like the feature that our customers can accept/decline our quotes, and it populates into the system. So good and time-saving.”
Staff Tracking and Timesheets: “We also really liked the apps that allow us to track our staff, which also helps with timesheets.”

For Shirley, the transition wasn’t without its learning curve, especially coming from a manual, spreadsheet-based system. But thanks to iTrade’s simple design, they were up and running in no time: “We were not born with technology, but the system is quick and easy to use. Before we knew it, we were invoicing up a storm!”

Even now, the Fence Bros team continues to unlock more of what iTrade offers: “There are still more of the features that we haven’t yet used, and we do try to find the time to learn more. It gets better and better. Can’t fault it and can’t recommend it enough.”

The Outcome: Simple Solutions That Lead to Sustained Growth

With iTrade in place, Fence Bros finally had a system that matched their pace. From quoting and invoicing (including handy templates) to full job management, everything became faster and more reliable.

“By having a quick and easy system, we are able to dedicate more time to sales and marketing, as well as being on-site. More time to fit quoting appointments, which is great. Nothing falls through the cracks as all information is documented and stored in iTrade, which is fantastic.”

The impact was immediate. Greg and Shirley estimate they save around two hours every single day thanks to iTrade. That time isn’t wasted on paperwork anymore; it’s reinvested into growing the business, building customer relationships, and actually enjoying their weekends again.

“We have more time now to do other important parts of our business.”

“We even have our weekends back now as we get faster and better at using the system.”

For a young business, that efficiency has been a game-changer. It’s the difference between simply keeping up and having the breathing room to scale sustainably.

What Worked for Fence Bros

We asked Greg and Shirley which iTrade features make the biggest difference day-to-day. Here’s what stood out for them:

Fast Quoting & Invoicing: Easy-to-use processes that save hours of admin.
Seamless Xero Integration: Accounting is simpler, and all the information is readily available when needed.
Customer-Friendly Quotes: Clients can accept or decline quotes directly, and the system updates automatically, cutting out back-and-forth and saving more time.
Staff Tracking Apps: Real-time updates on when staff arrive, leave, and everything in between, which also makes timesheets a breeze.

As Shirley put it: “Before iTrade, we had a manual system with Excel spreadsheets, and all data entries were manual. Now everything is centralised and streamlined.”

Together, these features have created a smoother workflow, tighter control over projects, and a business that spends far less time bogged down in admin.

Fence Bros team standing in front of a finished timber fence, showcasing efficiency with iTrade job management software. — The A Team

Why Fence Bros Back iTrade

Much like the team at Fence Bros, at iTrade we’ve built our software with one goal in mind: to make running a trades business simpler. For Greg and Shirley, the shift from slow, manual systems to an integrated, automated platform has delivered real, measurable benefits for their business and their lifestyle.

“Before iTrade, we had a manual system with Excel spreadsheets and all data entries were manual.”

Sound familiar? Too many trade businesses lose valuable time and accuracy to outdated admin processes. With iTrade, every job detail, quote, and invoice is centralised, helping nothing slip through the cracks.

And when questions do come up, support is always on hand. Greg and Shirley highlighted just how much they value that backup:

“Dom is amazing. Every time we have any questions, and Dom answers at any time, he’s almost immediate in his responses.”

For Fence Bros, iTrade has meant fewer hours wasted on admin and more time invested in growth, customers, and their team.

Fence Bros staff in front of a completed wooden fence with company signage, highlighting quality service managed through iTrade software.

Thinking of signing up with iTrade?

We’d like to leave it up to Greg and Shirley to share their thoughts through this glowing endorsement following their use of the iTrade software. If you’re thinking about joining our 30-day risk-free trial, we hope this will help:

“Try it first, but I am sure that you will like it. This system will be the answer to your business needs; it will save you heaps of time, and the processes are very simple to use. They have a great support system, so help is available almost anytime. Great for your quoting and invoicing. Integrates with your accounting systems, which makes it so much easier to operate. Your staff will have an App on their phones so they can be tracked and you know when they have arrived and left the jobs. Creates more time for you to be off-site and useful elsewhere.”