Whether you have a small business or a multi-location enterprise, you need to be efficient to stay competitive in the plumbing industry. Fortunately, digital tools like plumbing business software can save your company time and money. Here, Sera explains some of the typical features of plumbing service software.
What Is Plumbing Business Software?
Field service management software (FSM software) refers to an application or platform designed to simplify field service management through digital tools that eliminate paperwork and make customer service more efficient.
As the name suggests, plumbing business software is intended specifically for plumbing contractors. Plumbing management software can be used to:
- Generate quotes, estimates, and service agreements
- Create and send invoices
- Process payments
- Manage customer and vendor data
- Track and dispatch field technicians
Thus, this type of software solution can centralize and automate many routine tasks, freeing up technicians to complete more plumbing jobs while maintaining or improving customer satisfaction.
What Are the Benefits of Plumbing Business Software?
Plumbing management software requires an upfront investment, but it can make a big difference in your enterprise over the long term. The advantages of implementing a software solution include:
Generate More Accurate Estimates
When customers need plumbing service, they want an accurate quote right away. When you use a plumbing software platform, you can upload your pricebook information so that technicians can quickly generate work estimates with the most up-to-date information. Plus, many platforms offer customizable templates, so you can include your logo and branding on your quotes, service agreements, and invoices.
Improve the Customer Experience
Customers can get frustrated when they have to wait for a returned call. Plumbing management software makes it easy for customers to put in service requests and schedule appointments online. They simply visit your website and use a simple scheduling widget. This also frees up your back-office staff to spend less time on the phone.
Additionally, plumbing software helps with customer management because it stores customer information that contractors can use to determine what services interest specific homeowners. Paired with a CRM platform, plumbing software often leads to greater customer satisfaction.
Offer Visibility and Transparency
When technicians are out in the field, they’re trying to serve your customers as efficiently as possible. With field service management software, you can monitor technicians, know when they complete a job, and send notifications of their next location without the need for multiple phone calls. 
Streamline the Invoicing Process
Another core task for residential plumbing contractors is invoicing. When done manually, invoicing is not only more tedious but can also increase the chances of errors. With plumbing business software, updates made to invoices in the field are automatically refreshed in the office. This includes new estimates and check and credit card payments. Real-time updates reduce instances of redundant data entry, generating efficiency and potentially saving costs.
Enable Greater Mobile Connectivity
Part of what makes the plumbing industry unique is that not all staff members work in the same place. Dispatchers and other office staff work at the physical location, but technicians are in the field serving homeowners at job sites. This situation demands a solution for more efficient communication.
Plumbing software provides the answer with mobile app connectivity. Technicians can access the most updated job details on-site via their mobile devices, such as the customer’s service history and the location of their next assignment. They can also create precise estimates and process payments. Plumbing software is often compatible with IOS and Android devices.
Gain Insights to Drive Decision-Making
Finally, this type of software can track key performance indicators (KPIs) to help you better understand how your business is performing and where you can improve. You can analyze and generate reports on real-time metrics such as:
- Open, won, or lost opportunities
- First-time fix rates
- Sales growth over time
- Customer ratings
With a customizable dashboard, you can monitor the KPIs that are most important to you and use the information to refine your business operations.
Key Features of the Best Plumbing Business Software
Not all plumbing software is the same. Some solutions are better suited for commercial contractors, while others are designed with specific industries in mind. For residential plumbing contractors, the following software features are key for optimizing efficiency:
- Automated scheduling and dispatch software: Makes plumbing dispatch tasks easier by providing oversight of each technician’s schedule, ensuring the right plumbers respond to the right service requests and optimizing workflows
- Customer portal: Provides a platform for 24/7 online booking and allows customers to accept estimates, and review their service history and invoices, eliminating some tedious tasks for office staff
- Admin portal: Delivers a central digital location for managing service requests, viewing technicians’ schedules, and more
- Cash flow tools: Empowers more efficient invoicing by supplying the information needed to produce accurate invoices, collect payments, and manage cash flows
- QuickBooks integration: Simplifies payment processing by enabling integration with accounting software like Intuit QuickBooks Online
Another important consideration is implementation. How simple does the software provider make the onboarding process? If the software platform is challenging to integrate into current operations or takes a long time to deploy, residential contractors may fail to see a return on investment. The best plumbing software will involve a guided onboarding process, with representatives to guide contractors and their teams with implementation.
Learn More About Software Solutions from Sera
At Sera, we’re dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes add money to their bottom line. Sera offers tailored software solutions for various home service companies, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and garage door service providers. We offer straightforward pricing options based on the number of techs a contractor employs.
We also make onboarding simpler with personalized assistance as you transition to our software. Each contractor works with a designated Onboarding Specialist who serves as their primary point of contact from the beginning of onboarding until the launch date. What’s more, our customers access a Knowledge Center that provides hundreds of answers to frequently asked questions about the various aspects of our software solutions.
With plumbing business software from Sera, residential plumbing companies like yours can root out inefficiencies to optimize operations and boost your bottom line.
Contact us today to learn more about our software. Schedule a 15-minute discovery call or find out about our 45-minute demos.
