Check the company first
Use the company selector when you belong to more than one company. Review the dashboard’s recorded hours, active jobs, current shifts, and activity. The personal clock controls act on your own linked employee.
Guides
Get the first job from the office to the field.
Start with one real job, one linked field user, an explicit crew assignment, and a completed time entry or field update.
Account access: Start your 30-day trial, confirm your email, then set up your company. No credit card required. Existing users can sign in.
Owner quick start
Run one job through the full loop.
- Sign in or create an account
Existing users sign in to their company. New users create an account, confirm their email, then enter the company name, industry, team size and timezone. An eligible owner starts one 30-day cardless trial of released tools. A new company starts blank and private.
- Add one real employee
Open Employees → Add Employee. Save the name and contact details. An employee record without a linked login can be scheduled, but cannot sign in.
- Invite the field login when email delivery is available
An owner or admin selects the employee, chooses an Employee or Field lead role, and uses Send Invite. The recipient follows the confirmation/sign-in link, then opens Account → Password to set a password for future sign-ins. Check Invitations and acceptance; a pending record alone does not prove email delivery.
- Create the first job packet
Open Projects in Office, or Jobs in Field. An authorized Office user chooses New Packet and enters the customer, packet name, address, scope, dates, and only the files the crew needs.
- Assign access, then schedule work
Open the saved packet. Under Assigned crew, choose the employee and select Assign to Job. Separately, use Schedule → Add Assignment to save the job, employee, start, and end. A schedule row alone does not grant Field access to the job packet.
- Complete the loop
Have the linked employee open the job, clock in, add a note/photo/request if needed, end lunch if it is open, and clock out. Refresh and confirm the saved result in Time, the job packet, and Reports.
Office guide
Run the day from one shared job packet.
Keep the saved job current
Find the existing packet in Projects before creating another one. Edit its address, scope, dates, estimates, or instructions; use Save Job State for status and priority.
Dispatch and Schedule
Use Dispatch for a dated work view and Schedule for work blocks. Enter Starts and Ends in the device timezone shown on the form; saved assignments display in the company timezone and appear on their start date. Preview Field Screen is an office preview, not proof that another person has signed in or accepted an invitation.
Close the feedback loop
Review Work Items in Office, called Requests in Field, along with site logs, photos, receipts, materials, and time. Approve or Close on a work item changes that record’s status; it does not send a customer approval or authorize a payment.
Saved jobs
Edit the packet. Assign the crew. Keep one record.
Correct a saved job
Open Projects, search by job, address, or customer, and open the packet. Expand Edit job details, make the correction, then choose Save Job Details. A zero estimate is a real entered value; an empty estimate means no estimate was entered. Reopen or refresh the packet to check the saved result.
Handle a conflicting edit
If the job changed while you were editing, the save is rejected instead of overwriting the newer version. Keep a copy of your intended changes, refresh the job, compare it with the latest record, and apply only the correction still needed. If a message says the save succeeded but refresh failed, refresh the existing packet; do not create it again.
Give the crew access
Under Assigned crew, select an active employee and choose Assign to Job. Then schedule their work separately. Remove from Crew removes that assignment only; it does not delete schedules or time, or remove historical job access. Ask an owner/admin if the required control is not available to your role.
Know what the packet contains
Job instructions are visible to assigned crew, even where an older label says Office notes. Do not put private office-only information there. Customer/contact text and estimated amounts belong to this job; they are not a separate contact database, issued proposal, invoice, or payment request.
Employees and access
Correct contact details without changing the login.
Edit an employee record
A manager, admin, or owner opens Employees, selects the person, expands Edit employee contact details, and chooses Save employee details after changing the name, contact email, phone, position, department, or employee number. A conflict keeps the unsaved form: copy your correction before refreshing and comparing the latest record.
Keep availability separate from access
Mark employee inactive removes the employee from new scheduling choices. It does not revoke their login or reduce an active membership count. Check Login access separately. Changing an employee’s contact email also does not change their sign-in email. The account holder uses Account → Change account email for a verified sign-in change.
Read invitation status
Owners/admins can use Invitations and acceptance and Refresh invitations to see Awaiting acceptance, Accepted, or Expired with the role and expiry date. Use Open employee to return to the person. Sending a new invitation replaces that email’s earlier pending link; do not repeatedly resend just because the recipient has not opened it yet.
Recover an invitation problem
A saved pending invitation is not proof that an email arrived. If delivery failed, retain the existing record and resolve the email problem before sending a new invite. If a link is expired or belongs to another email, use Continue without this invitation to return to an existing company, or ask the owner for a new link. Invitation cancellation is not available in the current screen.
Field guide
See the work, record the work, send the exception.
1. Open today’s job
Use Jobs or Schedule. Check the address, time, scope, notes, contact, materials, and approved files before starting.
2. Clock the shift
Open Time and follow the next available action: Clock In, Lunch Start, Lunch End, or Clock Out. Select the correct job at clock-in.
3. Add evidence
Open the job packet or Documents to add a progress photo, problem photo, receipt, or note to the correct job.
4. Send exceptions
Use Requests for material needs, problems, punch items, change questions, safety issues, or customer questions. Do not bury a blocker in a general note.
Tool custody
Record the return, not just the checkout.
- Record the tool out
Open Work Items / Requests → Tools Out. Enter the tool, job, assigned person, due date, condition, and notes; choose Tool Out.
- Find the existing custody record
Use Tools Out on that screen or the saved job’s Tools out tab. Check the job and assigned person so you do not create a second checkout record.
- Mark the return
When the tool is back, the authorized record owner or office user chooses Mark Returned. Confirm the saved status becomes Returned. If the save fails, the tool is not confirmed returned; resolve the error and refresh the existing record.
Time and approval
Find every recorded shift and understand the export.
- Choose the job before clock-in
Open Time, select the job and optional note, then Clock In. The saved job/note do not change through lunch or work-type actions. To start work on another job, end the current shift before starting the next. Use Lunch Start, then Lunch End, then Clock Out; do not leave lunch open at clock-out.
- Find older shifts and all recorded breaks
Under Find recorded shifts, search an employee, job, date, or status. Choose Show 30 more shifts to reveal additional matches. Expand Breaks on a shift to review each recorded interval. Your week is your own Monday–Sunday total in the displayed company timezone; authorized Office managers can inspect company history.
- Check the period before review
In Payroll, choose From date and Through date, then Refresh. Dates and times use the company timezone shown on screen. Payroll puts the whole shift on its start date; daily/weekly dashboard totals count only work inside that day/week. The maximum payroll range is 63 calendar days.
- Review without pretending to correct a punch
Employees can Send Week to Office after checking recorded time. Where the company has the released timecard-review capability, an authorized manager uses Review and Mark Reviewed; only the owner uses Approve. Check the existing status first and do not resubmit or re-review already approved time. A missing punch or incorrect break needs help from the office/support: there is no in-app punch correction control in this release. Do not approve unresolved exceptions.
- Export the intended records
Time → Export CSV downloads the accessible time records, not just the current search results or 30 visible rows. Payroll → Download Time CSV uses its selected date range. Both include record status, all recorded breaks, hours, UTC timestamps, and the company timezone. These are raw records, not an approved-only export or a submission to a payroll company. Verify totals and statuses before importing or sharing; CMD does not calculate taxes or guarantee payroll compliance.
Deferred location
Employee-controlled and shift-scoped.
Live location is not released. Consent-based location trails and geofences are planned for Crew; only released tools appear in a company’s trial. The employer must have a lawful workplace policy and explain the purpose before asking an employee to enable it.
Security acceptance comes first
A planned package or account request does not enable location. The server must enforce shift, break, capture-time, permission, and retention boundaries first.
Employee reviews consent
After release, the employee signs in on their own device, reads the purpose and retention notice, and chooses whether to allow location.
Collection follows the shift
The supported client is designed to request location only during an open shift, not during lunch, and stop at clock-out. Device permission can also be revoked in browser or phone settings.
Use it for operations
After release, authorized office users may use the latest position for dispatch context. Do not use CMD location in a way that violates law, an employment agreement, or the published purpose.
Server-side shift, break, capture-time validation and automatic retention deletion must pass release acceptance before location is activated for any company.
Materials, files, and reports
Retry the file without creating another job.
Recover a partial upload
If job creation says the job was saved but a file failed, first find that saved packet in Projects. Open Documents, select the same job, and use Upload File to retry only the failed file. Do not submit New Packet again. If a refresh failed after saving, refresh and find the record before retrying anything.
Check the file and its destination
Use clear file names and keep each upload at or below 25 MB. Select the correct job and visibility. Field users should attach files to a job they can access, not No job. Confirm the new file appears, then use Open to check it. Files use private company-scoped storage and temporary signed access; do not share private company exports or file links publicly.
Enter useful material totals
Open Materials, attach a list to the job, and enter a new item’s name, quantity, unit, and estimated unit cost before adding it. Check items as work progresses. A material estimate is based on recorded quantities and costs, not proof of a purchase or a complete cost ledger. Correcting existing item details is not available through a current edit control.
Read reports and snapshots
Reports shows authorized company/job totals and Download Summary. For a date-bounded time export use Payroll instead. Compare totals with the underlying jobs and shifts before a business decision. CSV downloads and spreadsheet attachments are files, not a live Google Sheets or Excel connection.
Billing and saved requests
A saved request is not a charge.
Check active logins
An enabled active company membership counts once, even with both Office and Field access. An employee record without an enabled login does not count; marking an employee inactive does not deactivate their membership. Confirm any membership or paid-quantity change with the company owner.
Check plan availability
Use Pricing to compare Base, Crew, Operations, Business and Custom. Paid subscriptions are not open for purchase. Your company workspace shows its actual account state and released tools; a comparison or saved request does not activate a planned package.
Understand trial expiry
The 30-day trial requires no card and does not renew into an automatic charge. Creating another company does not restart eligibility. After expiry, authorized existing records remain readable and exportable; new actions that require an active plan stop. Existing accepted orders keep their agreed terms.
Export or delete
Contact support from the account email for a broader company export or deletion request. Identity and owner authority are verified before destructive account action. Customer invoices and payment collection are planned Business features and are not released.
This guide does not change the commercial terms. See Pricing, the Billing Policy, and the Privacy Policy.
Account and support
Save the details, then use the right contact path.
Keep an issue record
Open Account → Save an issue report, enter the title, severity, and notes, then Save issue report. In Saved issue reports, use Refresh reports and open Report reference to retrieve the saved record. Normal users see their own reports; owners/admins can see authorized company reports.
Ask for a response separately
The saved report is not sent by email and is not a monitored support inbox. Email hello@retehost.com with the reference and what you need. If the server saved the report but its history failed to reload, refresh before making a duplicate. Never include passwords or full card details.
Separate contact and account changes
Your Contact details form changes the profile only. Change account email starts a separate verified sign-in change. View saved avatar opens the image through temporary private access. Saving Future work alerts stores preferences only: automatic email/device work-alert delivery is not connected yet. Check Work Items / Requests and Payroll directly.
Troubleshooting
Check the saved record before creating a duplicate.
I cannot see an Office screen.
Check the selected company and active membership. Employee and field-lead roles use Field. Ask an owner/admin about the appropriate role; a company page or a hidden-tab workaround is not permission to access private data.
The crew member cannot see a job.
Confirm the employee login is linked, the correct company is selected, and the person appears under Assigned crew on that job. A schedule row alone is not enough. Refresh after the assignment is saved.
Why is signup or an invitation not completing?
Check the email address you entered and your inbox and spam folder for the confirmation message. Follow the email link to confirm your account before setting up your company. If a link has expired or an invitation is not arriving, contact support or your company owner. A saved invitation is not proof of delivery or acceptance; resolve the email issue before sending replacements.
Why is live crew location unavailable?
Live employee location is not released. It is planned for Crew after server-enforced shift, break, capture-time, permission and retention controls pass acceptance.
A file will not upload.
Check the 25 MB limit, file type, company/job access, and storage availability. If the job was already saved, retry only the failed file from Documents for that same job.
Changes are not visible.
Read the result message, use Refresh, confirm the company, and check connectivity. A rejected conflicting save keeps your form; copy your intended changes before refreshing. A save followed by a reload failure is not a reason to recreate the record.
I still need help.
Email hello@retehost.com from the account email with the company name, screen, time, and expected result. Do not email passwords, invitation links, or full payment-card data.
Start with one job
Put one real job through the full loop.
Start a 30-day trial, confirm your email and set up your company. Only released tools are included; no credit card is required.
Start a 30-day trial of released tools with no credit card and no automatic charge at trial end. Paid subscriptions are not open for purchase. Crew, Operations and Business are planned packages. Compare plans and availability.