We all know that managing jobs and projects can be a logistical nightmare. Trying to do it manually in the fast-moving world of trade industries just multiplies the problem. Considering the number of elements involved, it's not surprising. They include: scheduling appointments, adjusting schedules for emergencies, locating available stock, and completing paperwork, like invoices and safety certificates.
After looking at the bad news, there is help at hand that can really make life much easier: Job management software.
Job management software helps field service businesses to make business processes simpler, meaning you get more jobs booked - and invoiced.
Are you still unsure how this would work for your company? Our guide will help you find the right job management software for tradespeople in any field service business. This includes plumbing and heating, electrical, fire and security or any other trade sector.
Let’s dive in 🤿.
What is job management software? A quick definition
Job management software for tradesmen is technology developed specifically to help field-based businesses to organise jobs. It's a platform that helps you manage everything - from scheduling jobs to invoicing and getting customer feedback - all in one place.
Leading field service businesses have been using this tech for years. During the pandemic, when lots of business struggled, it really came into its own. That's because it offers a way to run your business from anywhere in the country or world, with full oversight.
And since then, it has remained a huge competitive edge.
Let’s look into this a little more 👀.
Why job management software for tradesmen is essential for competing
There are so many reasons why it’s a hot commodity for field service businesses. Here are a handful of reasons why:
- Overcomes staffing and skills shortages:
Businesses can book in more jobs per day with the help of optimised route planning. That means more billable hours with the same number of people.
- Works around stock issues:
Some clever tech can even tell you real-time stock volumes for the nearest suppliers so you can quickly order parts.
- Mobile-ready:
It saves masses of time for both field workers and office teams. As soon as you assign a job, the tradesman can access the job sheets and job history on their tablet. Once you finish the job, the office can access the digital job sheets straight away.
No need to drive to the office to collect paperwork. No more waiting for those completed job sheets to arrive back in the post.
- First-time fix rates:
As if that isn't great news in itself, it also means higher first time fix rates. Engineers can learn about a job before going to the site by having access to customer history. When schedulers send out job information, it includes the parts needed and where to find them.
The result: more jobs completed on the first visit - meaning you can book in more jobs.
- Easy pricing per job:
With job management software, it's easier for field service businesses to send winning quotes for jobs. It's also easier to track expenses so that they can invoice customers correctly. This boosts cash flow and it prevents overstocking and tying cash up there too.
To summarise, job management software for tradesmen makes businesses much more efficient. So you can focus on improving service delivery and customer retention, boosting profit margins, and growing your business.
Checklist: How to pick the best job management software for tradesmen
Now, there are a few leading tech providers in the job management software space. So, how do you choose which is the best? Take a look at this handy checklist. We’ll tell you exactly which features to look for and why you need them.
⬜ User-friendly
Let’s face it, unless it's easy to use, your team won't use the software. Picking a user-friendly platform boosts efficiency and increases investment returns.
⬜ Mobile Accessible
Whilst it’s easy to use on a desktop or laptop, is it designed specifically for mobile devices? The place you need it most since tradesmen are out in the field.
You want tech that’s cloud-based so everyone can access it from anywhere and at any time. It should have a design that works on a phone or tablet, with buttons that are easy to click.
⬜ Integrates with other tech
You want to find tech that integrates with your existing systems. Nobody wants to deal with yet another piece of tech to log into and another password to remember. That’s why integrations are key for halving workload instead of doubling it.
With the right integrations, you can add automations that mean less repetitive admin tasks and notifications happen on autopilot. Take accounting for example. You can sync up with key accounting software, including Xero, QuickBooks, Microsoft Outlook, Sage, and dozens of other tools.
⬜ Automates otherwise heavily manual tasks
Avoid tech that is still too reliant on human input. You want tech with a boatload of automated features. With clever tech, you can automate everything from job scheduling, time tracking, job updates, route optimisation, and even invoicing.
All this saves time and lets you focus on delivering quality service to customers – and, of course, growing your business.
⬜ Real-time visibility of progress
Instant updates have a phenomenal amount of benefits. This is a big one for field service businesses.
Take just one example: real-time job tracking. This gives you a live view of all your engineers' locations and keeps you pu-to-date on ongoing projects and tasks.
Why’s this important? Because fed into business intelligence reporting dashboards – also a feature of some platforms – you can visibly see how the business is performing, live.
This lets you take action to solve challenges, see customer trends, and pivot strategies before they result in leaking profits.
⬜ Training and support
Yes, successful implementation of tech relies on an easy-to-use piece of kit, but, it also relies on the software provider giving plenty of options for training – right from the start.
For ease, you want quick video tutorials and webinars, rather than chunky manuals (no one has time to read these and it’s not as easy to follow as someone visually talking through the product).
And – touch wood – if something goes wrong out-of-hours, you don’t want to be stuck. Rather than spending a lot of time going through training resources to figure it out, you want a tech supplier that has 24/7 support and also offers lots of opportunities and resources to self-serve.
Maximise profits today with leading job management software for tradesmen
So, to put it bluntly, if you’re looking to streamline day-to-day operations, increase how many jobs you can complete each day, and squeeze profit margins, you need the best job management software for tradesmen.
With an easy-to-use bit of kit – with features built specifically to streamline scheduling appointments and manage stock quickly – you can literally see the impact in real time.
In fact, with the right tech, you can even measure the ROI. Let’s take fuel as an example. Optimising job schedules can result in a measurable 10% reduction in fuel consumption. This alone could equate to thousands of pounds in savings.
Ready to take a best-class solution for a test drive? Book a personalised demo with BigChange.
Need a little more convincing? Check out these success stories.
Why BigChange is the go-to tech for thousands of tradesmen
Unlike other solutions that focus on one area such as job scheduling, BigChange is a complete job management platform. Here’s why this matters to tradesmen…
BigChange is a job management system that connects people to processes and systems. It’s a mega-efficient power tool. From advanced job scheduling to CRM, invoicing, and real-time tracking, BigChange enables every client to connect the tools they need to run jobs and processes – all in one place.
The best bit? Because of this clever tech, and features like automation, a lot of the manual tasks are replaced.
Plus, the platform is customisable to suit any field service vertical and is currently used by over 2000 customers, across 10 key field service industries, globally.
A quick peak at top features for tradesmen 🔍
Whilst there are over 235 features built specifically to help tradesperson businesses, here are the most popular features:
BigChange Other job management softwareAccess Controls/Permissions ✅Access Controls/Permissions ✅Accounting ✅Accounting✅Asset tracking ✅Asset tracking✅Appointment management✅Appointment management❌Appointment scheduling✅Appointment scheduling❌Booking management ✅Booking management ❌CRM✅CRM✅Online payment✅Online payment❌Client management ✅Client management❌Contractor Database ✅Contractor Database❌Delivery Tracking ✅Delivery Tracking❌Digital signature✅Digital signature✅Geolocation✅Geolocation❌Messaging✅Messaging❌Offline access✅Offline access❌Real-time data✅Real-time data✅Real-time analytics✅Real-time analytics❌Subcontractor management ✅Subcontractor management❌24-hour customer support for all ✅24-hour customer support for all ❌
Don’t get left behind. Move to job management software today. Book a demo right here. Our experts will talk you through the top features and answer any queries.
