Sales

Cloud Hosting, Intuitive Interface and Complete End-To-End Business Analytics for HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing Professionals

Successware, a business management software company for the home service industry has introduced its new state-of-the-art platform based on next-generation technology. Available now, the upgraded platform boasts a simpler, more intuitive interface, data-driven features and secure cloud-based hosting. Professionals in the HVAC, electrical and plumbing industries are now able to access a complete end-to-end business management solution with mobile application that makes day-to-day operations streamlined and efficient.

For over two decades, the Successware® Classic software platform has been helping customers in the trade industry manage and grow their businesses. When developing the new platform, Successware was able to build upon the popular functionalities of the Successware® Classic software while adding enhanced features that elevate the user experience and offer the most comprehensive functionality in business management software on the market. Updated features include:

• Analytics-Driven Reporting Dashboard: The analytics-driven reporting dashboard allows clients to see key performance indicators and advanced data analytics at a glance. This tool shows total revenue, gross margin, cost of goods sold and more in one convenient location, giving users access to essential business data to help them drive decision making.
• Call Handling: The call handling screen is now more intuitive and allows users to collect customer information to help schedule jobs more easily. The call handling screen automatically updates scripts and available appointment time slots with the time slot capacity management feature as job information is entered, such as call reason, job class and job type.
• Dispatch Assistant: The brand-new dispatch assistant makes it easy to assign technicians to jobs with a drag and drop feature. Users are able to see who is available for the job, the technician’s skill set and travel distance between job sites.
• Cloud-Hosted: Hosted in the cloud, the new platform gives businesses the benefits of increased uptime and security, scalability, data backup and disaster recovery, freedom to work anywhere and more.

“We have fostered trusted relationships with our customers over the past 20 years and have been carefully listening to their feedback every step of the way,” said Rohit Change, Chief Operating Officer of Authority Brands. “The new platform launch is a culmination of that insight combined with ground-breaking technology to help trade professionals take their businesses to the next level with advanced analytics, a fully integrated communications platform with voice, text, and email and many additional marketing tools. We know our dedicated users will find this feature-rich platform to be an essential tool in their business management and look forward to helping them streamline their operations through our best-in-class customer service for years to come.”

Like the Successware® Classic software, the new platform provides all-in-one business management solutions integrated with its mobile application. In addition, Successware’s back-office software still offers a full suite of features such as sales and marketing, field tools, contactless payments, integrated accounting, online learning, omni-channel communications and more.

The plumbing industry has grown steadily by 2.1% since 2017. This makes it one of the most actively growing industries in the US. By January 2022, there were 129,517 plumbing businesses operating in the US, which is likely to increase by 2023. However, running a plumbing business can be as challenging as any other establishment. Although it has peculiar problems, some general business solutions can be applied. Here are some common problems to be aware of.

Difficulty in customer retention

Like any other entity, repeat business for plumbing works often depends on client satisfaction. When the customer is dissatisfied with the work done, the likelihood of hiring another plumbing company is higher. This makes customer retention a huge challenge for plumbing businesses. According to an IBIS World survey on this issue, three out of five customers are likely to try another plumber. It further reported that this often happens when the customer or client is unhappy with a previous job.

Indeed, it is a very competitive industry with high customer expectations. So, if you’re struggling with customer retention, perhaps, it will be worthwhile to assess your services. For example, do you frequently attract people with unbelievable discounts and offers? If that is the case, you may rather be putting potential clients off. Those unbelievable discounts may be interpreted as sub-standard service. Furthermore, do you have hidden charges only known to the customer after the job is done? Once again, if you answered in the affirmative, it may be time to review that strategy. Many things often account for why your plumbing business cannot retain customers. However, when you identify those loopholes, things could turn around for the better.

Problems with pay systems

A fundbox.com survey stated that 50% of plumbers face cash flow problems. This, however, applies mostly to licensed freelance plumbers as those who work as employees for companies often do not experience this problem. It is even worse for plumbing businesses with multiple branches in different locations. It takes a lot of effective management skills to handle so many workers in different locations. Without it, your business may struggle with making timely payments, among other things. You will need an effective payroll system to avoid any delays. Moreover, because many plumbing companies pay their workers on a commission basis, this is necessary.

Non-existent or poor target marketing

First of all, it’s already been established that the plumbing sector is highly competitive. For whatever reason, it’s been discovered that some plumbing businesses fail to work on effective marketing. The truth here is that people do not seek information about plumbing businesses until they’re in dire need of one. However, if your target marketing is done right, you will have clients calling for routine plumbing checks.

Target marketing involves studying the demographic of your business’ location. If it is mainly a residential area, your marketing can focus on homeowners living in really old properties. The reason is that old houses often have hidden plumbing issues usually discovered when things get out of hand. By positioning your business as the go-to plumber, you increase your business’s chances of receiving more calls for old home jobs.

With proper planning and effective strategies, most of these problems can be avoided in your plumbing business. No business operates without glitches. However, what you do to avoid or minimize them can influence your success.

If you want to set up a successful plumbing business, then you are not alone. So many people are in the same situation as you are right now, but if you do not take the right steps, then you may find that you end up falling behind. If you want to stop this from being the case, then you need to try and make sure that you follow this guide. Take a look below to find out more.

Setting Goals

First of all, you have to make sure that you ask yourself. Why do you want to start a plumbing business? Do you want to grow your income? Maybe you want to make your work way more flexible so that you can spend more time with your family. Either way, you have to be crystal clear on the reason why you want to start a business. If you can do this, then you will be able to build everything on a solid foundation. You may also find that when you have your goals and your general objectives set, and when things become clear in your mind, you can devote way more mental energy to the more practical aspects of running a company.

Create a Business Plan

Do not expect to be able to take your business off the ground if you do not have a good plan. You have to remember that it takes time, but it’s time well spent. If you go into a business without a solid plan, then you may find that you end up struggling overall and that you are simply not able to get the sales or the customers you need. A good business plan will help you to make the right decisions as you go, and it will also give you a solid structure to work from. Ideally, your plumbing business plan should give you growth opportunities as well as marketing strategies. It should also give you financial support, long-term goals to aim for, and more. If you can do this, then you will soon find that things end up working in your favor.

Training and Qualifications

People do not like to hire plumbers who are not qualified. You probably know this already and you might even have the right training, but at the same time, you have to consider your qualifications too. You need to make sure that you have the skills required to push things forward and that you meet all of the minimum requirements. If you don’t, then you may find that it becomes harder to get more established in the long run. If you can gain more qualifications, then this means that you will be able to offer more services in the future and this gives you the chance to make more money overall. If you aren’t sure what qualifications you need, then look into central heating, water recycling and oil.

Finances

The next thing that you want to do is try and get serious about the capital and the resources that you have. You have to remember that starting your own company is not cheap and you will always need to have some kind of outlay when it comes to cash. If you are an independent plumber, then some of your major costs will come from investing in a car and any other related equipment. The scope may vary depending on what service you intend to provide, but either way, it’s vital that you consider points like this. if you want to fund your venture then you have two options here. You can either fund your own venture or you can find cash from another party. If you are not lucky enough to have some cash on hand for your own company, then you will need to approach other banks and lenders about getting a business loan. Almost every major bank will have some kind of business department and they can give you the help you need, amongst a range of credit lines. The bank will want to know that you have a plan though, so be sure to keep this in mind if at all possible.

Marketing

In your business plan, you will also have to detail how you are going to market your business. You have to be able to show the banks how you are going to invest in your idea and how you are going to attract customers. You may not be able to hire a full marketing department to support your venture early on, but there are other options so be sure to look into them. If you want to find out more, then click the link.

Purchasing your Equipment

If you do not have the equipment you need right now, then you will need to make an investment. This is going to be the biggest cost that you face. The administrative side of setting up a business is usually relatively low, but you will need a car if you do not have one already.  Normally plumbers will have a van or a large vehicle where they can house all of their tools. If you are running a mobile business, then this is especially the case, and you need something big enough so you can have everything that you need on hand. Equipment costs can vary quite a lot here, but at the end of the day, a lot of it will depend on your needs and your general preferences. When it comes to your equipment, you should not try and cut costs. If you do, then you may end up paying for it later. Cheap tools are not reliable, and you may find that they end up deteriorating far more when compared to quality tools. You may be able to get finance on some good tools too, so do not be afraid to look into things like this.

So, running a plumbing business is not easy and at times you may find that it is incredibly expensive. At the same time though, you have to remember that it can be a very lucrative business and it is always possible for you to make all your cash back, plus profit.