Do you run a plumbing business or work as a contractor? If you do, you wouldn’t be surprised by the number of problems that can arise as a result of bad management and old-school ways of handling the current market and business.
But on the bright side, almost all of these problems have simple solutions that, when put into place, can drastically change the way your business runs and improve the overall workflow.
In this article, we’re going to take a walk-through of some of the common problems most plumbing contractors face today and how you can solve these problems with no strain at all! Let’s get started.
Slow and Inaccurate Estimations
Years ago, contractors used nothing but a pen and paper to scribble a few rough estimations down for their clients before they seal the deal. With the advent of the internet and the tech boom, this method is becoming slightly outdated for two main reasons.
Number 1: The estimations are fairly rough and aren’t exactly up to the expectations of the clients, who want to get into business only after they get a clear idea of how much it’s going to cost them and how long it’s going to take.
Number 2: Handwritten or word-of-mouth estimates are not always the best way to impress clients. It tends to look messy and confusing, failing to convince them that their work is in good and reliable hands.
The best way to fix this is to invest in good software—by using the best plumbing estimating software that’s available in the market, you’ll not only make the job of your employees better but will also make the experience seamless for your clients.
Here are some factors you need to keep in mind when choosing plumbing estimation software:
- Choose software that has an easy learning curve. Complex and confusing products will only make the estimation process longer and harder for your team.
- Make sure the software you choose reduces the amount of time and energy spent on the process as a whole. This will improve the efficiency of your team.
- Make sure the product delivers clear and concise estimations for your clients. Without this, your business won’t impress customers.
Difficulty in Customer Retention
Another common problem that plumbing contractors face is customer retention. There may be many reasons why your business is failing to retain customers, but here are a few simple solutions that will help you solve the problem, whatever it may be:
- Don’t start out with the lowest prices in the market. It may be tempting to attract customers with prices and discounts which they’ve never seen before, but you’ll eventually have to increase prices to avoid going out of business, and this usually won’t sit well with most customers.
- Make sure you’re as open and honest as possible about the charges (and possible charges) which will arise during work. Customers like to have the certainty of knowing how much it is going to cost upfront, and this will also help you gain their loyalty through trust and consistency.
Bad Marketing
Very often, plumbing contractors completely oversee the benefits of good marketing for their business.
Even if you’re currently having a steady inflow of customers, know that without your company’s name and profile up there on the internet and relevant social media platforms, it’s only a matter of time before you start losing out on customers due to your competitors.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to take time out and make sure you’re just a Google search away from your potential customers because this is going to be a game-changer in the long run.
