Customizing Service Orders for Diverse Plumbing Needs With Job Management Software
The backbone of your plumbing business is the work order requests you get from clients. When you use plumbing software, you can generate work orders from customer intake quotes. It's important to use detailed work orders so you can effectively manage your business, including your plumber schedules and inventory.
Job management software incorporates several key features to make it easier to manage your daily operations. This software can be used to track a job request from the first quote to the final payment processing and can even be used to streamline timesheet and employee management processes.
Quoting
Customizing the service orders for your business starts with the intake quote. Professional quoting software is designed to generate accurate quotes for customers by calculating several factors, including the number of plumbers required to complete the service request, the inventory needed for the job, and the projected labor time.
When your customer service staff speaks with clients, professional quoting software can be used to adjust common quote templates. For example, instead of fixing one pipe, the quote can be adjusted to fix two, and the price for the quote will reflect that change. This level of customization increases the accuracy of your plumbing quotes, so your business can set competitive price points.
Work Orders
You can turn a quote into a work order as soon as the quote is accepted by the client. Your job management tools will generate a detailed work order that includes all the information from the quote at the push of a button. From there, your scheduling staff can use an advanced calendar system to drop this detailed work order into an available time slot for one of your field plumbers.
Interactive cloud-based work orders can save your entire business time. Instead of duplicating data entries, updating work orders using cloud-based technology can be done on the fly at the job site. Your plumbers can add picture files, make notes about the materials needed to complete the work order, and other automated tools.
Billing
Once a work order is complete, your plumbers can turn a work order into an invoice right at the job site using cloud-based job management tools. The invoice can be emailed directly to the client with a payment link and an invoice price breakdown. Depending on the preferences of the client, the bill can be settled with an online payment or by using a hand-piece payment device before your field plumber leaves the job site.
Timesheets
The final portion of effective job management is ensuring your field plumbers are compensated for their work. Cloud-based software installed on a GPS-enabled device can automatically clock the time for your plumber by logging when a work order starts and ends. This automatic tool can account for all the time your plumbers need to complete a work request, even if that time happens to go over the expected time for the job order.
Automatic timesheets greatly reduce payroll errors and duplicated information. The timesheet information will automatically sync with other service software used by your business, specifically your accounting software. This overlap ensures all of your cash flow tracking is accurate so you can understand your profits and costs.
What Are Other Key Plumbing Software Features?
Aside from job management software, your plumbing business can benefit from using other service software. For example, you can simplify your daily scheduling tasks by using an advanced drag-and-drop calendar that tracks the schedule for the whole business, specialized teams, and individual field plumbers. This type of calendar also makes it much easier to track employees and dispatch plumbers for emergency work orders.
Inventory Management
Your plumbers likely go through a significant amount of inventory in the field, from waterproof tape to pipes and other specialized tools. Keeping track of your inventory is essential since your plumbers won't be able to complete any service requests without the required tools and materials. However, tracking inventory the old-fashioned way can quickly become overwhelming, particularly as your business grows.
Inventory management software can automatically track the number and location of your inventory so you have an accurate count at all times. This software can track the inventory on specific work trucks, inventory used for work orders, and inventory in your warehouse. When the software detects that your supplies are running low, you will get a reorder reminder so you never run out of materials or tools.
Recurring Work Orders
If your plumbing business works with contractors or exclusive commercial clients, then it's likely that some of your work order requests for certain customers will be recurring. This can include contract renewals. Your scheduling software from ServiceBox comes with a feature that allows your administrative staff to schedule pre-program alerts for recurring work orders.
Pre-program alerts for recurring work orders can save your clients and staff a lot of time. Recurring work orders can be saved to the client file with relevant details and historical data so that your clients receive customized service every time. When it's time to schedule a recurring work order for a client, the pre-program alert will notify your administrative staff, so the appointment can be confirmed and scheduled for the client right away.
Cloud-based service software makes it easy to customize work order files. Your schedulers can input details and specific instructions on the work order that is dropped into the calendar. When your technicians access work orders from their mobile devices, they can add notes, pictures, and other details so the client's file is as accurate as possible. Learn more about service software features that help your plumbing business thrive when you reach out to ServiceBox today.
