If you want to expand your plumbing business, it’s time to think of ways to create quick estimates to take on more jobs and close more sales. The best way to do this is through automation tools.
Read on to understand why plumbing estimating software is crucial to your business growth and longevity. You’ll also get a free plumbing estimate template to begin your transition to automated processes.
What is plumbing estimating software?
Plumbing estimating software automates your daily tasks and gives you back hours to focus on growing your plumbing business.
Plumbing software is used by plumbing businesses to keep track of materials, equipment, and other business costs.
Gone are the days of using pen and paper to create estimates for your plumbing business. With plumbing estimating software, you can:
- Increase sales and cash flow coming into your business.
- Create accurate forms every time with a plumbing estimate template.
- Instantly create estimates with the right price.
- Keep your customers happy with reliable estimations.
Your options for creating accurate plumbing estimates
Use a free plumbing estimate template
Here’s a free plumbing estimate template to get you started. With this, you can speed up your estimate creation process and have a reliable template for every potential sale.
This template has all the form fields you need when creating an estimate. These include:
- Your business contact information.
- Your customer’s contact information.
- Plumbing services you’ll provide.
- Materials and tools needed.
- Estimate subtotal.
- Discounts and taxes.
- Estimate total.
There is also a section to describe any job details and special requests so you can personalize each unique job. Keeping your customers informed is the key to having them come back every time.
Field service management software
As a plumbing business owner, you know how busy your workdays are and that it’s a problem if your estimates don’t account for the right materials, equipment, and labor costs.
This is where having job management software comes in. It has tools built to keep your jobs on track.
Using plumbing estimating software offers your customers better support and greater transparency around pricing. This leads to an increase in them contacting your business in the future for more plumbing work.
Commercial and residential plumbing businesses use plumbing estimating software. It is valid for big jobs and smaller ones, so let’s look at how to find the right solution for you.
Typical features of plumbing software
The ability to make custom plumbing invoices
One of the easiest ways to automate your plumbing business is creating custom forms. This way, your customers submit the unique information you need to create accurate, custom plumbing invoices.
As a result, you no longer have to worry about having correct invoices as plumbing estimating software transforms your estimates into invoices with the click of a button.
This lets you bill your customers quickly and gets you paid faster, a priority for growing businesses.
Scheduling and dispatching capabilities
With powerful job management software, scheduling and dispatching jobs is easy and efficient. It lets you focus on your work and not worry about missing equipment, materials, and the number of contractors needed when going into the field.
Plumbing estimating software allows you to keep track of these job aspects to avoid mistakes and keep your customers happy. With plumbing scheduling software, easily line up jobs with all the details attached so you know what equipment and materials you need before you head into the field.
Customer management and job history
Have you ever wished you could store all your important job and customer documents in one accessible place? There’s no need to worry about missing important information as it’s all saved in your cloud-based estimating software.
Look for a solution that offers the ability to:
- Easily save information on a potential customer.
- Instantly get customer approval for jobs.
- Track jobs and access previous customer histories.
- Access customer and job information — anywhere and anytime.
A mobile app
Having access to your plumbing estimate software is crucial for plumbing companies. Your estimates, schedules, and job details are at your fingertips with a mobile application.
Cloud-based software with mobile apps allows you to do multiple jobs a day without carrying around handwritten documents that could be missing information on them. It also lets you create estimates on the go, so it’s easier than ever to satisfy customers and boost revenue.
The benefits of plumbing estimating software
Simplify your workflow
Customers want to fix their plumbing issues as soon as possible when it comes to plumbing work. Especially when it’s an emergency job, there isn’t time to haggle over pricing or worry about the job being done incorrectly.
As a professional who has seen this time and time again, you need to immediately estimate and schedule this work. The best way to do this is with software that puts estimate creation at your fingertips.
The right plumbing estimating software allows you to pull details from past jobs to create estimates quickly. This way, your customer pays a fair, well-thought-out price, and you stand to make a reasonable profit.
Workflow automation features then let you instantly dispatch the job for fast completion.
Having all of your estimates in the same place simplifies your workflow and lets you focus on the job.
Customize to your needs
Every business is different, so it’s important to have customized forms and processes that work for your company and your customers. With plumbing estimating software, you can create customized forms that set you apart from your competitors.
A good plumbing software lets you customize multiple parts of your business, including:
- Fields, tables, and apps.
- Reports.
- Online portals.
- Transaction templates.
Improved customer service
You’re more likely to build a loyal customer base when you can create estimates fast and accurately.
Plumbing jobs require customers to shut off their water, which can be inconvenient during peak usage times. Your customers will appreciate being in the know with accurate and detailed estimates and scheduled jobs.
Plus, following up with your customers has never been easier as you can automate follow-ups and ask about customer satisfaction.
Grow your business with plumbing estimating software
When your plumbing business gets to a certain level of growth, it’s time to consider estimating software. Your growth depends on your ability to compete with competitors, and the best way to do this is through automation.
Keep in mind the main benefits of plumbing software which include:
- Instant access to job details — anywhere and anytime.
- Fast estimate and invoice creation.
- Personalized forms and documents.
- Strong customer relationships that lead to repeat business.
Automate your estimates with a free trial of plumbing software Method:Field Services.
Image credit: Angelov via Adobe Stock