That plumber you have relied on for years has just left your home after installing a new garbage disposal. He did a great job, as expected, but you lament the fact that he used a mobile app to take your credit card payment. You remember the days when he would have accepted a paper check. Now he has gone high-tech.
Give the guy a break. There is no need to lament his switching to a mobile app for payment. In fact, getting on the digital technology train should ultimately help him do a better job taking care of you and his other customers.
The UK-based PYMNTS.com website says that home repair contractors have been slow to get on board with technology. For years, they have relied on paper-based systems to manage everything from customer contacts to workflow. But as the rest of the world has gone digital, they have begun to discover the paper methods are no longer cutting it.
Getting to the Bank on Time
Digital technology and mobile apps are helping plumbers and their other skilled tradesmen be more efficient. For example, accepting credit card payments through a mobile app eliminates the hassle of having to get to the bank on time. A plumber no longer has to cut his day short in order to get checks to the bank on Friday afternoon. That means more time to spend on customers.
Going digital also streamlines the plumber’s accounting. With a good, double entry accounting program that integrates with a contractor’s payment system, the amount of time spent recording payments, sending invoices, etc. is cut drastically.
Getting Out of the Back Office
To a plumber who works alone, spending time on back-office functions only reduces revenue. Those back-office functions have to be done one way or the other. So if they can be done more efficiently through technology, why not go that route?
Salt City Plumbing says that even plumbing companies with dedicated office staffs complete back-office functions more efficiently with technology. That makes them more flexible and better at responding to customer needs. Incidentally, Salt City is a well-known Salt Lake City plumbing company that offers a full menu of services ranging from water heater repair to sewer line installations.
Better Workflow Management
Getting back to technology, it is not limited to streamlining payments. Plumbing companies are increasingly using it to manage workflow as well. Technology helps them manage their schedules more effectively. It helps them schedule work so that it can be completed in the most timely manner. It even helps them manage workloads based on available staffing at any given time.
Tying everything together are administrative tools that help company management keep track of everything. Technology makes it easier for managers to know exactly where workers are at any given time. It helps them maintain inventory so that techs always have the parts they need.
A Very Good Fit
Ultimately, technology and the home services industry represent a very good fit. Technology streamlines business processes and functions that are no longer suitable for outdated paper-based models. When used correctly, technology makes home repair contractors more efficient and responsive.
It is understandable that you might long for the ‘good old days’ before technology was a thing. Still, time waits for no one. It marches on regardless of any nostalgic feelings about the past we may hold to. And when it comes to the construction trades, technology is bringing them into the modern era with a variety of tools that make them better. How can that be a bad thing?