Everything people ask us
What the employees do, what it costs, and how the work actually leaves your phone. If your question is not here, ask us directly.
The basics
What is Staxen?
Staxen is an office of AI employees for subcontractors and trade contractors. Hire one or all three: Eddie writes and sends your estimates, Josie runs your projects and change orders, and Ivy builds your invoices and chases the payment. Built for electricians, plumbers, HVAC, framers, drywall, concrete, and roofing crews.
Do I have to hire all three?
No. Hire just the one you need. Eddie, Josie, and Ivy each work on their own, so most crews start with the pain that hurts most (usually Eddie for estimates) and add the others later.
Is Staxen for general contractors?
Yes. Staxen is built for the trades, and general contractors run on it too, because you hire only the employees you need. A GC who wants quotes out fast hires Eddie, a GC drowning in billing hires Ivy, and a GC who wants the whole back office hires all three.
Does Staxen have a mobile app?
Yes. Staxen runs on iPhone, Android, and the web. Most contractors run the whole day from the phone: estimates from the truck, job photos on site, payments in the field.
Does Staxen work in Spanish?
Yes. The whole app runs in English or Spanish. Switch any time in settings.
Do I need to be good with computers?
No. If you can talk, you can run Staxen. You tell an employee what happened on the job the same way you would tell a person, and they build the document and show it to you before anything goes out. There is nothing to train and no setup course to sit through.
Estimates
How fast can I send an estimate?
Minutes. Talk the job through and Eddie writes the priced, itemized estimate on the spot, then texts it for signature before you leave the driveway. Plans take a little longer: hand him the PDF and he counts the material off the prints, but that still lands in minutes, not days.
How does Staxen know my prices?
Staxen prices off your numbers, not a national price book. Eddie learns your rates and your materials and services catalog and builds every estimate from them, so it fits your market. Tell Eddie the job location and he suggests the right state sales-tax rate to confirm, so working across state lines is no problem.
Can Eddie text estimates to my clients?
Yes. Eddie texts estimates from your dedicated business number with a secure signing link. You apply for the number in Staxen, and it is registered with the carriers through Twilio. The client opens the link, reviews, e-signs, and pays a deposit from their phone. No app, no login. Ivy sends invoices the same way.
Can Eddie take material off my plans?
Yes. Hand Eddie the plan PDF and he does the takeoff: counts the fixtures, measures the runs, and lists the material with quantities. You review the counts before they go into the estimate, so nothing gets priced off a number you have not seen.
What happens after I send an estimate?
The client opens a secure link on their phone, reviews the line items, and e-signs. No app and no login on their end. You get notified the moment they open it and again when they sign, and the signed estimate turns into a project you can invoice against.
Invoicing and getting paid
Do I need to switch from QuickBooks?
No. Ivy pushes estimates and invoices into QuickBooks Online automatically when they go out, and pulls payment status back. Your accountant keeps QuickBooks. You stop opening it.
How do my clients pay?
Ivy puts a pay link on the invoice, so the client can pay by card or ACH from their phone. Payments land in your own Stripe account. If a client would rather write a check or pay cash, mark it paid and Ivy closes the invoice out the same way.
Does Ivy chase people who do not pay?
Yes. Once an invoice goes past due, Ivy follows up on a schedule instead of letting it sit, and escalates the wording as it ages. You can see every reminder that went out and stop the follow-ups on any invoice.
Can I bill a job in stages?
Yes. Set up milestone or progress billing on a project and Ivy invoices each stage as you hit it, rather than waiting for the whole job to close out.
Running the day
How does the voice thing actually work?
Tap once, talk like you would to an employee. Staxen transcribes it, structures it into the right document, and shows it to you before anything goes out.
Can my crew have their own logins?
Yes. Invite your team from settings and each person gets their own login on the same account. Everything they add, job photos, receipts, notes, lands on the right job.
What about change orders?
Josie writes the change order from what you tell her, sends it to the client for approval, and keeps it attached to the job so it gets billed. Scope that changed on site stops being a conversation you have to remember at the end of the month.
What do I do with receipts?
Photograph the receipt and it files itself against the job. No shoebox, no re-typing at the kitchen table on a Sunday.
Pricing and billing
How much does Staxen cost?
You hire the employees you need. The first 7 days are free with all three unlocked. After that each AI employee is $59/month, or all three for $149/month. No setup fees, cancel any employee any time.
Are there setup fees or contracts?
No setup fees, no contracts. Month to month. Cancel any employee any time from settings.
Is there a limit on projects or estimates?
No. Unlimited projects, unlimited estimates, unlimited invoices. The monthly price covers all of it.
What about payment processing fees?
Online card and ACH payments run through Stripe, and standard Stripe processing rates apply. Staxen does not add a markup on top.
Can I cancel?
Month to month. Cancel any employee from settings. We export everything. Estimates, invoices, customers, the lot.
Can I export my data if I cancel?
Yes. Everything goes with you: estimates, invoices, customers, receipts, the lot.
Trying it
Can I see it before I buy?
Yes. Book a short live demo and Gavin walks you through the real thing at a time you pick. Or just start: the first 7 days are free in the app, so you can try it on real jobs.
What happens after I start free?
Nothing disappears. Your jobs, estimates, and customers stay exactly where they are. You pick which employees to keep, $59 a month each or $149 a month for all three, and carry on.
How long does it take to get set up?
Minutes. Answer a few questions about your trade and your rates, and your first estimate can go out the same session. Connecting email and QuickBooks is optional and can wait until you want it.