In short
Switching is more likely to pay off if …
- you take in jobs regularly or several people in your team write tickets,
- tickets get lost, are hard to read or you often search for old jobs,
- you phone customers to tell them their device or car is ready,
- you want to record the condition at intake with photos,
- there's already a tablet, phone or PC with internet at the counter.
Paper is enough if …
- you only write a job now and then,
- there's no reliable internet where you take in jobs,
- you don't want to buy a device for the counter,
- almost every customer wants a slip of paper in their hand and you'd print everything anyway.
If you need a till system, stock management or a workshop system with a parts catalogue in one program, neither the pad nor Taskly fits – then industry software with exactly those features is the better choice.
On the digital side, this comparison uses Taskly – the digital work order. Taskly is web-based software for digital work orders and job intake in workshops, repair businesses and phone shops. Customers sign on a tablet or on their own phone and receive the work order by email. Developed in Iserlohn. Taskly costs €19 a month, try it free for 30 days (pricing and limits).
This comparison was written by the provider of Taskly. We've tried to present both options fairly. If you're missing a point or see something differently, write to us at info@trytaskly.com.
Carbon-copy pad and tablet compared
| Getting started | Paper: straight away, no training Taskly: create an account, choose a template, try it once |
|---|---|
| Filling in | Paper: with a pen, fields as pre-printed Taskly: type, tick, dictate or photograph the rating plate; no field is required – Taskly reminds you once when you save about missing details such as name or signature |
| Readability | Paper: depends on the handwriting Taskly: always readable |
| Copy for the customer | Paper: carbon copy, in hand straight away Taskly: link by email to view, save and print; printout at the counter on request |
| Signature | Paper: with a ballpoint pen on the pad Taskly: with a finger on the tablet or via QR code on the customer's phone |
| Condition and existing damage | Paper: as a note on the ticket; photos, if any, separately on a phone Taskly: photos directly in the job; they stay internal and aren't in the customer link |
| Codes and passwords | Paper: if noted, readable on the ticket Taskly: own field; hidden in the customer link and when signing |
| Where is the job? | Paper: tray, job folder or wall Taskly: list with status – received, in progress, done, collected – visible to everyone in the team |
| Informing the customer | Paper: call or write Taskly: one tap on “Ready”, the customer gets an email; SMS on request for enabled businesses |
| Finding it again | Paper: leaf through folders Taskly: search by name, phone, job number, device or number plate |
| Several staff | Paper: one pad for everyone, initials by hand Taskly: own login per person; “Received by” fills itself in |
| Invoice | Paper: written separately Taskly: created from the job if you want |
| Without power and internet | Paper: always works Taskly: saving needs internet; the form stays filled in until then |
| Running costs | Paper: pads, job folders, binders, printing Taskly: €19 a month (try it free for 30 days); device and internet required |
| Storage | Paper: binders, shelf space Taskly: in your account; export as a file, jobs also as an Excel spreadsheet |
What does paper cost, what does digital cost?
We deliberately don't quote prices for order pads here: they depend on format, number of copies, printing with your logo and print run. You'll calculate most accurately with your own figures – for example with last year's invoices for pads, job folders and binders. These items belong in the calculation:
| Forms | Paper: carbon-copy pads or order sets, usually a separate print run with your logo Taskly: none – the template is built into Taskly |
|---|---|
| Job folders (car workshops) | Paper: one folder or sleeve per job Taskly: only if you collect keys or parts in them |
| Filing | Paper: binders, shelves, space Taskly: none for new jobs |
| Device | Paper: none Taskly: tablet, phone or PC with a browser – often already there, otherwise a one-off purchase |
| Internet | Paper: not needed Taskly: needed at the counter, via Wi-Fi or mobile data |
| Printer | Paper: not needed Taskly: only if you want printouts |
| Software | Paper: none Taskly: €19 a month incl. VAT (try it free for 30 days, no credit card) |
| SMS to customers | Paper: by hand from your own phone Taskly: on request for enabled businesses; we discuss the terms with you directly |
| Switching over | Paper: none Taskly: time to set up and for the team to get used to it |
The trial ends automatically without anything being charged; the subscription only starts if you explicitly sign up. It costs €19 a month incl. VAT and can be cancelled monthly. Without a subscription, your data stays readable and exportable. Everything else is on the pricing page.
How much time goes into the paper ticket? Work it out yourself
Whether and how much time a digital work order saves can't be said across the board: it depends on how many jobs you write, how much is on your ticket and how often you search or phone back. We haven't measured it. So set all values yourself – the time with Taskly is an assumption too.
Example calculation, not a measurement and no guarantee: the defaults are 2 minutes per paper ticket and 0.5 minutes with Taskly – both assumptions. Set your own values. Not included: searching through binders and “it's ready” phone calls – nor the time for setting up and getting used to it.
hours less per month
At your hourly rate, that's €1,575 of working time a year.
Carbon copy, job folder, binder: what becomes of old habits
Instead of a carbon copy: the copy via link
With a carbon-copy pad, the customer has their copy in hand straight away. With Taskly, after saving they get an email with a link to their work order – to view, save and print. The same link also shows how far their job has got. If they sign via QR code on their own phone, they can open the work order right there afterwards. Anyone who prefers paper gets a printout – on any printer your device knows.
How signing on a tablet and on the customer's phone works is described under customer signature on a tablet or the customer's phone.
Job folders in the car workshop
In a car workshop, the workshop order often travels through the bay in a job folder together with the key. With Taskly, the job is in the list that everyone in the team sees on a tablet, phone or PC. The workshop order contains the number plate, mileage, existing damage, intake photos and the amount up to which work may be done without asking. If you want to keep the folder, print the workshop order and put it in as before. For keys and small parts you still need a folder, a bag or a key board – no software replaces that.
More on this: digital workshop orders for car workshops.
Instead of binders: search and export
Finished paper tickets end up in a binder. In Taskly, jobs stay in your account and can be searched by name, phone, job number, device or number plate; in the customer records you see which jobs a customer has had. You can export all data as a file at any time, and the jobs also as an Excel spreadsheet.
Whether and how long you have to keep jobs depends on what they're used for for tax purposes – that applies equally to paper and digital. Best clarify this with your tax adviser before you throw away old binders or delete an account. These notes are not legal or tax advice.
Switching in five steps
- Choose and adapt a template. Create an account and choose one of the 16 ready-made templates – from repair tickets to workshop orders (all industries). If a field from your current ticket is missing, add it in the template builder. You change the title and note yourself, for example with the text from your paper pad.
- A device at the counter. A tablet, phone or PC with a browser is enough; no installation needed. Added to the home screen, Taskly starts like an app. You only need a printer if you want to print.
- Invite your team. Invite your staff by email; everyone gets their own login. “Received by” then fills itself in.
- Print the QR display (optional). For self check-in, Taskly prints an A5 display with a QR code. Customers scan it and enter their name, phone and email on their own phone – no app and no spelling things out at the counter.
- One week in parallel. Keep the paper pad next to it for the first week – in case the internet goes down or it gets busy at the counter. After that, a small supply of blank forms as a backup is enough.
If you're sticking with paper or need a backup, you'll find free printable forms – no sign-up – under templates: repair order, car workshop order, work order and phone repair order. What the digital process looks like in a phone shop is shown on the software for phone repair page.
What Taskly is not
Taskly replaces the order pad and everything that goes with it: intake, signature, copy for the customer, status and filing. Taskly doesn't include a till system, stock management with inventory or a workshop system with a parts catalogue and labour units, and the work order isn't a payment receipt. For payments, keep using your till system or create a simple invoice in Taskly.
No particular availability is guaranteed for free use. That's another reason why a small supply of paper forms is worthwhile – paper and tablet aren't mutually exclusive.
FAQ on switching
Does the customer still get a copy without a carbon copy?
Yes. If an email address is entered, after saving they get a link to their work order – to view, save and print. If they sign via QR code on their own phone, they can open the work order right there afterwards. Anyone who prefers paper in their hand gets a printout.
What happens if the internet goes down at the counter?
Taskly needs a connection to save. If it drops, the form reports “Not saved” and stays filled in. Taskly also keeps a new work order as a draft on the device and offers it again after a reload; Taskly doesn't keep changes to a job that's already been saved this way. As soon as the connection is back, you save. For longer outages, a small supply of paper forms is worthwhile.
Can I still print, for example for the job folder?
Yes. Every work order can be printed on any printer your device knows, or saved as a PDF. If you want, Taskly prints right after saving.
Is a signature on a tablet enough instead of on paper?
For repair and workshop orders, German law usually doesn't prescribe a particular form. The finger signature then serves as proof that the customer placed the order and read the notes; Taskly stores it on the job. Where the law exceptionally requires strict written form, it isn't enough. This information is general and not legal advice.
Do I have to type up my old paper tickets?
No. You start with the next job in Taskly, and the old tickets stay in the binder. If a customer comes back, Taskly creates them in the customer records with their first digital job. Whether and how long you have to keep the old tickets is best clarified with your tax adviser.
What does switching cost?
Taskly itself costs €19 a month incl. VAT – try it free for 30 days, no credit card. Switching only costs money if you first have to buy a tablet, a phone or a printer for the counter. Limits and details are on the pricing page.
Can I leave again if it doesn't suit me?
Yes. There's no minimum term. You can export all data as a file, the jobs also as an Excel spreadsheet, and then delete your business in the settings. You can take the paper pad out of the drawer again at any time.
Can several staff members work with Taskly?
Yes. Everyone gets their own login and sees the same job list with status. Taskly enters who took in a job in the “Received by” field itself.
Last updated: 30/10/2026 · Taskly, E-Studio, Iserlohn