PROJECTS - More flexibility with task and pricing

PROJECTS - More flexibility with task and pricing

Hi Everyone,
I would like to use PROJECTS in my Zoho Booking app but it does not fit into my business.
For example: I charge per sessions fixed price. My session usually are 2 hours  and I bill the customer on the end of the month. My session can have different time length and different fee. Generally, I charge per session and if someone booked the session and did not come I still charge for it. I cannot set it up with current properties of the PROJECT options. It can be done but it is too much clicking and the report or invoice could be misleading as there is only option per hour as a billing rate.
Let's analyse how the PROJECTS can be improved  based on car mechanics business:

Billing Method:
1)  Fixed cost per project -  this option is fine, mechanic can agree with customer that the car will be repaired for the fixed fee no matter of how long it takes. But if mechanic would like to do teaching session charging £100 for 2 hour session , this will not fit into this option. Mechanic would need to create for each session new project - not good option - better to invoice each time.

2) Based on project hours -  this option has a fixed rate per hour.  Project can be split into different tasks like changing  tyres in the car or changing the brake pads etc . But ... still not perfect when it comes to teaching and charging per session. It can be that for each session there is new task, but too much clicking and misleading hourly rate instead sessions. Imagine that you have 5 students for each teaching session you have to spend a bit of time to register it. 

3) Based on task hours -  this one is the most close almost perfect for those who charge clients per session. Each task can have separate rate but there is only option per hour. Perfect for mechanic who can say that changing the engine will cost more per hours as require more experienced mechanic where topping up the oil can be done by les experienced employee. 
Probably most of the business will be charging per hour as it is the most profitable approach, but when you are teaching , you know that 2 hours session is booked, it would be better just by one click record that student came for the session, instead two clicks like start the session and end of the session and adjusting the time when you finished session just 10 minutes late. Better to have just one click to record the attendance. 

in my opinion following option for the task would add much more flexibility for many businesses. Each task could be billed by:  
  1. hour - it is billed for every minute spend on this task - the only option which is currently available
  2. per session - it is billed fixed amount per each session, no matter if it take 5 minutes more or less
  3. simple  - billed just per task, each task with different rate and no time counting.

than our mechanic could for each student create project and for different teaching subject have different task. Theory of car design could be charged per session - each time when student come for lecture, it can be clicked the task button and it automatically register the date of the session. On the end of the billing period it list when and how many session were taken and listed on the invoice.  Practical teaching could be charged by hours, and like above it will later list when and how many hours were taken.  Exams and feedback could be billed as simple task.

In such situation this option should be called : "based on task " instead based on task hour

Also task could be listed as sale items, than the question is what is the difference to invoice client vs creating the project for client.
well, if the client come for session once out of blue moon, the invoice is the best option. But if we have regular client it is unpractical to send 20 invoices per month. It is better to create project with no fixed time and billing the client on regular basis like a month.  It could be said that just open a draft invoice and add manually item as a session to it. Well, project have timesheet with listed opened tasks , there is a list for projects what allow quickly access the particular project and client. There is dashboard space for quick access to projects. Do I need every time search the client and manually list time and date for the session in the invoice? Also projects have a budget expenses etc. In my opinion, above option for the task, would give many businesses more flexibilities to monitor regular clients. Each business is different, but one common denominator for all of us it time. We do not want to spend hours fiddling  with the invoices and monitoring revenue from clients. Projects option is great idea in accounting app. But probably there is a question where to draw the line how complex it should be in the accounting app as there is separate Project app? 

4) based on staff hour -  this is self explanatory, I do not have a staff members so probably I cannot  have more detailed look into this option. 


let me know what you think about it
M
 

      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

                                    right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.
                                  • How to create a Zoho CRM report with 2 child modules

                                    Hi all, Is it possible to create a Zoho CRM report or chart with 2 child modules? After I add the first child module, the + button only adds another parent module. It won't let me add multiple child modules at once. We don't have Zoho Analytics and would
                                  • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

                                    Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple
                                  • SalesIQとPageSenseの利用について

                                    初めての投稿で場違いだったらすいません。 弊社ではSalesIQを運用しているのですが、追加でPageSenseの導入もしたいと現場からの声があります。 両サービスともクッキー同意バナーが必要なサービスなのですが 弊社では同意無しに情報はとりませんという方針なので 2つ入れると2つバナーを出す必要がでてきます・・・ 両サービスを運用されてる方があれば運用状況とか教えてほしいです。 PageSenseについては詳細まで機能を理解してないなかでの質問です。
                                  • How to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM on Standard Plan

                                    Hello Zoho Support Team, I am using the Standard Zoho Forms plan (USD 30/user) and I would like to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM so that certain fields in my forms can be automatically prefilled using data from Deals in CRM. Specifically, I want
                                  • CRM : Function to add user name to text field

                                    I have a lookup field in a module that is linked to the CRM users so we can assign a Project Lead to the customer. Sadly Zoho Marketing Automation doesn't sync Lookup fields so I need to extract information from the lookup to text fields: Lookup field
                                  • Export PDF File Name

                                    Is it possible to change the default Zoho .pdf naming scheme for inventory items like quotations? Would like to use the the Subject as the default quote name. Is this possible?
                                  • How to change the from address from 'no reply' for an email template in CRM

                                    Hi, We have our CRM set up with the from field as sales@XXX. I have just created a series of email templates and sent a test and they are sending from noreply@zoho I have tried searching for how to change the email template but don't have the options
                                  • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

                                    Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,
                                  • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

                                    Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your
                                  • how to use validation rules in subform

                                    Is it possible to use validation rules for subforms? I tried the following code: entityMap = crmAPIRequest.toMap().get("record"); sum = 0; direct_billing = entityMap.get("direct_billing_details"); response = Map(); for each i in direct_billing { if(i.get("type")
                                  • Add Custom Reports To Dashboard or Home Tab

                                    Hi there, I think it would be great to be able to add our custom reports to the Home Tab or Dashboards. Thanks! Chad
                                  • Rich-text fields in Zoho CRM

                                    Hello everyone, We're thrilled to announce an important enhancement that will significantly enhance the readability and formatting capabilities of your information: rich text options for multi-line fields. With this update, you can now enjoy a more versatile
                                  • Create Lead Button in Zoho CRM Dashboard

                                    Right now to create Leads in the CRM our team is going into the Lead module, selecting the "Create Lead" button, then building out the lead. Is there anyway to add the "Create Lead" button or some sort of short cut to the Zoho CRM Dashboard to cut out
                                  • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

                                    I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the
                                  • Validation Rule Not Working for Mandatory Field in Zoho Blueprint

                                    As a Zoho user, we created a validation rule for a specific field. However, we noticed that when we made the same field mandatory within a Blueprint, the validation rule we defined did not work. When we reported this issue to Zoho Support, they stated
                                  • Notes Issues

                                    Been having issues with Notes in the CRM. Yesterday it wasn't showing the notes, but it got resolved after a few minutes., Now I have been having a hard time saving notes the whole day. Notes can't be saved by the save button. it's grayed out or not grayed
                                  • Export from Contacts module to Products module in Zoho CRM

                                    Good afternoon, I would like to send a number of contact info from the Contacts module into the customized module (tickets to an event) in one operation. I have selected several contacts in the Contact module (people who I have labelled as people I want
                                  • Zoho Commerce

                                    Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not
                                  • Can’t receive emailI c

                                    I have generated a basic for but when I submit it I don’t get a email, I’ve been in the settings and tested me email, all appears correct, can you please help me
                                  • Data Capture for Historical Activity (Especially One Lead Downloading Variois reports without Overwriting the info)

                                    Is there a better way in Zoho CRM to capture and archive a lead’s historical activity—specifically whenever they download reports—so that the data is stored without being overwritten?”
                                  • Client Script - Updating Field Value in Detail Page of a Lead

                                    Hello, I'm trying to use Client Script To enrich some data of the Lead when one of my User fill the "City" field in the detail page of the Lead. This is my Script: log (value); var response = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getInfoCitta", { "nomeCitta":
                                  • Auto shapes in Zoho sheet.

                                    Does Zoho sheet supports inserting auto shapes (rectangle, circle...). I did not see any option to do so.  If its not supported currently, is there any plans on bring in this features. Any timelines ?
                                  • I Can't Clone Webinar that I Co-Organize

                                    How do i get our account admin to give me permission to clone our webinars? I am a co-organizer
                                  • I want to Make the due date of the project appears automatically

                                    hello everyone I want to know if the zoho projects app can add automatically the END DATE of the project I added the duration, start after dates of each tasks in the project template & the starting date of the project itself and the end date of it doesn't
                                  • Introducing Profile Summary: Faster Candidate Insights with Zia

                                    We’re excited to launch Profile Summary, a powerful new feature in Zoho Recruit that transforms how you review candidate profiles. What used to take minutes of resume scanning can now be assessed in seconds—thanks to Zia. A Quick Example Say you’re hiring
                                  • How to get the call recording external ID via desk API

                                    I have enabled phonbridge integration with Zoom Call. I am trying to access the call recording in Zoom by calling Zoom API. I have built a Desk workflow to trigger on a new call, to call a custom function. when calling the API, the response doesn't contain
                                  • Can't View Project Names in Mobile App

                                    I can't view project names on PO's in the app, nor can I add that as a viewable PDF field in inventory on the computer. I've attached screenshots showing that in the mobile version whether you are on the PO, editing the PO, or viewing the PO line items,
                                  • How do you print a refund check to customer?

                                    Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.
                                  • Notebook

                                    I have purchased the monthly pro subscription of Notebook. But it does not support my XP-Pen to write something in it. So it is not useful to me. Hence I am requesting you to help me to discontinue this subscription.
                                  • Domain Mapping & Image Publishing Issues on Zoho Sites

                                    Hello, I am facing two issues with my Zoho Sites account: 1. Images not visible after publishing. 2. Domain mapping error: "Domain already exists". I am a paid customer. Please connect me with Live Chat Support or Zoho Assist so I can show my issue
                                  • Prevent duplicate with custom fields?

                                    I was wondering something about custom field/custom modules in Zoho Desk. For some reason you can make a custom field mandatory but not unique? For example, if I create a custom module to manage equipment and renewal and make a field serial number no
                                  • Round robin

                                    Hi, I'm trying to set up a round robin to automatically distribute tickets between agents in my team but only those tickets that are not otherwise distributed by other workflows or direct assignments. Is that possible and if so which criteria should I
                                  • "Is Zoho CRM customer" vs "Is linked with Zoho CRM"

                                    Recently while building a Flow, I was setting up a Decision action following a Zoho Invoice Fetch record action. There were 2 choices that I had not seen as something I could manually action in Zoho Invoice: "Is Zoho CRM customer" and "Is linked with
                                  • Two currencies

                                    More and more I am finding that internattional payments' fees are unpredictable. I would like, on my invoices that are in a foreign currency (eg. USD$ or EUR€) for there to be a GBP£ TOTAL display alongside the invoice's currency total. This would make
                                  • Automatic Matching from Bank Statements / Feeds

                                    Is it possible to have transactions from a feed or bank statement automatically match when certain criteria are met? My use case, which is pretty broadly applicable, is e-commerce transactions for merchant services accounts (clearing accounts). In these
                                  • Generate leads from instagram

                                    hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead
                                  • Zoho PDF editor has a lot of issues.

                                    Zoho PDF editor needs a lot of work. It hangs and glitches a lot. Deletes annotations and clearings randomly.
                                  • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

                                    As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where
                                  • How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

                                    Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields
                                  • Next Page