The plumbing industry in Australia has been an ever-growing sector. According to Kangan Institute’s data, this sector employs an average of 238,700 people annually. This resulted in an increase of about 6% in the industry’s growth during the last five years.
Thus, plumbing is considered one of the fastest-growing industries among all construction services in the country.
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With the plumbing industry’s constant growth, software tools for small plumbing businesses have grown exponentially. Suppose you are a plumbing business owner still using the traditional manual methods for your business’s day-to-day operations. In that case, you are missing out.
With that said, this buying guide will help you understand how plumbing service software can help your small plumbing business grow and prosper.
What is Plumbing Software?
Plumbing business software is generally any online tool that can simplify your plumbing business’s daily operations.
It makes it easier for your services to get booked by customers online, assign tasks to your employees, communicate with clients, and process payments more conveniently. Therefore, plumbing software saves you time, allowing you to maximise your profits.
What Are the Benefits of Plumbing Software?
Given that there are currently around 27,300 plumbing businesses in Australia, you need to take advantage of the tools that can help your business keep up with the ever-growing competition.
Below is a list of some of the many potential benefits of using plumbing software for your plumbing business.
- Better Accounting and Record-Keeping
Perhaps one of the biggest perks of using this kind of software is that you can optimise your business’s financial records and say goodbye to hard copies. For example, productivity software solutions like Housecall Pro and Tradify offer easy ways to automate the payment process.
With these programs, you can easily set it up to handle the entire payment process – from invoices to payment collection. Some software solutions, like Housecall Pro, even have automated email reminders for past due payments.
Aside from this, you don’t have to worry about losing the only copy of your customers’ invoices because it’s all digital. You can create as many copies of them as you want, whether physical or virtual.
You can even back your financial records to cloud storage services, which you can access anytime you want. This helps streamline your business’s operations and allows you to easily keep track of accounting-related records to ensure nothing is amiss.
- Streamlined Dispatching and Tracking
The larger your business grows, the larger your client base becomes. Plumbing software solutions like ServiceTitan can help you with streamlining your system, especially when it comes to assigning the team member best suited for the job.
After all, not all plumbing jobs are the same, and each of your team members has their own field of speciality. Programs like these can help your system become more efficient by automating the process and assigning the right member for the job.
Not only will this make completing the job easier, but it can also result in more positive customer experiences. Aside from analysing which team member is best for which task, these programs can also make it easier for you to monitor where your team is and what job they’re currently performing.
Because you have an optimised system for dispatching, you don’t have to worry about double-booking your team members while ensuring that all your clients are accommodated.
- Accurate Quotes for Jobs
Clients will often ask for a quote or estimate on your services before proceeding with the order. Plumbing software can help your quotes up to date by providing you with the latest prices for materials and equipment.
For example, FastPIPE has an extensive database that covers all the latest prices for materials and even labour rates. With such a program, you can provide more accurate estimates for your clients, allowing you to be more transparent with them.
These can help ensure that you’re not over- or under-charging your clients for the job needed to be done. Because of this, you can build better relationships with your clients that can help further grow and develop your business.
- Feedback
Client feedback is vital for any business to thrive, especially in this digital age. According to data from Inc., around 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations from people they know.
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Thus, having a convenient platform where previous clients can leave reviews is vital for your business’s success. Plumbing software like Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan offer easy ways for your clients to leave their feedback.
The more reviews you have, the higher the chances of other potential clients trusting your business.
How to Choose the Best Plumbing Software?
Below is a list of factors you need to consider when choosing the best software for small plumbing business entities.
- User-Friendly
When choosing plumbing software for your business, you need to ensure that it has a user-friendly interface. Software solutions like ServiceM8, Tradify, and Housecall Pro have user-friendly interfaces that allow you to manage your business’s digital system easily.
This eliminates the time and effort needed for learning a new system, allowing you to focus more on your business’s growth rather than spending most of your time learning the ropes. Because of this, you can easily integrate it into your business’s operations and maximise its full potential.
- Real-Time Information
Another feature you should look for in plumbing software solutions is its ability to provide you with real-time information. For example, Housecall Pro offers business owners like you a way to track their employees in real-time with a Live Map GPS feature.
This allows you to see where your employees exactly are when they’re dispatched for a job. Not only will this help you keep track of their locations, but this will also allow you to optimise your system by scheduling the nearest team member for emergency plumbing jobs.
- Multiple Device Compatibility
Another vital feature for plumbing software to look for is its compatibility with multiple devices. After all, your team members can’t lug around a PC while out on a job, so mobile-friendly software like Tradify and ServiceM8 is ideal for plumbing businesses like yours.
Furthermore, with multiple device compatibility, you can easily access your business’s records and files whenever and wherever you are. This makes managing your plumbing business a lot easier and more convenient, especially if you can’t always be at the office.
The 5 Best Software for Small Plumbing Business Reviewed
Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro is one of the best software for plumbing businesses these days. It offers comprehensive features that help companies streamline their system and optimise their operations.
They focus on four critical aspects of the business: growing revenue, saving time, managing finances, and customer experience. With this program, you make all your operations more efficient. This allows you to make your team’s lives easier and provide better plumbing services for your clients overall.
They have four packages available, and each one depends on the number of users in your team. Their starter package is perfect for one-person operations, available at 49 USD or approximately 63 AUD. They also have higher-tiered packages available at 109 USD or around 141 AUD (Grow), and 199 USD or 257 AUD (Manage).
Their Grow and Manage plans can accommodate up to 5 and 9 users, respectively. However, if you have a bigger team, you can also avail of their XL plan whose price is available upon request.
Tradify
Another excellent option for plumbing software solutions is Tradify. This program offers plenty of features that allow plumbing businesses, big or small, to optimise their business operations. From quotations to invoicing, this program has it all.
This software also makes it possible for you to create your own “kits” from which your potential clients can choose. This makes the ordering process easier and more convenient, shortening the time needed to decide.
What’s more is that the company behind Tradify offers installation assistance, lifelong support, and upgrades – all for free. All of this is available for 29 USD or around 37 AUD per user. This means you only have to pay for the number of users who will actually use the software.
Service M8
Next up is ServiceM8, whose defining feature is its affordable price points. Their plans are designed so that you only avail of the features you use. Their most affordable plan is priced at 9 USD monthly or around 12 AUD per month, while their highest-paid plan is priced at 349 USD or 451 AUD.
All plans allow unlimited users, although it limits the number of jobs it can track per month. Regardless, it offers enough variety in its plans, so you can avail only of the features you can use for your business.
This allows you to maximise the software and reduce your expenses as you won’t have to avail of features you won’t use.
ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan is one of the leading plumbing software available for residential and commercial businesses worldwide. This program offers an extensive range of features that allow business owners such as yourself, to optimise your services and give the best possible experience to your clients.
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This software has what it takes to make your business’s operations more efficient – from Bidding to Payments. However, its most notable feature is its ability to analyse and match the team member best suited for the job required.
This allows you to make the most out of your employees’ skills, enabling them to provide better services overall.
FastPipe
Unlike the others, FastPIPE focuses more on a company’s ability to provide accurate estimates for potential jobs. This program was designed for industrial and commercial contractors who often work with different types of clients.
With its comprehensive and detailed database of the industry’s latest tools, equipment, and materials, FastPIPE allows business owners to use the latest and updated prices when providing quotes for their clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should use plumbing software?
Plumbing service software is designed for both large and small plumbing service contractors. It allows them to carry out the essential business tasks with utmost convenience. Because of this, all plumbing businesses stand to benefit from using plumbing software.
What do I need to know to start a plumbing business?
In Australia, you need to be a licenced plumber to start a plumbing business. Besides this, you also need to acquire some basic business skills and qualities like record-keeping, organisation skills,and an eye for details.
How do you make your plumbing business successful?
Ensuring that your plumbing business becomes successful depends on several factors. For example, not only do you need to ensure the high quality of your services, but you also need to ensure that your profits grow along with your business.
Conclusion
Plumbing management software solutions such as the ones mentioned above are some of the ways you can optimise your business’s operations and ensure a more efficient system. By availing of one for your business, you can provide a more efficient way of doing things that will benefit your business and clients.
