Subscription costs will ultimately depend on your specific requirements and how you'd like to use the software. Our consultants will work with you to establish what you need and quote accordingly.

In order to give you flexibility, we also have a number of different onboarding packages available, which is why we recommend you contact us so we can tailor a proposal for you.

Chalkstring is a cloud solution. This means it is hosted on cloud servers and accessed through a web browser. By comparison, on-premise software is installed locally on a company’s own computers and servers.

For more information on cloud software, check out our guide 'Cloud software explained'.

You don’t need to invest in any specific hardware or servers, as Chalkstring is fully cloud-hosted. As long as your device, such as a computer, tablet or phone, has an internet connection, you can access Chalkstring and your project data from anywhere. All you need to do is type my.chalkstring.com into a Chrome browser and log in. 

Our phased implementation process is designed to get you moving quickly. By the end of the first month, most clients have completed phase 1 of the implementation. This covers the initial account & data set-up and estimating training. We would expect you to be able to use Chalkstring for all your estimating by the end of week 4.

Phase 2 covers procurement, logging progress & creating valuations, managing labour applications and raising applications for payment. This typically takes 3-4 weeks and we work to your timescales. We recommend starting phase 2, just before you secure a project and want to go live onsite with it.

Many of our clients complete their implementation in these timeframes, but of course life happens and sometimes that means adjusting your timeline and your strategy. We recognise that no two businesses are the same and we offer flexible implementation plans tailored to you. We work with you to agree your implementation timescales during your kick off, to ensure they will work for your team and your business.

Learn more about the implementation process here.

Ensuring your employees have the right level of access to information in Chalkstring is crucial. You may have commercially sensitive information that you would not wish your entire company to see. Or perhaps you only want specific people to be able to approve orders or labour claims, or to create new entries in your database. 

Every business is different, which is why we give you complete control over who can see and do what in Chalkstring. You can decide who can access specific areas of the software and who can create, view, edit and delete information.

Because Chalkstring is a single integrated system for manging entire projects, by default each user will automatically have access to all the features and functionality, making it really simple for you.

However, different roles within your business may require access to different parts of the software, and this can easily be controlled by you via the permissions settings.

Chalkstring is developed specifically to maximise control of your projects, and is intended to be used alongside traditional business accounting software. To save time and avoid re-keying data, information within Chalkstring links to any accounting package, and all approved purchase and sales ledger information is transferred seamlessly.

As a Chalkstring customer, you will have 3 valuable resources at your fingertips to assist you in getting support when you need it.

Knowledge base
The Chalkstring Knowledge Base is an extensive, searchable library of documentation and articles focused on using the Chalkstring features and finding your way around the system. You can access it easily by clicking 'Help' from within Chalkstring.

Learning programme
The Chalkstring Learning Programme is a library of videos and tutorials that cover how to apply Chalkstring in different scenarios and apply the software features to your projects. It includes step-by-step workflows for all the key processes you use within your business.

Helpdesk
If you need further support, our helpdesk team is available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) to assist with feature queries, advice and guidance, and technical troubleshooting. To raise a support ticket, click on the ‘Submit a ticket’ button in our Help area or simply email help@chalkstring.com.

So that we can answer you faster, it really helps if you can give us details of your exact query and, if it relates to a specific project. Screenshots with any notes about them are also great. If you are using the 'Log a ticket' link you can also take video footage of what is happening on-screen which helps us to diagnose and resolve issues quickly.