Going Paperless – For Your Sanity And Theirs
When you are the owner of a trades or service business, finding ways to save money, cut costs and balance the books is something that you do well.
In this uncertain economic climate with Brexit looming, a struggling high street and lots of major names going into administration it makes sense to keep an eye out on your finances.
So when you want to streamline costs, reduce time-intensive processes and save time for both you and your staff it pays to go paperless.
When your office, van or site is piled with more paper than Staples, the last thing that you want is to have to anxiously rifle through dozens of sheets of scrap paper when a customer calls you, just to recall what price you quoted them, which client it actually is and whether or not you’ve done the work, given the quote or finished the job three years ago.
This makes you sound unprofessional and disorganised, which might even cost you the job.
Buying A Tablet Versus Staying Old School
We love retro as much as the next person. After all, what would music be without Elvis or Christmas dinner without a prawn salad starter?
But retro and vintage have their place and that isn’t in running your trades or services business.
Your customers and even your suppliers have gone paperless and you can too by investing in a tablet. This won’t just save you time but in the long run, can save money too!
Buying a tablet such as an iPad or iPad Pro can seem a bit steep but once you get up and running you are sure to reap the benefits.
You can buy a tablet outright for a few hundred pounds (a decent model Wi-Fi Apple iPad will cost around £320) or, pay a monthly fee just like you do with your mobile phone.
Costs vary depending on data and network but you could roughly budget £30-40 per month.
So why should you make this investment when using scrap paper and a pen is next to free?
Fingertip Access To Everything You Need
Even with the best filing system and most organised mind in the world, it just isn’t possible to lay your hands on exactly the piece of paper you need when you have a pile of scribbles on the passenger seat of the van and a customer on the phone.
One of the many benefits of choosing a suitable job management software to help take your trades business digital is that it gives you fingertip access to all customer records, including quotes, old job, and job notes, at your fingertips.
Simply type in the name while they’re on the phone and get your entire history with that customer instantly.
Your Team Will Also Have The Info They Need
One of the biggest limitations of paper, besides its terrible eco-footprint and the chaos it causes in the workplace, is that it can’t be everywhere at once.
On the other hand, when you have created a client record on your chosen jobbing software, whether that is creating a quote or requesting an amendment to the job, you can give your team instant access.
With job management software everyone can be on the same page, which means that your team can work more efficiently.
They can turn up to the job knowing exactly what they need to do. As a result, your customers will see a well-prepared, organised and professional workforce.
You Can Use Your Tablet To Help You Stay Organised
You can use your smartphone as your morning alarm clock, or have the calendar remind you about important dates like birthdays and even your anniversary.
But did you know, that a tablet can do the same thing! Ideal for keeping your trades or services business running smoothly.
Never miss an appointment with alerts. You can use it to find the name and number of someone you quoted last week to follow up. Can your scrap of paper do that?
Ok, we know that the initial cost can eat into your profit margins, but the cost can easily be weighed up against the cost of just one lost job and the amount of time you waste trying to find misplaced names, numbers, and appointments.
Add in all of the other things you can do with jobbing software, directly from your tablet, such as automating client communications, giving quotes and taking payments instantly and the ROI should be clear.