TechBench Help and Support

TechBench is the iPhone field-ops app for solo HVAC and plumbing contractors. Version 1 ships AI quote drafting, EPA Section 608 refrigerant logging, branded PDF quotes, and audit CSV export. Below are answers to the most common questions. If you need anything else, email [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

What can TechBench actually do in version 1?

Four things, done well. (1) Draft a quote from a job description using on-device AI, with line items, totals, deposit, and terms. (2) Save the customer, the equipment, and the quote on device. (3) Render a branded PDF quote you can email or AirDrop to the customer. (4) Maintain an EPA Section 608 refrigerant cylinder ledger and charge log, GPS-tagged and SHA-256 hash-signed, with a three-year audit CSV export. Version 1 supports one technician on one iPhone. We do not pretend to have multi-truck dispatch, Stripe deposits, QuickBooks sync, or Apple Watch glance in this release.

How does the AI quote drafter work?

You dictate the job using the standard iOS keyboard mic key, or type it. TechBench passes the text to Apple Foundation Models running on your iPhone (iOS 18+, on supported devices). The model returns structured line items, suggested terms, and a deposit percentage. Nothing leaves your phone. On older iOS versions, TechBench falls back to a deterministic rule engine bundled in the app binary that recognises common HVAC and plumbing job patterns (condenser swap, furnace install, water heater, drain clearing, R-410A top-off, return-duct install, etc.) and produces a similar structured draft. Both paths run locally.

What does the EPA Section 608 log actually capture?

Every charge added or recovered, by which technician (cert number), from which cylinder, on which job, at what time, at what GPS coordinates (when location permission is granted), with optional leak size and repair action notes. Each entry is hashed with SHA-256 over the job, cylinder, weight, and timestamp for audit integrity. Cylinder weights are decremented automatically; recovery credits weight back. You can export the last three years of entries as a CSV in the Refrigerant tab, ready for an EPA inspector.

Why does the app ask for camera, microphone, location, and speech-recognition permission?

Camera is used to capture equipment data-plate photos that get attached to a quote or equipment record. Microphone and speech recognition are used so the iOS keyboard mic key can dictate the job description for AI quoting. Location is used to GPS-tag refrigerant log entries and signed quotes so they are audit-defensible. You can deny any of these and still use the app via on-screen typing and untagged entries. Permissions can be changed in iOS Settings, Privacy and Security.

How does the branded PDF work?

On a quote, tap Render PDF and share. TechBench generates a single-page US Letter PDF locally using Apple PDFKit. The PDF shows your shop name and address, the customer block, every line item with type and unit price, totals with tax and deposit, the terms paragraph, and the quote number and validity date. You share it via the iOS share sheet (email, SMS, AirDrop, save to Files). The PDF is never transmitted to us.

Does version 1 support more than one technician?

No. Version 1 is solo-only. One technician, one iPhone, one shop. Multi-truck dispatch, CloudKit sharing, Apple Watch glance, CarPlay next-stop, QuickBooks Online sync, Stripe deposits, and Mac Catalyst back-office are deferred to later versions. We will be honest about which features ship and when. We will not advertise features the binary does not contain.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Open iPhone Settings, tap your name at the top, tap Subscriptions, tap TechBench, then tap Cancel Subscription. Apple manages all billing for the App Store. We cannot cancel or refund directly.

What if I lose my iPhone? Is my shop data backed up?

Version 1 stores all data locally in the app sandbox. If you have iCloud Backup enabled on your iPhone (Settings, your name, iCloud, iCloud Backup), the App container is included in the nightly backup and will restore when you set up a replacement iPhone. We do not run a server and cannot recover data ourselves. Cloud sync across multiple iPhones is on the roadmap for a later version.

I found a bug or I have feedback. How do I reach you?

Email [email protected] with as much detail as you can share (what you were doing, what happened, what you expected, your iOS version, your iPhone model). We read every message.

Still stuck?

Email [email protected] and a real human will reply. Please include your iOS version, your iPhone model, and a description of what you were doing when the issue happened.

Legal

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Help & Support