It’s possible for plumbing businesses to get by with outdated tactics, such as paper invoices and filing cabinets. However, plumbing contractors who still rely on these business tools, without having a systematic way of processing work orders and managing customer information, run the risk of falling behind their competitors.
If you look at the most successful plumbing companies, you will see several similarities, including the use of customer relationship management (CRM) software. Discover more about what a plumbing management software tool is, why plumbers use it, and how choosing the right one can help your business reach new heights and increase profitability.
What Is a Plumbing Service Software Tool?
A CRM tool is a digital solution that helps plumbers manage customer interactions, improve service quality, and streamline business operations. It stores all customer data in one place, helping plumbing professionals and business owners manage their relationships with their customer base more efficiently. The all-in-one solution empowers contractors to effectively manage the entire lifecycle of work, which often results in an improved customer experience.
Plumbing CRM software also streamlines business operations by automating time-consuming tasks, such as invoicing, scheduling, routing, data entry, pricing, payment processing, and more. This saves the plumbing business time so it can focus on providing its customers with the highest quality of service.
Do You Need Plumbing Software?
Although a customer management tool isn’t a requirement for plumbing businesses, it does help to make things easier for employees and customers. In many cases, plumbing contractors who aren’t using a centralized software solution rely on an assortment of tools to find, acquire, and manage plumbing jobs and accounts.
The conventional customer relationship process involves several steps and much back and forth. This leaves the door open for potential errors and miscommunication. Common hurdles include:
- The wrong information was logged
- Sloppy or hard-to-read handwriting
- A forgotten detail
- Lost paperwork
- Bad reception makes it difficult to record customer details
Issues that arise using the traditional process can sometimes result in work delays, billing problems, and other mistakes. These missteps can lead to costly repercussions for the plumbing business and impact customer satisfaction.
Not All CRMs Are the Same
Plumbing business owners unfamiliar with CRMs might be under the impression that they’re all the same. However, there are significant differences between different platforms. With a wide array of field management service solutions available, it can be challenging to differentiate them and determine which one best meets your business needs.
The best plumbing software provides contractors and field technicians with robust, flexible functionality that allows them to streamline their day-to-day operations. It offers features that enable users to link customer relationship management with the other areas of the business, including dispatching and estimating, among others.
The needs of every plumbing business vary. However, CRMs with certain characteristics tend to be less beneficial for any plumber. These include:
- No customizable features
- No notifications
- No accessibility for field service technicians
- No mobile app access or way to optimize mobile devices
- Hard to navigate interface that isn’t user-friendly
- No option to connect with an answering service
- Poorly constructed templates
- No way to integrate it with the payroll
Features to Look For
A Plumbing CRM worth investing in will help a contractor grow their cash flow, increase efficiency, improve customer support, and make day-to-day tasks simpler.
The best plumbing software helps by seamlessly integrating essential elements of the business, such as:
Calling and Booking
The days of customer service reps jotting down information with a pen and paper are over. Instead, with a CRM software tool, employees can use drag-and-drop menus and custom prompts to enter customer information, including job details, start date, priority, and other relevant notes.
If a service rep is speaking with an existing customer, they will be able to pull up the job history and the customer’s information. This empowers your team to provide elite-level customer service and answer questions quickly.
Scheduling and Dispatching
CRMs make plumbing scheduling and dispatching simple with features like geographical booking zones and tech availability calendars. Customer services representatives will know in real-time which service technicians to assign to which jobs.
Furthermore, with the ability to view the exact location of each serviced truck, dispatches can route jobs more efficiently. This means plumbing businesses can take on more jobs and increase revenue.
Customer Communication
Life is often disruptive, and customers might not remember an appointment they scheduled weeks ago. Therefore, confirmation calls the evening before an appointment can be beneficial. CRMs automate this task with automated texts and can provide customers with a link so they can track their technician’s arrival time.
Invoicing and Payments
The right CRM simplifies the payment process for customers and plumbing businesses. While on the job site, plumbing service techs can create invoices and take payments on the spot with the customer’s credit card information. Customers can also be provided with a link to complete payment online.
Follow-Ups
For successful plumbing contractors, service doesn’t end when the technician leaves the job site. Continuous customer support helps build trust between the client and service provider and demonstrates the plumbing business’s willingness to go above and beyond.
CRM users can execute a range of follow-up tasks to maximize customer satisfaction. This level of attention can result in more referrals for your business.
Other Business Processes
While CRMs offer features to help plumbing businesses manage customer data and focus on improving the customer experience, they also assist with other operational processes, such as:
- Marketing
- Tracking analytics
- Financing
- Pricebook information
- Estimates
- Inventory management
Maximize the Potential of Your Plumbing Business with Sera
Today’s service companies rely on field service management software to elevate their business processes and increase customer satisfaction. Sera offers small plumbing businesses and other providers in the plumbing industry innovative software solutions that can streamline workflows, eliminate time-consuming and error-prone tasks, and deliver better results. Our technology combines accounting software, scheduling software, and dispatch software into one user-friendly solution. Contractors interested in learning more about our plumbing business software can Contact Us today to schedule a demo.
