Business Pilot

Business Pilot is an ERP and CRM built around installation work, combining lead capture, sales, scheduling, job costing, invoicing and aftercare. It suits installation companies with office staff and mobile fitters who need one shared record from enquiry to completion. The breadth is its strongest argument, while the minimum contract and long initial term demand careful budgeting.

Overview

Business Pilot centralises the installation job lifecycle rather than treating CRM, operations and finance as separate tools. A job can move from first enquiry through sales, surveys, contracts, supplier orders, scheduling, costing, invoicing, installation and aftercare. That continuity should reduce duplicate hand-offs for growing installation firms; a small team wanting only a contact database or calendar may find the scope excessive.

The product is aimed at window and door, alarm, construction, building, solar-panel and roofing businesses, although it can also serve other installation companies. Customer data is maintained in the UK on Microsoft Azure servers. The system can support GDPR compliance, provided the customer’s own processes meet the necessary requirements.

Key features

Lead capture and sales

Website forms can send enquiries into Business Pilot through a WordPress plugin, or through a manual integration for other websites. Lead grading gives sales teams a way to prioritise opportunities instead of handling every enquiry identically. This is useful for businesses with a steady flow of inbound work, but Business Pilot is not a pricing engine: it connects to pricing software and stores quotes and related documents rather than calculating prices itself.

Scheduling and field work

The interactive schedule board lets staff move installation dates, updates the related contract record and notifies fitters. That link between a timetable and the contract should help avoid office and field teams working from stale dates. The BP Site App sends installers job details, photographs and technical specifications on their phones, supports digital sign-off forms and returns field-to-office updates. It is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play, with phone, tablet and desktop access supported during the trial.

Administration and connections

Inspection forms, an estimate builder, job scheduling, invoicing and payments are included. Accounting connections cover Xero, Sage and QuickBooks; other listed integrations include FENSA, Certass, Tommy Trinder, Windowlink and Microsoft 365, with additional connectivity through Zapier. There is no customer portal, so customer-facing self-service is not part of this package.

Support is offered Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 17:30. Trial users receive how-to videos and assistance from the team, including a call intended to help them use the trial effectively.

Pricing

Business Pilot offers custom pricing on request and a 14-day free trial. The trial requires no setup fee or credit card and includes demo data; users can add, edit, delete, report on and export records from a desktop, tablet or phone. It is long enough for an installation team to map a complete workflow, though a fortnight may be short for evaluating a full operational rollout.

The published licence options are billed monthly but invoiced quarterly in advance:

The headline licence prices do not remove the commercial floor: the FAQ sets a minimum contract value of £240 per month, equivalent to three full users. A subscription has a 24-month minimum term, then rolls monthly with at least 30 days’ notice to cancel. That commitment makes Business Pilot a poor fit for a very small or short-term operation, even with the low Site License entry point.

Platforms

Business Pilot provides web, Android and iOS access, plus an API. The BP Site App supports installers on Apple and Android phones, while office users can work through the web interface and connected integrations.

Who it's for

Choose Business Pilot if your company sells and delivers installations and needs sales, survey, scheduling, finance and field updates tied to the same job. It is especially relevant to window and door, roofing, solar, construction, alarm and building firms with several roles sharing live records. Look elsewhere if you need a customer portal, a standalone pricing calculator or a low-commitment tool for occasional projects.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Covers the full path from enquiry to aftercare, reducing the need to stitch together separate operational systems.
• Pro: Schedule changes flow to contracts and fitter notifications, while the mobile app carries specifications, photos and digital sign-off into the field.
• Pro: Integrates with major accounting, compliance, design and productivity services, including Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and Microsoft 365.
• Con: A £240-per-month minimum and 24-month initial term raise the cost and risk for small teams.
• Con: It does not calculate prices, so quoting workflows still depend on connected pricing software.
• Con: No customer portal is provided for client self-service.

Alternatives

Instant Roofer is the better choice when you want a freemium measurement-focused service with a free plan and trial rather than a long-term installation ERP.

Roofr suits roofing teams seeking a free Starter plan with basic job-board and proposal allowances.

Jobba is worth considering when you prefer customised packages discussed around your business requirements.

ProLine fits teams wanting a freemium option with production management, quotes, payments, automations and integrations.

RooferBase is an alternative web-based roofing platform with per-user pricing that varies by configuration and team size.

HiveSuite is suited to smaller crews wanting transparent monthly plans, including a Solo tier for one admin and two crew members.

Centerpoint Connect targets businesses prepared for field-user and office-user pricing plus a substantial implementation charge.

GiddyUp offers a paid installation-oriented alternative with pricing tied to jobs won.

For a broader category view, see Roofing Software.

Verdict

Business Pilot is a strong match for established installation companies that want one system spanning lead qualification, contracts, scheduling, field sign-off, finance and aftercare. Its integrations and mobile workflow are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if your priority is pricing calculation, customer self-service, a free tier or avoiding a £240 monthly minimum and 24-month commitment.