Contents
Introduction
The plumbing business involves a lot more legwork than people would normally imagine. Everything from doing numbers manually to creating invoices and maintaining your company may take up a lot of your time.
Fortunately, several helpful software for plumbing business gives powerful resources that may improve efficiency, save costs, and boost revenues.
If you are on a quest to find plumbing software, you need to first figure out you need to find out where your business stands. Not every software on the market can fulfill your requirements.
Therefore, we have prepared this precise FAQ for plumbing software that will answer all the concerns that pop up in your mind to find the right software.
When switching to plumbing software, there are a couple of signs to look out for, which will be mentioned in detail in the next section.
Let’s dive in!
Switching to Plumbing Software
As you probably know, scaling your plumbing business would mean streamlining processes and creating a better work environment for your employees.
In such cases, plumbing software is a great way to increase your company's profits while also making the most of your employees’ time.
If you are still contemplating whether you should switch to plumbing software or not, here are some signs to look out for:
First Sign - Spreadsheets Are Frustrating
Let's face it- everyone hates spreadsheets!
Of course, spreadsheets are great at handling data-related issues. But are they really mobile-friendly? Yes, there are spreadsheet apps now but cells confined in a small screen aren't as effective as on your PC.
Besides, these apps don't include the basic functions other apps do such as notification alerts, QR scanning, or image capturing.
For example, you have a schedule and you have to upload the data without your laptop. And if this happens regularly, it would compound into more data loss and hence, loss in your revenue.
Second Sign - Relying on WhatsApp for Updates on Tasks and Communication
WhatsApp is probably the one app that every business uses. And why not? A messaging tool like this makes it quite easy to get notified of alerts and necessary updates.
However, WhatsApp is not as sustainable when it comes to documentation and data input. You can not structure or organize data like spreadsheets or analyze it based on trends. You can't know where your team is lacking without proper data input.
Third Sign- Using Outdated Software or One That Doesn't Support the User
Software is supposed to maximize your efficiency, especially field service management software, which is especially focused on fieldwork. Hence, the adoption and operation should also be easy, without you having to make any effort.
However, using outdated software lowers your efficiency. A bad software design can lead to data mishaps, lack of data tracking, poor workflow operations, and more.
These signs clearly indicate why you need plumbing software. To clarify this further, we have compiled a list of FAQs that will help you answer all your questions related to important software features and integrations.
Most Frequently Asked Questions for Plumbing Software
To make it easier to understand, we have categorized the FAQs into five segments, namely:
Starter's Guide
Functionality Support
Tool Related
Connectivity across Apps
No-code related
Starter's Guide
1. What is industry-specific software?
Industry-specific software caters to a particular industry and its requirements. For instance, if you have a plumbing business, a plumbing software program would help you prioritize and maximize the efficiency of plumbing-related tasks such as scheduling, dispatching, employee management, etc.
2. Who do I need industry-specific software?
Every business is different, and so are its requirements. So if you choose a generic software program, it might not work for you. Choosing industry-specific software helps you communicate with your clients directly and also improves your brand awareness.
3. How do I find customized software for my business?
You can refer to our detailed article dedicated to the features you need for your software.
In case you don't find the software that fulfills your needs, you can build your own with a no-code tool. A no-code tool is a kind of tool that allows anyone to design their own customized software without any technical background. One such no-code tool is Utilize which allows you to add any features and integrations you want to your software.
4. How important is it to have mobile-friendly plumbing software? (Taken from snippet)
Having mobile-friendly plumbing software allows you to interact with your clients and employees anytime anywhere without any inconvenience. It also improves user experience and boosts lead regeneration and search visibility.
5. How can I find a software program that is mobile-friendly?
Whatever software you choose, you can visit their website to find out if they have a mobile app compatible with your device. Some of the most popular plumbing software compatible with both Andriod and iOS devices include Jobber, FieldEdge, ServiceTitan, etc.
6. Should the plumbing software have offline access?
Yes. It’s because offline software allows you to access your data without an internet connection, which can help in many on-site assessments when you have to input data right away.
7. Why is it important to keep track of my employee data?
Employee time tracking helps you monitor your team’s productivity without having to repeatedly ask workers for progress reports.
Functionality Support
1. How does plumbing software scale my business?
Plumbing software immediately cuts down on expenses like transportation costs and manual errors. The automation of simple tasks allows plumbers to increase their productivity while reducing the chance of any errors, thereby increasing ROI.
2. Do I need inventory management in my plumbing software?
Effective inventory management informs businesses of what products and quantities to restock at any given moment. However, this feature is only needed when the field technicians carry a lot of inventory or need to be tracked.
3. Can I generate quotes for clients through plumbing software?
Yes. By using plumbing software, you can auto-generate the quote process and reduce the likelihood of manual errors.
4. What is the best way to follow up on a quote?
The best way to conduct follow-ups is through automated emails, text messages, and calls to the client, all of which can be conveniently done by customized software.
5. How does plumbing software eliminate paperwork?
Plumbing services software helps plumbers produce bills on-site using various devices, digitizing the whole manual operation.
6. Can plumbing software help improve communication?
Yes. When your team has clear instructions to adhere to, everything will go smoothly. You can also connect with your clients online to give estimates, and share important documents and updates.
7. What features should I look for the most in plumbing software?
Some of the most important features of plumbing software include:
Scheduling
Routing
Customer management
Employee management
Invoicing and payments
Inventory tracking
Tool Related
1. What is the best way to collect online payments from clients?
We recommend using Stripe or Paypal and finding software that has an integration with either of these two. Since these tools are specially dedicated to payments, they are better at handling payment-related operations than the tools provided by plumbing software.
2. How to manage invoices and billing for my plumbing business?
You can use Quickbooks or Xero and find software that has an integration with Quickbooks/Xero. They are better at handling such operations than the tools provided by plumbing software.
3. Do these integrations work with my mobile devices?
Most of them do. To find out if the integration works on your device or not, you can visit their website and see if they are compatible with your mobile program.
4. How can I analyze data from integrations?
Integrations like QuickBooks and Zapier allow a centralized platform for your data and make it easier to analyze.
5. How can I communicate with customers in real-time?
Integrations like HubSpot allow you to chat with customers in real-time and give them a platform to get live updates about their projects.
6. Can any integration help me with scheduling?
Google Calendar can help you schedule meetings on the go as well as set up reminders about new tasks and activities.
7. How can I get feedback from customers?
You can use SurveyMonkey to customize survey and feedback forms and share it with clients. You can also create real-time reporting and analytics using this integration.
Connectivity across Apps
1. How much should I spend on my plumbing software?
It depends on your team size, requirements, features, etc. If you have a small plumbing business, you can probably work with the inbuilt features provided in the software. The more you customize it, the higher the cost will be.
2. How will plumbing software help me reduce costs?
Using plumbing software will gradually reduce your paperwork, keep a track of on-site assessments, and provides you access to all of your data on one platform. All of these features together help you reduce costs and increase efficiency.
3. What is the most recommended software for the plumbing industry?
There are a lot of reliable software programs for a plumbing business. The top five among them include:
Housecall Pro
Marketing 360
Stack
Jobber
FieldEdge
For more information on the best plumbing software, you can refer to this article.
4. When is the right time to invest in plumbing software?
If you're thinking of expanding your plumbing business or streamlining your workflow and reducing manual tasks, you should consider investing in plumbing software.
5. How secure is the plumbing software?
Plumbing software provides a cloud-based platform that lets you give access to projects to only the respective teams and clients, which makes the whole system more encrypted.
6. Is there free software available?
Yes. Various plumbing software offers their features for free. However, those are limited. A few plumbing software programs also offer a trial period where you can test it and see if it works for you.
7. Are there different pricing plans available for plumbing software?
Most plumbing software programs provide basic to executive-level plans for varying needs. You can analyze your requirements and choose the plan that works best for you.
No-code related
1. What is a no-code tool/software?
A no-code tool is a tool that lets you design your own software even if you don't have any knowledge of coding or design.
2. How do you build software with a no-code tool?
You don’t need to code to build the software. All you need to do is drag and drop elements or link existing sheets you’re using to adapt them into the software.
3. Why should I use no no-code tools?
No-code tools are specifically designed to be incredibly easy to use and allow you to customize your software to your requirement, which makes software adoption faster and easier.
4. Can I migrate data to my no-code tool?
Yes, you can. Utilize is a no-code tool that allows you to migrate your data from existing Google Sheets to your newly built software.
5. Are no-code tools compatible with integrations?
Yes. Tools like Utilize are compatible with integrations and allow you to add any integrations you need to your software.
6. Can I add integrations like QuickBooks to a no-code tool software?
Definitely. As mentioned, no-code tools give you complete freedom over the customization of your software, including integrations.
7. Can I work on no-code tools on any device?
Yes. Most no-code tools provide multiple device compatibility so you can work on the no-code tool no matter your device.
In conclusion, selecting the right plumbing software can be a daunting task, but with the right information and guidance, you can make an informed decision. We hope that this FAQ guide has helped you understand what to look for in plumbing software and how it can benefit your business.
If you're looking for a way to create custom software without any technical knowledge, Utilize is worth considering. Utilize's no-code platform empowers businesses to design software tailored to their specific needs, making it a flexible and affordable solution. Book a demo today to learn more about how Utilize can help streamline your plumbing business operations. Don't miss out on the opportunity to optimize your business processes with Utilize.
