FEATURES 17
Other benefits include:
• Manual paperwork is reduced, replaced with professional documentation
• Digital documentation can be saved in multiple places and on different devices, while paper is easily lost
• Human error is reduced, providing more accurate information
• Business information is centralised and kept together on one system: no more digging through the backroom to find the file
• Increased professionalism: sending a quote to the customer via email appears a lot more professional than scribbling on a paper and dropping it off at site
• Faster turn-around times and increased productivity between jobs: instead of manually logging every aspect of a job, software can assist you in doing this, freeing up time for you to start your next job
• Industry specific solutions are becoming increasingly common: this means that software specific to plumbers is now available and takes into consideration the specific needs of a plumber
Step three: know how to choose which software is best for your specific business To start, look at the areas in your business that are time-consuming, but you know can be done more efficiently, freeing up your time to focus on business development actions. Normally you will find these are processes are manual and paper-generated 1. For example, your quote all the way through to payment process is all manual and requires many interventions from you.
Once you have identified your‘ problem’ areas, you should 2:
1. Evaluate your business needs: Your business will have specific requirements, which will affect which software will add value to your business.
2. Research and compare your options: Ask around which software other companies use and how it helps them. Get insights from your employees and peers about what would help them on a day-to-day basis Coach Craig’ s tip: Use tried-and-tested software, and customise it to your business needs.
3. Try it out first: Use free trial periods to see if the software will be a value-add for your business. Here you can evaluate 3: a. b. c. d.
How easy it is to use How customisable it is How easily it can be integrated into your business How good the customer support and onboarding assistance is
4. Understand that change management will be required: Be ready for it and fully committed to it.
“ Move to digital, it will be the best move you make in 2026.”
Tip: Do not take this step lightly – this step will affect whether the software will become a valuable tool to your business, or simply another task to manage daily.
Trading messy paperwork for digital systems saves time and reduces human error.
Step four: understand which software is valuable for plumbers specifically Customer management software Customer management software is all about keeping records of your customers and the jobs you have done for them. With this software, you can:
• Create and manage customer profiles
• Store customer contact details
• Track job history relating to the specific customer( Including all documents linked to a specific customer)
• Save notes on communication history with the customer; for example, you can note that they have a spare key under the mat, or you can only enter through the garage, etc.
Job management software Job management software relates specifically to the job being done. With this software, you can:
• Schedule new jobs, and track jobs that are currently underway
• Allocate teams and plumbers to certain jobs
• Set the status of the job – for instance, how far along the work is
• Add notes about the job – for example, one of the workers could note faulty equipment, which explains a delay in the progress of a job
• Time tracking for jobs – see how long certain parts of the job are taking you, allowing for more accurate quoting on similar jobs in the future
Teams management software Team management software is not a human resources tool, but it is all about managing your teams. With this software, you can:
• Create and manage team profiles
• Assign and remove staff from teams
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January 2026 Volume 31 I Number 11 www. plumbingafrica. co. za