The Leading Hand
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Terms of Service

Effective date: 7 May 2026 Last updated: 7 May 2026 Version: 1.0

  • Liability cap: 12 months of fees paid
  • F-customer 50%-year-1 offer: applied as coupon at SaaS activation

Style: plain English, numbered sections for easy reference. Industry-standard structure.

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding agreement between you and Ampl Software Pty Ltd (ABN 32 002 781 811) — referred to as "Ampl Software", "we", "us", or "our" — and govern your access to and use of:

  • The websites at ampl.au, theleadinghand.au, and any other site we operate; and
  • The cloud workshop management software platform known as The Leading Hand (the "Service"), available at app.theleadinghand.au and any related applications, APIs, or services we provide.

By signing up for an account, accessing the Service, or using our websites, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.

If you are entering into these Terms on behalf of a business or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity, in which case "you", "your", or "Customer" refers to that entity.

2. Definitions

In these Terms:

  • "Account" means the workspace ("tenant") created when you sign up for the Service, including all sub-accounts and user logins under it.
  • "Authorised User" means an individual you authorise to access the Service through your Account.
  • "Customer Data" means all data, content, and records you or your Authorised Users submit to, store in, or generate through the Service. This includes records you create about your own customers, vehicles, jobs, parts, suppliers, invoicing, and any communications.
  • "Documentation" means the user guides, runbooks, and online help we make available for the Service.
  • "End-Customer" means a person whose details you record in the Service in the course of running your workshop (e.g. a vehicle owner you are servicing).
  • "Fees" means the subscription fees, top-up fees, and other charges payable for the Service.
  • "Privacy Policy" means our Privacy Policy at theleadinghand.au/privacy and ampl.au/privacy, as updated from time to time.
  • "Service" means The Leading Hand cloud workshop management platform.
  • "Subscription" means your paid right to access the Service for the duration you have paid for.
  • "Subscription Plan" means one of the published service tiers (Starter, Business, Pro, or any new tier we offer).
  • "Trial" means a free trial period of 14 days (or the period we publish at the time of sign-up).

3. The Service

3.1 What we provide

We provide The Leading Hand as a multi-tenant cloud platform. The Service supports the operational workflow of mechanical workshops, service centres, and trades businesses — bookings, jobs, parts, invoicing, customer communications, accounting integrations, and reporting.

3.2 Subscription Plans

The features included in each Subscription Plan, the included user seats, branches, SMS allowance, and Fees are described on the pricing page at theleadinghand.au/pricing ("Plan Page"). The Plan Page forms part of these Terms.

3.3 Service updates

We continuously improve the Service. We may add, change, deprecate, or remove features over time. Material reductions in functionality on Plans you have paid for will be communicated under §16.

3.4 Beta features

We may offer features marked as "beta", "preview", or similar. Beta features are provided as-is, may be unstable, and may be modified or removed without notice. The standard service warranties and uptime targets in these Terms do not apply to beta features.

4. Your Account

4.1 Eligibility

You may only use the Service if you are at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract under Australian law.

4.2 Sign-up and accuracy

You must provide accurate, complete, and current information when you sign up, and keep it up to date. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any password or token used to access the Service.

4.3 Authorised Users

You may grant access to your Account to Authorised Users (your staff, contractors, or others you choose). You are responsible for:

  • The actions of every Authorised User on your Account.
  • Removing access promptly when a person no longer needs it.
  • Ensuring each Authorised User complies with these Terms.

4.4 One person, one user

Each Authorised User must use their own login. Sharing logins between people is not permitted — it breaks audit trails and makes single-active-job enforcement unreliable.

4.5 Suspension for non-payment or abuse

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your Account if Fees are overdue (see §5) or if we reasonably believe you are breaching these Terms. We will give you notice and a reasonable opportunity to fix the issue first, except where the issue is serious (e.g. suspected fraud, security breach, or court order).

5. Fees and billing

5.1 Fees

Fees are payable in advance for each billing period (monthly or annual). Current Fees are published on the Plan Page. All Fees are stated in Australian dollars and are exclusive of GST unless stated otherwise. GST is added at the prevailing rate where applicable.

5.2 Payment method

You authorise us to charge your nominated payment method for Fees, top-ups, and any other charges due. Card details are entered through our payment processor's hosted page; we do not see, store, or process card numbers (see Privacy Policy §3.4).

5.3 Invoices

We issue tax invoices via the Service. Tax invoices are available for download from your Account portal at any time and are emailed to your billing contact when issued.

5.4 Late payment

If a Fee is unpaid by the due date:

  • We may apply a 1.5% per-month late fee (or the maximum lawful rate, whichever is lower) calculated from the due date until paid.
  • After 5 days overdue we may suspend Service access (read-only mode).
  • After 30 days overdue we may terminate the Account, subject to §11.

We will send reminder notices before suspension or termination.

5.5 Annual prepay

Annual Subscriptions are paid in advance for 12 months. Annual prepay attracts a 15% discount on the equivalent monthly rate.

5.6 Plan changes

You can change Subscription Plans at any time from the Account portal:

  • Upgrades take effect immediately. The price difference for the remaining billing period is pro-rated and charged on the next invoice (or immediately, depending on plan).
  • Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle. We do not refund prepaid fees on downgrade.

5.7 Coupons and promotional pricing

Coupons we issue (including the legacy desktop migration discount referred to in §15) are governed by their published terms. Coupon discounts apply only to the periods specified, are not transferable, are not redeemable for cash, and are subject to the terms of the relevant offer.

5.8 Price changes

We may change Fees from time to time. We will give you at least 30 days' notice of any Fee increase. The new Fee will apply from your next billing cycle after the notice period expires. If you don't accept the new Fee you can cancel under §11 — Fees already paid for the current billing period will not be refunded.

5.9 No refunds

Except where required by Australian law (including the Australian Consumer Law — see §19), Fees are non-refundable. Cancelling before the end of a paid billing period does not entitle you to a refund of unused time.

5.10 SMS top-ups

SMS messages above your monthly allowance are charged either by metering or via top-up packs purchased through the Account portal. Top-up credits do not expire and are not refundable for cash.

6. Free trial

6.1 What's included

We may offer a free trial of the Service for a period of 14 days from the date you sign up. During the trial you have access to the features of the trial plan.

6.2 No card to start

You do not have to provide payment details to start a trial. We will not charge you any Fees during or at the end of the trial unless you explicitly add a payment method and pick a paid plan.

6.3 What happens after the trial

When the trial ends:

  • If you have selected a paid plan and added a payment method, the paid Subscription begins and the first invoice is issued.
  • If you have not selected a paid plan, your Account moves to a 7-day grace period (read-only access). After grace, the Account is closed and Customer Data is removed in accordance with §10 and the Privacy Policy.

6.4 One trial per business

Trials are limited to one per business or related group of businesses. We may decline to provide a trial in cases of obvious abuse.

7. Customer Data

7.1 You own your data

As between you and Ampl Software, you own and retain all rights, title, and interest in and to your Customer Data.

7.2 Licence to us

You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, copy, transmit, display, back up, and process your Customer Data only as necessary to provide and operate the Service for you. The licence ends when these Terms end (subject to §11).

7.3 We are a processor

In privacy law terms, you are the controller of your Customer Data and we are the processor. Our role and obligations are set out in detail in the Privacy Policy. Highlights:

  • We do not sell your Customer Data.
  • We do not mine your Customer Data for our own marketing.
  • We do not share your Customer Data with other tenants.
  • We do not use your Customer Data to train artificial intelligence models without your explicit, written, opt-in consent.

7.4 You are responsible for your data

You are responsible for:

  • The accuracy, quality, and legality of all Customer Data you submit.
  • Having all necessary rights and consents to record and process Customer Data in the Service (including, where applicable, consent from your End-Customers).
  • Complying with applicable laws — including the Australian Consumer Law, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth), and any state, territory, or international equivalents.

7.5 Data export

You can export your Customer Data at any time during your Subscription using the export tools we provide (CSV or other formats as offered). On termination of your Subscription you have 30 days to export. After 30 days, we delete Customer Data in line with §10.

7.6 Backups

We hold rolling backups for disaster recovery. These backups are not user-restorable on demand; they exist to recover the Service in a disaster. We retain backup copies of deleted Customer Data for the duration of our backup-retention window (currently up to 35 days) before they age out.

8. Customer communications through the Service (SMS and email)

8.1 What this section covers

The Service includes the ability to send SMS and email messages — to your End-Customers, your suppliers, your staff, or yourself. Examples: service reminders, booking confirmations, estimates with approval links, invoices, payment receipts.

8.2 You are responsible for consent

You must:

  • Have appropriate consent from each recipient before sending marketing or promotional messages (under the Spam Act 2003 in Australia or the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 in New Zealand).
  • Maintain accurate suppression lists (we honour STOP / NO replies on SMS automatically; you must not re-add suppressed numbers).
  • Identify your business clearly in every message.
  • Provide a working unsubscribe option in marketing emails.

8.3 Prohibited use of SMS and email

You must not use the Service's communication features to send:

  • Messages that are unlawful, harassing, defamatory, deceptive, or fraudulent.
  • Messages to recipients who have opted out, withdrawn consent, or never given consent.
  • Phishing, malware, or messages designed to obtain credentials or personal information through deception.
  • Messages on behalf of third parties unrelated to your workshop business.
  • Bulk messaging unrelated to the operations of your workshop.

8.4 SMS sender ID

We provide a carrier-approved alpha sender ID ("LeadingHand") and may also assign you a virtual mobile number. Messages sent through these channels must comply with carrier rules — including AU/NZ telco STOP-keyword handling and content restrictions.

8.5 Suspension for abuse

If we receive credible reports of spam, abuse, or non-compliance with §8.2 or §8.3, we may suspend SMS or email features (or your entire Account) immediately and investigate. We will work with you to resolve genuine misunderstandings; we will not work with bad actors.

9. Acceptable use

You must not, and must not permit any Authorised User or third party to:

  • Use the Service in violation of any law or regulation.
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service (except where this restriction is prohibited by law).
  • Resell, sublicense, lease, or otherwise transfer your access to the Service to a third party (other than your own Authorised Users acting on your behalf).
  • Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service except under a coordinated disclosure agreement (see §22).
  • Interfere with the operation of the Service, including by disproportionate API usage that affects other tenants, denial-of-service activity, or distribution of malware.
  • Use the Service to host or distribute illegal content.
  • Misrepresent your identity, business, or affiliation.
  • Use the Service in a way that breaches the terms of any sub-processor we rely on (e.g. AWS, Postmark, ClickSend) where we have notified you of those terms.

We may suspend or terminate access for any breach of this section. Where the breach is curable and not malicious, we will give you notice and a chance to fix it.

10. Termination

10.1 By you

You can cancel your Subscription at any time from the Account portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period (e.g. if you're on a monthly plan and cancel mid-month, you keep access until the end of that month). Annual Subscriptions cancelled mid-term continue until the end of the prepaid term — see §5.9 for refund position.

10.2 By us — for cause

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if:

  • You materially breach these Terms and don't fix the breach within 10 business days of our notice (or, if the breach is not curable, immediately).
  • You fail to pay Fees and remain in default after the windows in §5.4.
  • We are required to do so by law, regulator, or court order.
  • We reasonably believe your continued access exposes us, our other tenants, our sub-processors, or any third party to material risk (e.g. a security breach involving your Account, ongoing abuse of communications features under §8).

10.3 By us — for convenience

We may terminate any free trial or beta feature for any reason on reasonable notice. We may terminate paid Subscriptions for convenience on at least 30 days' written notice; if we do, we'll refund any prepaid Fees for the period after termination on a pro-rata basis.

10.4 What happens on termination

When the Subscription ends:

  • Authorised Users lose access to the Service.
  • You have 30 days to export Customer Data (§7.5).
  • After 30 days, Customer Data is deleted from active systems. Backup copies age out within the backup-retention window (currently 35 days) under §7.6.
  • Fees already paid are non-refundable except as required by law (§19).
  • The provisions of these Terms that should reasonably survive termination — including §7 (data licence to the extent required for backup retention), §11 (warranties / disclaimers), §12 (liability), §13 (indemnity), §17 (governing law), and definitions — survive.

11. Service availability

11.1 Soft uptime target

We aim to make the Service available 99.5% of the time, measured monthly, excluding:

  • Scheduled maintenance windows (announced at least 48 hours in advance, typically off-peak AEST/AEDT).
  • Emergency maintenance to address security or stability issues.
  • Outages caused by force majeure events (§17).
  • Outages caused by you (e.g. exceeding API rate limits) or by your sub-providers (e.g. your accounting platform).
  • Beta features.

11.2 No financial SLA in standard plans

We do not offer service credits as a contractual remedy in standard plans. The 99.5% target above is a goal, not a binding commitment that gives rise to a refund. If we materially miss this target, talk to us — we will work with you in good faith.

11.3 Status and incidents

When there is a major incident affecting the Service, we will post status updates and a post-incident summary on our status page (or via email if the status page is itself affected).

12. Intellectual property

12.1 Our intellectual property

The Service, the Documentation, our trade marks ("The Leading Hand", "Ampl Software", and our logos), our software, and the look and feel of the Service are owned by Ampl Software or our licensors. These Terms do not transfer any ownership in our intellectual property to you.

12.2 Your right to use

We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and use the Service for your internal business purposes during your Subscription, subject to these Terms and your payment of Fees.

12.3 Feedback

If you give us feedback or suggestions about the Service, you grant us a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use that feedback to improve the Service. We are not obligated to act on or attribute feedback.

12.4 Open-source components

The Service incorporates open-source components. The applicable open-source licences govern your use of those components and prevail over these Terms to the extent of any conflict.

13. Confidentiality

Each party may receive non-public information from the other ("Confidential Information"). The receiving party must:

  • Use Confidential Information only for the purpose of these Terms.
  • Protect it with the same care it uses for its own confidential information (no less than reasonable care).
  • Not disclose it to any third party except its employees, contractors, or sub-processors who need to know and are bound by confidentiality obligations.

Confidential Information does not include information that is or becomes public through no fault of the receiving party, was already in the receiving party's possession without confidentiality restriction, or is independently developed without reference to the other party's information.

This section survives termination for 5 years.

14. Privacy

Our handling of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy at theleadinghand.au/privacy and ampl.au/privacy. The Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms by reference. Where there is a conflict between these Terms and the Privacy Policy on data-handling matters, the Privacy Policy prevails.

If you require a separate Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for compliance with your customers' or your own privacy obligations (e.g. GDPR for EU-resident End-Customers, or NZ-specific terms), contact privacy@theleadinghand.au — we will provide our DPA template.

15. Migration from the legacy desktop product

The legacy desktop version of The Leading Hand is in supported retirement until 31 October 2027.

Existing customers of the desktop product who have a current annual support agreement at the time of activation are eligible for the legacy migration offer: 50% off the standard advertised Fee for the first 12 months of their cloud Subscription, after which the full advertised Fee applies. The discount is applied automatically as a coupon at the time you activate the cloud Subscription.

The offer is subject to:

  • Eligibility being verified at activation (we cross-check your active legacy member number).
  • One discount per legal entity / workshop business.
  • The offer expiring on 31 October 2027 — after that date the legacy product is unsupported and the offer is no longer available.

Other terms of the offer are described on the migration page at theleadinghand.au/migrate.

16. Service changes

16.1 Material changes

We may change the features, scope, or operation of the Service. For changes that materially reduce the functionality of the Service on a Plan you are paying for, we will give you at least 30 days' notice. If you don't accept the change, you can cancel under §10.1 and we will refund any prepaid Fees for the period after the change takes effect on a pro-rata basis.

16.2 Non-material changes

We may make non-material changes (bug fixes, performance improvements, new features, security updates, UI refinements) without notice.

16.3 Sub-processor changes

We update our sub-processor list from time to time. The current list is in the Privacy Policy §7. Material additions to the sub-processor list are flagged via the "Last updated" date on the Privacy Policy.

17. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including: natural disasters, pandemics, war, civil unrest, government actions, strikes affecting third parties, large-scale internet failures, and outages of upstream cloud providers. Affected obligations are suspended for the duration of the event. The affected party will notify the other and resume performance as soon as reasonably possible.

18. Warranties

We warrant that:

  • We will provide the Service with reasonable care and skill consistent with industry standards for cloud SaaS.
  • We have the right to enter into these Terms and to provide the Service.
  • We will not knowingly introduce malicious code into the Service.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, all other warranties, conditions, representations, and guarantees — express or implied, statutory, contractual, or otherwise — are excluded. The Service is otherwise provided "as is" and "as available".

19. Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantee, right, or remedy that you have under the Australian Consumer Law (set out in Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) or any other consumer protection legislation that cannot lawfully be excluded.

If a non-excludable consumer guarantee applies to the Service and we breach it, our liability is — to the extent permitted by law — limited at our option to:

  • Re-supplying the Service; or
  • Refunding the cost of the supply that breached the guarantee.

If you are not in Australia, equivalent statutory rights in your jurisdiction (including under the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 where applicable) are similarly preserved.

20. Limitation of liability

20.1 Excluded losses

To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages — including loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, or loss of anticipated savings — arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

20.2 Cap on direct liability

Our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service is limited to the total Fees paid by you to us in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

20.3 What this section does not limit

This section does not limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded — including under §19 above, for fraud, for wilful misconduct, or for breaches of confidentiality under §13.

20.4 Reasonableness

The parties acknowledge that the limitations and exclusions in this section are reasonable, reflect the allocation of risk between the parties, are essential to enabling Ampl Software to provide the Service at the published Fees, and apply regardless of the form of action (contract, tort, statute, or otherwise).

21. Indemnity

21.1 By you

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ampl Software, our officers, employees, and contractors from any third-party claim, demand, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your Customer Data, including any claim that your Customer Data infringes any third party's rights or violates any law.
  • Your use of the Service in breach of these Terms.
  • Your communications sent through the Service to any End-Customer or third party (see §8).
  • Your failure to obtain consent required under privacy or anti-spam law.

21.2 By us

We will defend you and indemnify you against any third-party claim that the Service, when used by you in compliance with these Terms, infringes the intellectual property rights of that third party in Australia, provided that:

  • You notify us promptly in writing of the claim.
  • You give us sole control of the defence and any settlement negotiations.
  • You provide us with reasonable assistance.

If we receive a credible IP-infringement claim, we may at our option (a) modify the Service so it no longer infringes, (b) procure for you the right to continue using it, or (c) terminate the Service and refund any prepaid Fees for the period after termination.

21.3 Sole remedy

The remedy in §21.2 is your sole and exclusive remedy for any infringement claim.

22. Security disclosures

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it to security@ampl.au. We commit to:

  • Acknowledging within 5 business days.
  • Working in good faith on a fix and a coordinated disclosure timeline.
  • Not pursuing legal action against good-faith researchers who comply with our coordinated disclosure process.

Penetration testing or active vulnerability scanning of the Service requires our prior written approval.

23. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes (changes that affect your rights or obligations in a meaningful way), we will:

  • Post the updated Terms with an updated "Last updated" date and a new version number.
  • Notify active customers by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you don't accept the changes, you may cancel under §10.1.

For non-material changes (clarifications, formatting, contact updates), we will update the "Last updated" date but won't separately notify you.

24. Notices

24.1 Notices to you

We may give you notice by:

  • Email to the address registered on your Account.
  • A banner or in-product notification within the Service.
  • A post on our status page or website (for general matters affecting all customers).

24.2 Notices to us

You must give us notice in writing to support@theleadinghand.au (operational matters) or privacy@theleadinghand.au (privacy and data matters), with a copy by post to:

Ampl Software Pty Ltd Suite 1031, 100 George Street Parramatta NSW 2150 Australia

For legal-process notices (court documents, subpoenas), use the postal address.

25. General

25.1 Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Each party submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales and the federal courts of Australia.

25.2 Assignment

You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms — including in connection with a merger, sale, or restructure — and will give you reasonable notice if we do.

25.3 Entire agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the Plan Page, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service and replace any prior agreement. Statements, brochures, or representations made before acceptance are not part of these Terms.

25.4 No waiver

A failure or delay by either party to enforce a right under these Terms is not a waiver of that right.

25.5 Severability

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. The rest of the Terms continue in effect.

25.6 Independent contractors

The parties are independent contractors. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship.

25.7 No third-party beneficiaries

These Terms are for the benefit of you and us only, except where they expressly provide otherwise. No third party may enforce them.

25.8 Headings

Headings are for reference only and do not affect interpretation.

25.9 Counterparts and electronic acceptance

These Terms may be accepted electronically (e.g. by clicking "I accept" during sign-up). Electronic acceptance is binding.

26. Contact

For operational, billing, or product questions: support@theleadinghand.au For sales, demos, or new-customer enquiries: sales@theleadinghand.au For privacy or data questions: privacy@theleadinghand.au For security disclosures: security@ampl.au

By post:

Ampl Software Pty Ltd ABN 32 002 781 811 Suite 1031, 100 George Street Parramatta NSW 2150 Australia

We respond within one business day, AEST.