CRM for service firms on retainers
Every hour over the retainer reaches the invoice
You see how much of the package each client has used, which invoices go out on the first of the month and which clients are late with payment.
Hours are logged with a timer from the task, the certificate is built from hours, and the retainer fee is invoiced on schedule by itself.
Free up to 100 transactions a month · no credit card · set up from one question.
Hours
Log hoursthis month 14 of 10
Pool used up: −4
beyond the pool: 4 · to invoice 5,600 ₴
- cost of hours
- 6,720 ₴
- deal amount
- 15,000 ₴
- margin on hours
- 8,280 ₴
Sound familiar?
In companies that sell time, part of the work done stays stuck in the hours — 4.5% of revenue on average (SPI Research, Professional Services Maturity Benchmark, 2026).
- «The client asks for more than the retainer covers, and that work stays off the invoice»
- «Hours sit in a time tracker, and at month-end you still have to build a report and an invoice»
- «On the first of the month someone sits down and issues the retainer invoices by hand»
- «We remind clients about last month’s payment by phone»
- «Client tasks live in people’s heads and in messengers»
Over the retainer, priced before the invoice
How much the client has used and how much goes over the package — in their card, with the amount to bill.
Hours this month
To the hours report14 h this monthbeyond the pool: 4 h · to invoice 5,600 ₴
cost 6,720 ₴ · income for an incomplete month
Certificate from hours
The package and the hours over it in one certificate, with the invoice built from it. By month-end the document is ready.
Act No. 2026-0001Issued
09/26/2026 · Tekhnoservis LLC
Title
Work completion act — technical support, September
Document date
26.09.2026
Items are frozen
| Title | Qty | Price | Discount | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical support, 10 h/month package | 1 pcs | 15,000 | 15,000 ₴ | |
| Hours beyond the package (at 1,400 ₴/h) | 3.5 pcs | 1,400 | 4,900 ₴ | |
| Amount due | 19,900 ₴ | |||
Retainer fees bill themselves
A subscription contract with a period creates an invoice every month — on the first the invoices are already there.
| Contract | Counterparty | Per month | This month’s invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical support contract, 20 h/month | Tekhnoservis LLC | 15,000 ₴ | No. 0003 · Subscription fee 09/01/2026 — 09/30/2026 Issued |
| Production accounting support contract, 30 h/month | Promelektro LLC | 25,000 ₴ | No. 0010 · Subscription fee 09/13/2026 — 10/12/2026 Issued |
Who owes and when they promised to pay
Debts by due date and a payment promise with a date — you see whom to remind today.
Debtors
··Columns 6 of 9| Counterparty | Debt amount | Advance | Balance | Days overdue | Promise | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promelektro LLC | 83,000 ₴ | — | 83,000 ₴ | 15 days | — | ||
| Tekhnoservis LLC | 71,800 ₴4,800 $ · 71,800 ₴ | — | 71,800 ₴ | 27 days | until 09/30/2026 | ||
| Ukrlohistyka LLC | 40,000 ₴ | — | 40,000 ₴ | 22 days | — | ||
| Budinvest LLC | 24,000 ₴ | — | 24,000 ₴ | 5 days | — | ||
| Kharchprom PJSC | 17,500 ₴ | — | 17,500 ₴ | 47 days | — | ||
| Agrosvit LLC | 12,000 ₴ | — | 12,000 ₴ | — | — |
Hours by timer from a task
Client tasks live in the CRM, hours from them are logged to the client and the project; everyone sees their own.
Task
Assigned by: Ihor Tkachenko · 09/26/2026
My hours →
Done
Title *
Emergency recovery of the project report
Which clients are profitable
Revenue minus the cost of hours — the margin of every client as one number.
| Title | Hours | Sessions | Cost | Income | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tekhnoservis LLCbeyond the pool: 4 h · to invoice 5,600 | 14 h | 4 | 6,720 ₴ | 15,000 ₴ | 8,280 ₴ 55.2 % |
| Kharchprom PJSC | 4 h | 1 | 1,920 ₴ | no contract | |
| Budinvest LLC | 2.5 h | 1 | 1,200 ₴ | no contract | |
| Ukrlohistyka LLC | 1 h | 1 | 480 ₴ | 9,000 ₴ | 8,520 ₴ 94.7 % |
| Total | 21.5 h | 7 | 10,320 ₴ |
Tickets with a response deadline
Priority, owner and deadline — you can see what’s urgent.
Requests
Columns 6 of 8Accept the request| № | Subject | Counterparty | Priority | Status | Deadline ↑ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bank sync error (import hangs) | Tekhnoservis LLC | Urgent | New | 10.09.2026, 13:51 | |
| 1 | The project report is not generated after the update | Tekhnoservis LLC | High | In progress | 11.09.2026, 03:51 | |
| 5 | Payment from the 09/24 statement is not posted | Tekhnoservis LLC | High | In progress | 26.09.2026, 17:00 | |
| 4 | Set up the act print form for the new letterhead | Tekhnoservis LLC | Normal | New | 28.09.2026, 16:15 |
- Only people with permission see rates and margin
- Client portal from a phone browser
- Unlimited users on every plan
Questions and answers
How much does it cost for a team of 8?
Users do not affect the price: 8 people cost the same as one. Scheduled retainer billing and debtors are on the Money plan, $149 per month; projects, hours and certificates are on the Margin plan, $399 per month. Hours don’t count as transactions.
Do I need an implementation partner to get started?
You can start on your own: the demo company and your own company are both launched from one question about your business type. A certified Krokul partner can take on data migration, accounting integration or complex rules.
Who sees the rate and margin?
Those whose role allows it. A team member sees their own tasks and hours; the rate, cost and margin are visible to roles with access. The server checks permissions on every request.
How are monthly invoices issued?
You sign a subscription contract with the client with an amount and a period. An invoice for each period is created on the contract’s schedule by itself.
What if the client used more hours than the package?
Hours over the package are shown in the client and project cards along with the amount to bill, before the invoice. The completion certificate includes both the package hours and the hours over it.
Is there a timesheet and a rate for each employee?
Hours are calculated at a single team rate, which keeps a history of changes. A working-time timesheet and a separate rate per employee stay outside Krokul.
See a month at a service company in the demo
A demo company with retainers, hours, certificates and scheduled invoices. Then set up your own from one question about your business type — free, no card required.