Dan Pollard, ex-plumber and Founder of Fergus Software, shares five ways job management software can help you stay organised and boost profits.
Autumn is a busy time for plumbing and heating engineers. As the weather cools, demand for boiler servicing, upgrades and emergency callouts rise fast. But with a bit of forward planning and the right tools, it’s an ideal time to boost your profits. Here are five ways to get your business ready now, in Summer, when things can be a little quieter on the heating front.
1. Fine-tune your pricing
Pricing isn’t just about covering costs – it’s about making sure every job earns a healthy profit. Get it wrong, and you risk either pricing yourself out of work or undercharging and eroding your margins. Job management software takes the guesswork out. You can set and tweak your hourly rate, track job durations in real-time and quote using accurate, up-to-date material prices by uploading supplier pricebooks. That means no more guesswork, just clear, confident pricing.
2. Take control of materials
Material waste is one of the biggest profit-eaters in the trade. Whether it’s forgotten items, over-ordering or goods that never get invoiced to customers, every bit of waste chips away at your earnings. Job management software makes it easier to track what’s being used, what’s been ordered and what needs to be billed.
With Fergus for example, materials are linked directly to specific jobs and clients. If something hasn’t been invoiced, you’ll be notified. Job management software gives you total stock control so no more lost income from forgotten items.
3. Faster invoicing
A slow invoice is often a slow payment. The best time to invoice a customer is as soon as the job is done, while the service is still fresh in their mind. Job management software allows you to log all materials and labour against a job as you go so, once complete, you can generate invoices in minutes, either from an existing quote or directly from recorded job data.
A job management system that also tracks payment status and sends automated reminders to clients takes the awkwardness out of chasing overdue bills.
4. Prepare for being busy
Autumn is a great time to review trends to get ahead of your busiest months. It’s worth analysing your job history to spot patterns in your workload and customer needs to prepare for surges in demand, whether that means hiring extra help or adjusting your stock levels.
Using a job management system also makes it easier to coordinate your team, allocate jobs and avoid double-bookings during peak periods. A clear dashboard with real-time scheduling gives you visibility of exactly what’s going on in your business so you can keep jobs running smoothly and customers happy.
5. Build your online presence
If you don’t already have a website, now’s the time. A simple site can act as your 24/7 shop window, helping customers find you, learn about your services and even book work directly. It’s also the ideal place to collect testimonials, showcase past jobs and build trust with new clients.
A number of platforms make DIY web design easy and you can integrate online booking tools so clients can secure appointments even when you’re out on a job. Fergus also has an Enquiry Management feature which generates a custom contact form for your website – when someone fills it out, their enquiry flows directly into Fergus, is automatically logged and is then easy to track and follow up.
