So your business is growing, you might have met someone on/offline that is selling business efficiency software, or your accountant has suggested that you might digitise your business.. these are all valid reasons why you might be considering improving your business systems.. this post looks at the top 7 features when choosing a CRM for plumbers and heating engineers.
Top 7 Features When Choosing a CRM for Plumbers:-
- Ease of use, especially by field based staff
- How simple it is to implement
- Initial and ongoing costs
- Benefits to customers – does it make their experience better
- Asset Management – keeping information in one place, safely
- Marketing functionality
- Future proof – technology and features – enabling business to grow
Ease of Use: Can the least technologically (mobile phone) minded member if staff pick up the system quickly? Honest answer, it will take a bit of time, training and coaching! Do look for a user friendly mobile app, also ask withing plumbing and heating engineering forums for advice and guidance. Ability of the system to integrate with Microsoft 365, Google (G-Suite), and accounting packages (Xero, Quickbooks, etc) is also useful as it can reduce the amount of paperwork and administration dramatically within business.
How simple it is to implement: Similar to ease of use, the main thing to look for here is the way that the software provides in use guidance and on-boarding. Another factor to consider is the availability of a 14 to 28 day free trial, and how the CRM/Job Management supplier supports you while doing trial. (You can always see how serious a company is about how good/easy to use their system is by the fact if they offer a money back guarantee or not!)
Initial and ongoing costs: the simpler a system the quicker and easier (less cost) it will be to implement – as well as creating less disruption in your business. Typically, modern CRM/Job Management systems are cloud bases, meaning that you do not have to download software, and it can be accessed on remote devices. The way that this type of system is paid for is on a monthly basis, either based on the number of people accessing the system, or by the number of job s that you are managing within the application (sometimes it is combination of the two.)
Benefits to customers: looking at the real reason you might consider improving your customer management is to make their experience better, thus ensuring that you not only retain customers – but increase the number of referrals from happy clients. CRM systems (and Job Management software) can add valuable features, as well as increasing the speed of delivering work – which in turn can mean that companies get paid faster. Extra features you might look out for are: GPS location of plumber for clients, online appointment booking, certification producing function, scheduling of recurring work, collecting 5* reviews/feedback, among other features..
Asset Management: having more functionality than just a CRM system means that you are at less risk of creating more chaos in your company by having multi-system chaos. Being able to manage client assets like: boilers, solar thermal, heating controls, means that you can quickly respond in the event of an unplanned call out – and have a better chance of providing a more efficient first fix.
Marketing functionality: similar to asset management, above, the ability to nurture existing clients and generate new leads and opportunities is important and should work seamlessly within your daily work. Being able to connect your CRM/Job Management system to Facebook and Mailchimp can make it easier to engage with new clients – without loosing opportunities because they are not integrated into daily operations.
Future proof technology: choosing a system supplier that has a track record of delivering upgrades, and has a clear vision of how they can help plumbing/heating engineering sector is important – as you do not want to have to go through the hassle of implementing a new piece of software. Something that may also be a consideration now and in the future is the ability to grow your business regionally and nationally by being able to send (and control) jobs sent to subcontractors – and possibly even investigating the ability to franchise your business.
If you are considering or choosing a CRM system for plumbers or heating engineers, we offer a free, no obligation consultation, check out here if there is a convenient slot.
Alternatively if you would like to learn more about how ServiceM8, see here, please do not forget to check out our money back implementation guarantee.