Contents
System Overview
Bernie's Backyard Lawncare Portal is a two-part web application for managing a lawncare and landscaping business. It consists of a public-facing website where customers can request an estimate, and a private admin portal where the business owner manages jobs, clients, estimates, invoices, and more — all from a single URL.
| Part | Who Uses It | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Public Site | Customers & prospective clients | bernies.sonandigital.com |
| Admin Portal | Business owner / admin | Same URL → click Admin Login |
The portal runs entirely in the browser — no app to download or install. It works on desktop and mobile.
Public Website
What Customers See
The public home page displays the business name, service offerings, and contact information — all pulled live from the admin Settings. A prominent button invites visitors to request an estimate. The business logo, if uploaded, appears in the header.
To submit an estimate request, a customer fills in: name, email, phone, the services they want, and an optional message. Submitted requests appear immediately in the admin portal's Service Requests inbox.
Admin Login
- Go to bernies.sonandigital.com
- Scroll to the bottom and click Admin Login
- Enter your admin password and click Log In
- The admin portal loads — you are now in the Dashboard
To log out, use the Sign Out button in the sidebar. On mobile, open the sidebar first by tapping the ☰ hamburger icon in the top bar.
Default Password Warning Banner
If the password has never been changed from the factory default, an amber banner appears at the top of every page. Click Change Now in the banner or navigate to Settings → Change Password to set a permanent password. The banner disappears after a successful change.
Dashboard
The first screen after login. Four stat cards give a live snapshot:
| Card | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Today's Jobs | Number of jobs scheduled for today |
| Total Clients | All clients in the system |
| New Requests | Unread service requests from the public site |
| Total Revenue | Sum of all paid invoices (all time) |
Below the cards, a Recent Jobs panel shows the latest ten jobs with client name, service type, status, and scheduled date.
Jobs
Scheduling Field Visits
A job represents a scheduled field visit. Each job is linked to a client, has a service type, date, time, price, recurrence setting, and an optional assigned employee.
Creating a Job
Click + Add Job, fill in the form, and click Save. Required fields: client, service type, scheduled date. Optional: time, address (defaults to client's address), price, duration, recurrence, employee, notes.
Recurrence Options
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| One-Time | Single visit — no repeat |
| Weekly | Repeats every week on the same day |
| Bi-Weekly | Repeats every two weeks |
| Monthly | Repeats on the same date each month |
Job Status Flow
Scheduled → In Progress → Completed (or Cancelled at any stage). Update status from the edit modal or the list view.
Calendar
The Calendar shows all scheduled jobs on a month view. Each day with jobs shows a green indicator. Click any day to open a new-job form pre-filled with that date. Use the left/right arrows to navigate between months.
Clients
Stores all customer records. Fields: name, email, phone, service address, city, zip, status (Active / Inactive), and notes. Search the list by name or email. Click a client row to view their detail panel, which includes a job history tab showing every job linked to that client.
Creating a Client
Click + Add Client, enter the details, and save. You can also convert a Service Request into a client directly from the Requests view.
Employees
The employee roster stores the details of field staff who perform jobs. Each record has name, email, phone, and role. Add employees here before assigning them to jobs. Employee records can be edited or deleted at any time.
Estimates
Quoting Customers
Create an estimate to give a customer a written price before work begins. Once accepted, convert it to an invoice in one click.
Estimate Fields
Client (optional for prospects), services description, total amount, status, valid-until date, and notes.
Estimate Status Flow
Draft → Sent → Accepted (or Declined). Update manually as the quote progresses.
PDF & Email
Use the PDF button to generate a professionally formatted PDF showing the business logo, estimate number, line items, and total. Use the Email button to open a pre-filled email to the client.
Convert to Invoice
When a customer accepts an estimate, click Convert to Invoice. A new draft invoice is created automatically. Navigate to Invoices to add line items and send it.
Invoices
Billing Clients
Invoices are the official billing record sent to clients after services are performed. Invoice numbers auto-increment from the starting number configured in Settings.
Line Items
Each invoice can have multiple line items — each with a description, quantity, and unit price. The total is calculated automatically. Add or remove line items in the invoice edit modal.
Invoice Status Flow
Draft → Sent → Paid (or Overdue). Marking an invoice Paid records the payment date. A paid invoice cannot be deleted.
PDF, Email & Print
Use PDF to download a formatted invoice PDF. Use Email to open a pre-filled email with invoice details. Use Print to open a clean printable layout optimised for paper.
Service Requests
This inbox collects all estimate requests submitted through the public website. Each request shows the prospect's name, email, phone, requested services, and message. Update the status to move requests through your follow-up workflow.
Request Status Flow
New → In Progress → Completed. Requests with status New count toward the red badge on the Requests sidebar item.
Reports
Live analytics calculated from your actual data — no setup needed.
| Panel | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Monthly Revenue | Bar chart of paid invoice totals by calendar month |
| Jobs by Status | Count of jobs in each status category |
| Top Clients | Your highest-revenue clients ranked by total billed |
| Estimate Conversion | Percentage of estimates that were accepted |
Settings
Business Information
Set your business name, phone, email, and address. These appear on the public site and on all generated PDFs. Click Save Business Info after making changes.
Logo
Upload a PNG, JPG, or GIF logo. It appears in the sidebar, on the login screen, and on all PDFs. To remove it, click the remove button — the default 🌿 icon reappears.
Service Types
A JSON array of strings that controls the services shown on the public estimate form and in the job service-type dropdown. Format: ["Lawn Mowing","Edging & Trimming","Fertilisation"]. Add or remove services here — the public site updates immediately with no code changes.
Invoice & Estimate Numbering
Set the starting number for invoice and estimate auto-numbering. The counter increments automatically for each new document. Set these before going live to continue an existing numbering series.
Invoice Footer
A message that prints at the bottom of every invoice PDF. Typically payment terms or a thank-you note.
Blocked Days
Mark days as unavailable so they are visually flagged on the calendar. Choose from three types:
| Type | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Single Date | One specific day off (holiday, appointment) |
| Date Range | Multi-day period (vacation, illness) |
| Recurring Weekdays | Specific days you never work (e.g. no Sundays) |
Add an optional reason for each entry. Delete any entry from the list below the form.
Change Password
Enter your current password, then a new password that meets all four requirements shown by the strength indicators: 8+ characters, an uppercase letter, a number, and a symbol. Confirm and save. The password banner disappears after a successful change.
Sidebar Badges
Two modules show red number badges on their sidebar nav items as live alerts:
| Badge | What It Counts | Disappears When |
|---|---|---|
| 🌿 Jobs | Number of jobs with status Scheduled for today's date | Today's scheduled jobs are marked In Progress or Completed |
| 📬 Requests | Number of service requests with status New | All new requests are updated to In Progress or Completed |
Tips & FAQ
Q: I changed the service types in Settings but the public site still shows the old ones.
A: Hard refresh the browser (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R). The public site fetches service types live from Settings on each load.
Q: A client's invoice shows $0 total.
A: Open the invoice, click Edit, and add line items. The total is computed from line items — if there are none, the total is zero.
Q: I need to see all jobs for a specific client.
A: Go to Clients, click the client's row, and open the Job History tab in the detail panel.
Q: I accidentally deleted a job. Can I recover it?
A: Deletions are permanent. Contact SONAN DIGITAL if data recovery from a database backup is needed.
Q: The sidebar User Guide link doesn't open a new tab — is that right?
A: Yes, by design. The User Guide opens as an embedded page inside the portal so you stay in the admin interface.
Q: How do I assign a job to an employee?
A: First add the employee in the Employees module. Then when creating or editing a job, select them from the Assigned Employee dropdown.