Equipment and party hire

Every marquee, generator and tool shows who has it and when it is due back. Customers sign the quote and pay the deposit online.

The yard, the office and the delivery crews work in one Magpie team.

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A 6 by 12 metre marquee in Northfield Event Hire’s Asset Tracker, checked out to the customer for a wedding weekend with its due-back date, its condition and the history of earlier hires.

This combination of six Magpie areas fits a hire company.

Forms
Forms takes hire enquiries, with the date, the address and what they need.
Proposals
Proposals quotes each hire, and the customer signs and pays the deposit online.
Asset Tracker
Asset Tracker records each marquee, generator and tool, and who has it until when.
Staff Scheduling
Staff Scheduling plans the delivery crews and the yard each week.
Daily Operations
Daily Operations runs the cleaning and safety checks on each item as it comes back.
Invoicing
Invoicing bills the rest of the hire, and damage or late returns.

Customers send an enquiry with the date, the address and what they need.

Forms builds your enquiry page, with questions such as the event date and the delivery address. A choice question lists your marquee sizes.

You are emailed each enquiry, and mark it Reviewed once you reply. A question can show only when an earlier answer needs it, such as power.

Building forms in Forms

Northfield Event Hire’s enquiry Form in the Form builder: the event date, the delivery address, the guest count and the marquee size.

The customer signs the hire quote and pays the deposit online.

Proposals turns your hire rates into a quote the customer signs online. The marquee, the furniture and delivery are lines, and the customer can change the numbers.

The deposit invoice is issued as they sign, and they can pay it by card. You bill the rest when you choose, such as on delivery.

Sending and signing in Proposals

A hire quote from Northfield Event Hire for Claire Dawson’s wedding, with the cover, the list of contents, the marquee package chosen and the total in a bar at the foot of the screen.

Each marquee, generator and tool is checked out to its customer, with a due-back date.

Asset Tracker lists every item you hire out, with its tag, serial number and condition. You check one out to the customer's contact, with a due-back date.

Overdue lists what has not come back. At check-in, you record the condition. A tear in a marquee wall stays in its history.

Checkouts in Asset Tracker

You plan the delivery crews, and each person sees their own shifts.

Staff Scheduling plans the week by position, such as driver, installer and yard. You publish it, and each person sees their own shifts.

Staff can swap shifts and ask for time off. An open shift lets someone take an extra marquee build on a busy Saturday.

Planning shifts in Staff Scheduling

Northfield Event Hire’s week in Staff Scheduling by person: an open Saturday installer shift, then drivers, installers and the yard with their shifts by day and their weekly hours.

Each item is checked when it comes back, and a fault takes it out of service.

Daily Operations turns your yard routines into checklists, such as the return check on a generator. A routine can name the equipment it looks after.

A failed step can ask for a photo and report an incident. The incident can take the item out of service in Asset Tracker until it is fixed.

Routines and checklists in Daily Operations

Northfield Event Hire’s Today page at the yard: the day’s hours and shift, an item below its minimum, and a handover note about a generator that failed its return check, linked to its incident.

The rest of the hire is billed, with damage and late returns as lines.

Invoicing bills the proposal's final payment when you choose, for whatever is left. Damage found at check-in, or extra days, go on as lines of their own.

Customers pay by card into your own Stripe account, with no Magpie fee.

Create invoices in Invoicing

Two more areas cover the delivery calendar and your customers.

Calendar
Calendar keeps each delivery and collection on the team's calendar.
Contacts
Contacts keeps each customer and venue, with their quotes, hires and invoices.

A hire goes from an enquiry to a clean return and a paid invoice.

Every quote, hire and invoice is on the customer's contact.

  1. The enquiry

    The customer sends the date, the address and the guest count.

  2. The quote

    You send the quote, and they sign and pay the deposit.

  3. The delivery

    The delivery and collection go on the calendar, with a crew on the rota.

  4. The check-out

    The marquee is checked out to the customer, due back on Monday.

  5. The return

    Back at the yard, the return check runs, and check-in records its condition.

  6. The invoice

    You bill the rest, with any damage, and it is paid by card.

Setting up takes five steps.

  1. Add your equipment

    You add each item, or import them all from a CSV file. Help: Track individual assets.

  2. Make your enquiry form

    You add the questions you ask every customer, and publish it. Help: Build, publish, and share a form.

  3. Set your hire rates

    You save your rates, delivery and deposit in a starter. Help: Proposal starters, saved sections and the price list.

  4. Set your yard checks

    You add the return and safety checks, each with its equipment. Help: Routines and checklists.

  5. Connect Stripe

    You connect your Stripe account, so customers can pay by card. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.

Plans

A hire company with staff fits the Team plan, one price for up to 25 members.

On the free plan, you can send 5 proposals and create 5 invoices a month. Magpie adds no fee to invoice payments. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Prices are on the Pricing page

Other businesses behind an event have pages of their own.

Questions hire companies ask

Can I see what is out and when it is due back?

Yes. Each item shows who has it and its due-back date. The Checked out and Overdue tabs list them. Search finds an item by its name, tag or serial number.

Can I add hundreds of items at once?

Yes. You import them from a CSV file, with their names, tags, serial numbers, categories and locations. Each row without a tag gets the next one.

Can I record damage when an item comes back?

Yes. At check-in, you choose its condition and add notes. Its history keeps every check-out and check-in, with the condition each time.

Can I take a damaged item out of service?

Yes. Start maintenance records why, and when it should be back. It cannot be checked out meanwhile. An incident about the item can also take it out of service.

Can customers sign the quote and pay a deposit?

Yes. The quote's payment schedule takes a deposit when the customer signs. Its invoice is issued at once, and they can pay it by card. You bill the rest when you choose.

Can I bill damage or extra days?

Yes. You add them as lines on the final invoice, with their prices. The customer pays by card from the invoice email.

Can I plan the delivery crews?

Yes. You plan the week by position, such as driver and installer, and publish it. An open shift lets anyone in that position take it.

Can the yard log cleaning and safety checks?

Yes. Each routine creates a checklist at the time you set, or when someone starts it. A step can ask for a photo, and a failed step can report an incident.

What does Magpie take from payments?

Magpie adds no fee to invoice payments. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. The rest goes to your own Stripe account.

Know where every item is.

Create a Magpie account and add your first marquee.

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