Deposit before dispatch until the card actually clears
Deposit before dispatch keeps a Jobber or Housecall Pro visit off the board until the deposit is recorded. $3,500 one-time. You own the rule.
In this article· 6 sections
The visit was on Thursday’s board at 7:10. The deposit still said unpaid. The tech was in the truck.
Deposit before dispatch is that hold: a Jobber or Housecall Pro visit stays off the schedule until the deposit is recorded as paid. Workflow Automation is $3,500 once for that one rule. You own the runbook. I do not bill a subscription. It is live in 7 to 10 days. The check runs in the job system you already pay for, not inside a chat app.
Short answer: Deposit before dispatch means a scheduled visit does not stay on the board while the deposit is still unpaid. Workflow Automation is $3,500 once for that one hold in Jobber or Housecall Pro, and you own the runbook. If your office already refuses to schedule until the deposit is recorded, do not pay me. This is not the invoice chase, and it is not a customer booking from an AI app.
What is deposit before dispatch?
Deposit before dispatch is one rule on the schedule. A visit that required a deposit comes off the board, or never lands on it, until that deposit is recorded. It does not charge the card, and it does not replace the dispatcher.
The leak is the gap between “we require a deposit” and a visit the tech can see. Jobber lets you add a required deposit on a quote as a percentage or a fixed amount. When that quote has a required deposit, the client needs to pay before work can start, through Client Hub or a payment you record (Jobber Help). You can still convert the quote to a job. Deposit information shows when you create or edit the job. It does not appear on the saved job.
Housecall Pro can require a deposit or full payment on online booking, and it can require a deposit before a customer approves an estimate (Housecall Pro). Online booking can also cancel unpaid bookings after one hour if you turn that toggle on (Housecall Pro). Those settings cover the path they name. They do not cover the job the office put on the board anyway.
What does deposit before dispatch cost?
Workflow Automation is $3,500 once for the named hold, and you own the runbook. Zapier Professional lists $19.99 a month on the annual 750-task plan, or $29.99 monthly. The setting you already have is cheaper when the office follows it.
| Follow the setting you have | Zapier Professional, 750 tasks | Workflow Automation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay them or me | $0 to me | $19.99 a month billed annually, or $29.99 monthly | $3,500 once |
| 24 months | Your time on the board | $479.76 on the annual plan | $3,500 to me, then $0 more to me |
| 36 months | Your time on the board | $719.64 on the annual plan | Still $3,500 to me |
| What you get | The deposit rule the product already documents | A zap, if the apps and the unschedule step cooperate | One hold, one stop rule, a runbook in your system |
| Who releases an emergency | Whoever is staring at the board | Whoever built the zap | You, on the exception you signed |
Prices are from Zapier’s pricing page. I will not pretend $3,500 beats $19.99. Buy Zapier when a ping is enough and you are happy keeping the subscription. Buy the lane when the visit has to leave the Jobber or Housecall Pro schedule, the exception is written down, and you want that runbook without another monthly seat.
The same $3,500 is on the Workflow Automation price. A second company, a second job system, or the invoice chase is a second quote. Money customers still owe after the work is invoice follow-up, not this hold.
How does the hold actually run?
The path is a trigger, a look at the deposit record, and a visit that leaves the schedule when that record is unpaid. A human steps in for cash in the drawer, an emergency, or a card that failed.
- Trigger. A job is scheduled, or a quote or estimate becomes a job, in Jobber or Housecall Pro.
- Action. If the required deposit is not recorded as paid, take that visit off the dispatch board or leave it unscheduled. Do not tell the customer the truck is coming.
- System of record. The Jobber or Housecall Pro schedule. A side sheet does not count. If the plan or the permissions cannot move that visit, I say so before you pay.
- Human escalation. Cash or a check the office already has and has not recorded, an emergency you marked as an override, a deposit you waived in writing, or a payment that failed. I stop and ping you. I do not roll the truck.
A customer who should book and pay from ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok is AI Front Door. Desk is $7,500 once. Look Up is $3,500 if they only need to ask. MCP is the open standard those apps use to connect to a business’s tools. This hold runs in Jobber or Housecall Pro. It will not take the deposit.
What does the $3,500 not include?
The $3,500 covers one job system, one hold, a stop rule, and a runbook you keep. Charging the card, the invoice after the job, and the phone stay outside that fee.
Not in the $3,500: a second company or system, your deposit percentage, or card-processing fees. Jobber, Housecall Pro, and Zapier stay on your bill. The Friday report and the overdue-invoice chase are each a different job.
When this isn’t the right move yet
Wait if the product setting already keeps unpaid visits off the board, or if you are the only person who schedules and you already wait for the deposit. Paying $3,500 before that buys a rule you are not breaking.
Skip it when Housecall Pro online booking already requires the deposit and unpaid bookings already cancel on the one-hour toggle. Skip it when Jobber quotes are not converted until Collect Deposit or Record Deposit shows the money. Skip it when the board is a few jobs a week and you are the dispatcher. Skip it when the leak is a missing booking link, or invoices that age after the work. Skip it when every job is an exception and you cannot name the override. I quote extras. I do not flatten the hold, the chase, and a new checkout into $3,500.
What should be on paper before you pay?
Write one system, the deposit field you trust, and one override before you pay. A blank card means I will not take the $3,500, and I will not invent the hold in the kickoff.
| Check | Ready | Not yet |
|---|---|---|
| System | Jobber or Housecall Pro, one company | ”Both, and the sheet” |
| Deposit | The recorded payment you already trust | ”They said they would pay” |
| Override | Cash in hand, a named emergency, a failed card | ”Use your judgment” |
| Scope | This hold only | Chase, checkout, and the Friday pack |
If the card is full, send the short audit. It is a short form. I reply with the replacement map within 24 hours. Name the system, the deposit field, and the visit that still hits the board unpaid. If you would rather talk through the workflow and whether it fits, book a 20-minute call.
FAQ
How much does deposit before dispatch cost? +
Workflow Automation is $3,500 once for one named hold in Jobber or Housecall Pro. You own the runbook, and I do not add a subscription. It is live in 7 to 10 days. Zapier Professional lists $19.99 a month on the 750-task plan billed annually. A second company, or the invoice chase, is a second quote.
Does Jobber already stop the truck until the deposit is paid? +
A required deposit means the client pays before work starts, in Client Hub or as a payment you record. You can still convert that quote into a job. Deposit details show while you create or edit the job, not on the saved job. If your office never schedules until that payment is recorded, do not pay me.
What is not included for $3,500? +
The fee is one system, one hold, and a stop when the deposit is cash, an emergency, or a failed card. It does not charge the card, chase the invoice after the visit, or answer the phone. Jobber, Housecall Pro, and Zapier stay on your bill. Paying from ChatGPT or Claude is AI Front Door.
When should I not buy a deposit hold yet? +
Wait if online booking already requires the deposit and unpaid bookings already cancel on their own. Wait if you never put a visit on the board until the deposit is recorded. Also wait when you dispatch a handful of jobs yourself. The lane is for visits that land on the schedule unpaid.
