As a plumber, you know that managing a team can be a difficult task – it takes hours of planning, back-and-forth communication, tracking your operatives in the field, entering jobs into diaries and much, much more. Often you are not working at maximum efficiency, but we want to help you reach your full business potential.
Choosing Field Management Software For Plumbers
There are many software applications on offer for plumbing companies, differing in simplicity and complexity. If you are scratching your head, trying to figure out which one of the options to choose, this simple step-by-step guide should help:
1. Can I try the software before purchasing it?
This is the most important question to ask, as trying the field management software for plumbers before buying will allow you to decide whether the system is too complicated before you pay a large amount. Eworks Manager's Plumbing Software offers a fantastic free 14-day trial of our software package.
2. Can I continue to use my current accounting software?
If you are already using a tried and trusted accounting system, it can be extremely difficult to transfer all your employees, customer and other pertinent information over to a new system, so it is important to find a solution that allows for integration.
3. Can I assign multiple employees to one project?
You might need a team of plumbers working on one project, so it is important to find a field management software for plumbers that allows you to assign more than one employee to a job and allow for the client's input on the assigned job.
4. Does the software allow for hourly payment?
If you have an hourly payment structure, it would be best to find a software that has a time-tracking feature. Some software has this feature built-in, but it is important to find out how user-friendly it is, as it also allows for the ability to calculate accurate costs of projects for customers.
5. Can I store all my files and documents in one place?
Storing everything in one place will make it easier to access this information when you need it the most. Some field management software for plumbers will allow for this, but some will require you to use a product such as DropBox or Google Drive.
What are the benefits of field management software for plumbing companies?
Whether you are working alone or a plumbing company with several workers, there are numerous benefits of using field management software for plumbing companies, some of which include the following:
Manage jobs with ease:
Today’s fast-paced world usually means that many plumbers have more jobs “on-the-go” than they can keep up with. With the popularity and necessity of smartphones and devices, your clients and employees are able to contact you at any time to make queries or complaints, so by utilizing field management software, you have direct access to the information that provides answers to these questions, complaints and so forth.
Another benefit of managing your business using field management software is that you can manage your business remotely. Because the system is digital, it allows you and your team to work from different locations. This has helped businesses immensely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Real-time tracking:
Personnel management is one of the most important and difficult tasks that any business owner or foreman has to undertake in the daily running of a plumbing company. With certain field management software systems, you are able to track the movements of your field operatives in real-time, allowing you to easily manage what jobs they are completing and being assigned on a daily basis.
Full compliance:
Health and safety compliance regulations are vital to adhere to for any company in the plumbing and heating industries; by utilizing job management systems, you are able to assign these procedures to every job and mark them off once they have been completed - the fact that every job is saved by the software ensures that you have a full history of which documentation or notes were generated.
Invoicing is efficient:
Using a paper invoicing system is one of the major reasons for the loss of revenue in trade companies. If there is a long paper trail to follow, you are in danger of losing track of estimates and invoices, whereas if you implement software, you are able to create, send and track customer invoices all from one platform!
Improve your organisation:
Field management software improves the organisation of your business. You will no longer need to rely on an outdated filing system or Excel spreadsheets to organise jobs or track inventory, as almost all field management software platforms allow for the complete integration of all these aspects. All documentation is stored in one place, saving both time and money. Adopting a field management software for your business can help your business go paperless!
Aside from the above advantages, field management software allows for the accurate tracking of all costs, which in the past has been a difficult and time-consuming activity for plumbing companies, no matter the size.
This software also allows you to measure the productivity of your employees and find areas which can be improved on, such as hours spent on a particular site or identifying recurring jobs that do not bring in a profit.
Efficiency and customer service go hand-in-hand in the plumbing industry, so sign up for the Eworks Manager free trial today and see how we can help your business!
