Internal software for multi-branch service companies

A service company that opens branches wins customers, but it also piles up tools. Each branch has its habits, its scheduling file, its way of writing a report. Head office re-keys, consolidates and chases. Management waits for month-end to know which branch makes money. And when a key person leaves, part of the organisation leaves with them.

Custom internal software starts here: the network needs a single source of information, with common rules and clearly defined local freedom.

What problems does a multi-branch network run into?

• Re-keying between sales, scheduling, the technician, head office and accounting.
• Practices that differ from one branch to the next, which make the figures impossible to compare.
• Reporting done by hand, from exports of several tools.
• Late reports, which delay invoices and therefore cash.
• Business rules that no standard software applies, worked around with spreadsheets and sticky notes.

How does a single tool for the whole network work?

C-Esium builds a single tool, from the customer request to payment, for the field, the branches, head office and management:

1. Customer requests and CRM: every call, email or text message is logged and assigned to the right branch and person (custom internal CRM).
2. Quotes: a library of services shared by the network, tracked statuses and scheduled reminders.
3. Scheduling: on the people actually available, with skills and certifications, per branch and network-wide (multi-branch field team scheduling).
4. Jobs and reports: reports dictated to AI from voice notes, with photos (AI field reports from voice notes).
5. Invoicing: triggered by the approved job report, with automatic reminders (automatic invoicing after each job).
6. Documents: attached to the right case, searchable.
7. Reporting: revenue, margins, unpaid invoices and cash per branch and for the network (real-time cash and unpaid invoices).

The software connects to your existing tools: accounting, payroll and working time, calls and text messages. The approach is non-invasive. We keep what works, add what is missing and remove what nobody uses.

Who does what in the tool?

At Tech-O

Tech-O is a network of non-destructive water-leak detection companies, rooted in rope-access work and organised as a franchise network, with branches in Saint-Étienne, Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Annecy, Limoges, Bourg-en-Bresse and the Lyon area (France). It is a services company.

C-Esium built a complete business software there. It is not a side tool: sales, scheduling, technicians, head office and accounting work in it every day, from the customer request to payment. Its modules:

• Customer (CRM) and request management
• Quotes and invoicing, with automatic reminders for unpaid invoices
• Accounting synchronised both ways with Pennylane
• Invoice triggered automatically by the job report
• Payroll inputs: hours and data passed on for payroll
• Customer communication by built-in SMS and email
• Team calendar synchronised both ways with Google Calendar
• Custom documents and PDF reports generated automatically
• Job reports written by AI from voice notes
• Data you can query from Claude or ChatGPT (read-only MCP connector)

Its MCP connector in production exposes about 35 read-only tools, from the dashboard and today’s jobs to unpaid invoices, the cash position and the history per address. As with every C-Esium client, Tech-O owns its software: its contract assigns to it all rights to the code.

These are estimates made by C-Esium with Tech-O across field work, organisation, accounting, payroll, HR and management (figures published in October 2026).

Owned or franchised branches: what changes?

The software stays the same, but three questions are settled at scoping:

• Who sees what: each branch sees its cases, the network head sees everything. Rights are set by profile and by branch.
• What is shared and what is local: a common library of services and report template, with local freedom.
• How access and data are split between the network head and the branches, consistent with your contracts.

What changes by sector?

• Services: jobs, rounds, maintenance contracts, invoicing per job. This is the Tech-O case.
• Construction: several branches or depots, teams per project, progress billing.
• Industry: several sites, maintenance and after-sales service, stock and traceability. Same approach, no published reference yet.
• Health and social care: several facilities or services. The hosting arrangement for health data and the scope of the AI are defined at scoping, in line with the applicable health-data rules.

How much does it cost and how long does it take?

• Price: as a focused project, from AED 40,000; inside a complete internal software, from AED 200,000 (excluding VAT; €10,000 / €50,000 in France). For a network, a focused project, such as a single module as a V1, can be the first step towards the complete software. Beyond the starting price, the budget depends on the number of branches and daily users, your current tools and how scattered the data is, and the scope of the software. The exact price is set after the assessment, in a firm quote.
• Timeline: a V1 on a focused scope is delivered in 1 to 2 months. Software covering the whole network takes from 6 months to more than a year, delivered in batches.
• Payment: in milestones; maintenance is optional, as a monthly package.
• Ownership: the project source code, the database and the documentation are assigned to you. There is no per-user licence: equipping the teams of a new branch adds no licences.

How is the software rolled out across several branches?

1. Assessment: a half-day workshop, on site or by video, following the real journey of a case from the incoming call to the invoice.
2. Scoping: process map, friction measured in time, scope, integrations, phased roadmap and firm quote.
3. Build: short sprints, a demo every two weeks, mock-ups you try and correct in the C-Esium Space project area.
4. Delivery: code, data and documentation handed over; your current tools stay in parallel for safety.
5. Training and support: every user gets to grips with the tool, with support after the roll-out.

In a network, change management matters as much as the software. We meet every profile, in every branch, including those happy with the current tools. Internal leads and short working groups avoid the main risk: a tool people work around, with double data entry carrying on.

When is it not the right option?

• Your processes are standard and field service management software for your sector covers them: it will be faster and cheaper.
• Your branches work completely independently, sharing no customers, teams or reporting.
• Your budget is below AED 200,000 for the whole network. A focused project can be a first step.
• Nobody in-house can lead the project. The internal lead is a non-negotiable condition.

The first contact is a free 30-minute call. To place your company beforehand, see the 2030-ready assessment.