How Can a Professional Plumber Handle Time Management and Prioritizing Work Orders?
Managing your and your employees' time is very hard without a good system. That's why you need home service software once you have many customers and several employees. Make sure all your workers understand which tasks need to be completed right away, which ones should be prioritized, and which ones can be left for later.Delegate simple or routine work orders to your staff whenever you can. That way, you free up time to work on more complex tasks. Set time limits for admin work to stop yourself from getting distracted. Always make sure you have a time buffer so your schedule can withstand unexpected delays or problems.
Using Plumbing Software to Automate Scheduling
Once your business grows to a certain size, you start spending more and more of your time on admin tasks like scheduling work orders and managing your employees' tasks. This reduces your business's efficiency and makes it hard to manage your time well. Reach out to us at ServiceBox to learn more about our home service software.Our program allows you to easily schedule tasks, create estimates, allocate work orders to employees, keep track of your workers' hours, and send invoices. Because it is compatible with mobile devices, it can be used in the office and on the go. When someone updates the schedule, everyone else can immediately access the newest version. This prevents confusion and makes it easy for you and your employees to stay on top of all your work orders.
Create Categories for Your Tasks
Not all tasks are equally important. Many plumbers create categories to classify their work orders. The most important ones are emergency appointments, which need to be dealt with right away. They include health and safety issues and complete system failures. The next category is high-priority tasks, which need to be completed on the same day but aren't putting anyone's health at risk.Medium and low-priority tasks don't have to be dealt with right away. They are minor issues that don't impact the core function of a system or cause daily disruption. If you rate each job from high to low priority, you can more easily decide which one to begin with. By explaining the categories to your employees, you make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Delegate to Other Workers
When you first set up your business, you might be able to complete all your work orders on your own. But if your customer service is excellent, you'll soon have too many tasks to handle. When hiring employees, think about which kinds of work orders they can easily handle on their own. If you're a master plumber, you might want to keep the more difficult tasks for yourself while delegating routine maintenance appointments to journeymen.Some plumbing businesses hire support staff to reduce the burden of admin tasks. However, this might not be necessary if you have good software. ServiceBox facilitates every aspect of your business and helps you to keep track of your employees' schedules as well as your customers' data and requests.
Set Time Limits on Certain Tasks
Even if you use home service software, you still need to complete some admin tasks. You have to respond to your customers' emails, update your website and social media accounts, and follow up with people. You might also need to deal with employee requests and order new supplies. Setting specific times for these tasks helps you to stick to your schedule and prevents you from getting distracted.Think about how much time each task takes and set yourself realistic but ambitious goals. Many plumbers find that performing admin tasks in short bursts is better than scheduling three or four hours of admin at a time. This is because it's easier to stay focused for half an hour or forty-five minutes.
Don't Schedule Too Much in One Day
Self-employed plumbers frequently try to complete too many tasks in one day when they first set up their business. Although taking on as much work as possible is tempting, it isn't usually a good strategy because it reduces your level of customer service and increases the likelihood of mistakes. You might run into issues if a task takes longer than expected or there is a problem on the road.Be strict with yourself about the number of appointments you book every day. If you notice that you no longer have enough time for all your work, hire more employees. That way, you can give each task the time and attention it deserves. Remember, your customers could have an emergency at any time, and you need to be ready to respond quickly. This is only possible if time buffers are built into your schedule.
What Is a Good Master Plumber Salary?
As an employee, a master plumber makes around $56,000 per year. Some companies offer $80-90k, especially those located in high-cost-of-living areas. Although this is a good salary, you can earn even more if you set up your own small business. That way, you don't have to share your income with anyone else, you can choose which customers to work with, and you can set your own rates.If you build up a loyal customer base and hire others to work for you, you can earn significantly more than an employed plumber. However, this is only possible if you manage your time well and always offer great customer service.Professional plumbers have to be excellent at time management and prioritization. Without these skills, it's hard to offer customers excellent service. Plumbing software reduces the time spent on admin and makes it easier for small business owners to manage their schedules. Send us a message at ServiceBox to find out more about our home service software. We'll be happy to offer you a free demo.
