The booking that came in while you were on a roof? It’ll be ready for you to confirm.

Skakel is field service software for South African tradespeople — customers, jobs and SARS invoices on your phone. The Receptionist will answer WhatsApp while you’re on the roof — joining at early access.

Register See the price

Free to start. No card.

A South African tradesperson in a dust-streaked navy work shirt stands by his bakkie at golden hour, smiling at his phone — tools laid out on the open tailgate, a brick chimney on the suburban roof behind him.

Right now the business runs on five things that don’t talk to each other

It works until it doesn’t — a job slips, a follow-up is forgotten, an invoice goes out late, and nothing holds together the day you’re on a roof.

  • WhatsApp threads

    doing the job of your customer list

  • A phone calendar

    doing the job of your job schedule

  • A Word template

    doing the job of your invoices

  • Sums in your head

    doing the job of your VAT

  • “Did they pay?”

    doing the job of your accounts

  • Skakel

    one system, on your phone — even when the signal’s bad

Built for South Africa, not adjusted for it

The compliance, currency and channel a global tool will never retrofit for this market — because for them it’s a rounding error. For us it’s the point.

A calloused working hand holds a smartphone showing a Rand-denominated invoice — line items, VAT at 15%, and a total of R 1,250.00 — inside the cab of a bakkie.

ZAR, not a currency toggle

Real Rand pricing and totals — not a US tool with a settings switch.

SARS-compliant invoicing

Sequentially numbered, VAT-correct invoices that hold up to SARS.

WhatsApp-native

The channel your customers already use in SA — built in, not bolted on.

Works on a bad signal

A mobile-first app that keeps working offline, then catches up.

POPIA data-deletion

Your customers’ data is yours. Deletion is a built-in flow, not a favour.

No AI unless you want it — Free and Starter are platform-only.

One system for the three things that actually lose you money

01

Stop losing work

WhatsApp threads aren’t a CRM. Skakel keeps every customer, property, quote and job in one place you can actually find — on your phone, offline if you have to.

02

Get paid faster

SARS-compliant, sequentially numbered, VAT-correct invoices in two taps. Send on WhatsApp. See who hasn’t paid without doing sums in your head.

03

Answer customers while you’re on a roof

The Skakel Receptionist handles enquiries and books jobs over your WhatsApp number and your website — without ever promising a price or time you can’t keep.

The AI part. Paid tiers only — it’s the moat, not the hook.

An honest price, in Rand

Up to 50–70% under Jobber, ServiceM8 and Fergus at comparable tiers — with a free tier Jobber and Fergus don’t offer. Pay yearly and get two months free.

Free

R0 forever

The low-risk door. No card.

  • Customers, jobs and invoices
  • Built for a real solo round — around 25 customers, roughly 15 jobs and 10 invoices a month
  • 1 user · manual WhatsApp
  • No AI — platform only
Register

Starter

R599 /mo

For when you’ve outgrown the free caps.

  • Everything in Free, uncapped
  • 1 user · manual WhatsApp
  • No AI — platform only
Register
Most popular

Professional

R1,499 /mo

The Receptionist answers customers for you.

  • Everything in Starter
  • The Skakel Receptionist (the AI)
  • Embeddable chat widget · automated WhatsApp
  • Around 3 users
Register

Business

R2,499 /mo

For a growing team.

  • Everything in Professional
  • The Skakel Assistant
  • Around 10 users
Register

No catch. Cancel anytime. Free needs no card. Exact free-tier limits are still being set with real operators — the numbers above are a guide, not fine print.

Not a demo

A real South African chimney-sweep business runs on Skakel every day.

It’s where the product was built and proven — real customers, real jobs, real SARS invoices — before it was offered to anyone else.

A South African tradesperson silhouetted on a suburban rooftop at golden hour.

Straight answers

Do I have to use the AI?

No. The free and Starter plans are platform only — customers, jobs and invoices, no AI at all. The Receptionist is a paid extra you turn on if and when you want it.

Is free actually free?

Yes. No card to start, no trial countdown. It’s capped for a real solo round, not crippled. You move up when the business grows, not when a timer runs out.

Are the invoices SARS-compliant?

Yes — sequentially numbered, VAT-correct, in Rand. Built for SARS from the start, not a template you have to fix.

What happens to my customers’ data?

It’s yours. We follow POPIA, and deleting customer data is a built-in flow — not something you have to email and wait for.

Can I cancel?

Anytime, from settings. No lock-in, no phone call to escape, no cancellation fee.

Does it work with bad signal?

It’s built for a phone in a bakkie. The app keeps working offline and catches up when you’re back in coverage.

We’re letting people on a few at a time

Leave your email and we’ll tell you the day you can start — that’s the only thing we’ll use it for. No sales call, no newsletter, no nonsense.