payment methods

If you run a service contracting business, you might be happy with how things are going. You might think everything is fine and there are no changes you have to make. However, is this really the case? In reality, there are usually all kinds of things you can do to make your business better, even if it seems to be going well right now. The thing to remember is that there is always room for improvement. To help you get an idea of the kinds of things you might want to improve in your service contracting business, we’ve put together a list of a few ideas. Read on to find out more. 

Modern Payment Options 

How do your customers pay you right now? It might be that although the payment methods you have right now are technically fine, other, more modern methods might be better. Being paid by cash can be problematic as you might lose it or spend it before you can put it back into the business. Cheques are an issue as they might not clear, which means you have extra work to do to get paid again. Bank transfers take time to set up, and your customers might forget. 

By adding different methods like card payments, you make it easier for people to pay you instantly, and they can choose the card type that works best for them. This might even entice more people to use your business because they know they can pay for the service easily. The key thing to remember is to pick the right card processing software – take your time making sure you have something that works well for you. After all, credit card processing for CBD businesses might be different from credit card processing for plumbing businesses, and you want to help your customers, not hinder them

Embracing Technology 

Plumbing is a service that has been around for a long time, and many of the methods used today are the same as they have always been. So if you work in this way, it can be hard to think of making any changes. However, it might be that you can become more efficient and cost-effective (for you and your customers) if you start to embrace technology more and use it to your advantage. 

Following on from the point above, you can use technology to make invoicing and accounting easier, for example. Or you can use different technology to help with certain plumbing tasks. You could even create an app for your customers so they can book appointments easily and learn how to do some plumbing jobs themselves (boosting their trust in you and saving you time to work on larger jobs). You don’t have to change everything – some older ways of doing things are better and could even be your USP – but changing what you can and embracing technology will definitely update and improve your business. 

Better Marketing 

A lot of the time, plumbing businesses rely on word of mouth and positive reviews and recommendations to get more business. They will do a good job for a customer who will then go on to recommend the company to friends and family, and so it keeps going. 

However, if you want to update your plumbing business and do more, you’ll need to think about better marketing methods. Word of mouth is excellent as it doesn’t cost anything, but it’s wise to invest some money in marketing to enhance your reach. Do some market research to determine who your target market is and create a marketing campaign that is tailored to them and used in the places they spend time, whether that’s social media or somewhere in the ‘real world’. 

Every business is going to be different, so it might be that social media is the right place to advertise, but it could be that you need to invest in print advertising, radio spots, or even billboards. The more you put into your marketing, the more you’ll get out of it, but do remember to have a good plan in place first so you don’t overspend and you remember to test that each marketing method is really working. 

More Training 

Plumbing is not an easy sector to work in and it takes a lot of effort and studying to get to a point where you can be qualified and do good work. However, it’s crucial that you don’t assume you know everything once you get your qualification – there are always new ideas coming out. 

This is why you need to keep up with your training and do refresher courses from time to time. It’s also wise to watch vlogs, read blogs, and go  to industry conferences so you can always be up to date with new ways of working.