QR codes for tradespeople

Tradespeople need two codes: a quote code on the van sized for a parked read (30–50 cm for someone standing 3–5 m away), and a payment code on the invoice. The review code works best in person: asking while you pack up converts far better than an email two days later.

The van and the invoice

A trade business has two printed surfaces that matter: the vehicle and the paperwork.

Code	Where	Why
Quote request	Van rear and side panels	The neighbour watching you work is the next customer
Payment	Invoice footer	The invoice becomes payable in one scan
Review	Laminated card in the toolbox	Asked in person at job's end
vCard	Business card, quote documents	"Save my number" without typing

The van is read parked, or not at all

Nobody scans a moving van; the van code is for driveways, kerbs and car parks. Apply vehicle-wrap sizing: a passer-by at 3–5 m needs 30–50 cm of code, dramatically bigger than most sign-writers default to. The rear door is prime, because the person behind you at the lights and the neighbour peering at the parked van both face it. Caption it with what happens ("Free quote: scan"), per the CTA-label guidance, and keep it matt, sign-writing gloss under sun is a mirror.

The invoice code is a payment rail decision

A payment QR on the invoice removes the typing that delays settlement. Which code depends on where you trade: in the Eurozone an EPC QR on the invoice pre-fills a SEPA credit transfer in the customer's banking app with amount and reference; in India a UPI code does the equivalent instantly. Elsewhere, a payment-link code pointing at your card or open-banking checkout does the job. In every case the amount and invoice reference travel in the payload, so the payment reconciles itself.

Ask for the review before you leave

The timing fact of the trade: the customer standing in the doorway while you pack up (problem fixed, relief fresh) says yes. The same customer two days later, facing an email link, mostly does not. A laminated card with the review code, handed over with "if you were happy, this takes thirty seconds", converts at the door in a way no follow-up message matches. Ask everyone, offer nothing, the same review rules that bind restaurants bind trades.

What goes wrong

A 5 cm van code that needs the scanner to stand in the road.
Invoice codes with no amount or reference in the payload, the scan saves nothing.
Review requests delegated to an email footer, arriving after the goodwill has cooled.

FAQ

What size should a QR code be on a work van?

30–50 cm, sized for someone 3–5 m away while the van is parked. The rear door is the best panel. Small codes near the phone number are decoration; they cannot be scanned from the pavement.

How does a payment QR code on an invoice work?

The code carries the payment rail's payload (an EPC credit-transfer block in the Eurozone, a UPI string in India, or a payment-link URL), with amount and invoice reference included, so the customer's app opens pre-filled and the payment arrives already reconciled.

When should a tradesperson ask for a Google review?

At the door, job done, before leaving, with a card carrying the code so the customer can do it on the spot. In-person asks at the moment of relief convert far better than emailed links days later.