Few answers may come to mind, such as being your own boss, gaining financial freedom, and serving your community. We bet having a technological advantage over your competitors wasn’t one of them. But if none of your competitors use software to deal with day-to-day plumbing or even just business operations, you can use it to be one step ahead. That’s not taken for granted when there are 120,000 plumbing professionals in the US alone. What customer wouldn’t prefer a professional educated on all-things-plumbing, organized, and always in control?
Other than that, as the boss, you know how important it is to keep your mind off handling calls so you can focus on the level of service given to your customers, not to mention getting more leads and earning more.
Before we get started, let’s clarify that you don’t need to be computer or mobile-savvy to manage your work with apps. Most apps listed below, like Workiz, were developed by people like you so that any plumbing professional can use them. You’ll be surprised to see how they tick every box in your business needs.
Top 5 small business plumbing software in 2021
Workiz is an all-in-one scheduling and business management plumbing software. It helps professionals run their entire company – from dispatching jobs, booking appointments, sending estimates and invoices, and receiving payments, to inventory management, lead tracking, route planning, and more.
Workiz can help your business grow by:
- Booking more jobs while you’re unavailable or asleep with a scheduling widget for your website, Yelp, and Facebook page.
- Never miss an appointment with multiple views and timelines of your calendar, ensuring your team is dispatched correctly and you aren’t overbooked.
- Convert more leads into customers by tracking leads and labeling them by different stages (opportunity, follow-up, etc.), so you know where to invest your marketing efforts.
Price: $199/month
Pipes Trades Pro calculator is a mobile app that evaluates pipe lengths, areas, fill weights, and more. If you have the old, physical Pipes Trades Pro calculator, you can finally leave heavy, clunky working tools at your desk and download the plumbing software.
It doesn’t take up space in your toolkit, and it’s more convenient when you’re on the job to use your phone or tablet.
Pipes Trades Pro Calculator helps with pipework by:
- Calculating slopes so you can stop clogging and low water pressure issues when installing supply lines or drainage pipes.
- Understand the job scope so you can send accurate estimates and gather the correct tools and equipment.
- Spend more time working on welding, cutting, and placing pipes instead of remembering formulas.
Price: $24.99 one-time payment
NiceJob is reputation management plumbing software that helps business owners get more positive reviews, web traffic, referrals, and customers.
A plumber’s name is critical to build and guard at all times because once you get a series of bad reviews, it can take a long time to get your reputation back. That’s where NiceJob comes in. It keeps you in control of your brand.
How NiceJob improves your image:
- Double reviews and have them distributed automatically on Google, Yelp, and Facebook to outshine competitors.
- Rank higher in search engines with more reviews and get more organic traffic to your website and social media.
- Transform reviews into customer stories with images, tags, and locations to increase their credibility and quality.
Price: $75/mo
Free plumbing software
ImageMeter is a photo-measuring plumbing software. Here’s how it works: when you are on the job and come across a pipe or system you’re unfamiliar with, snap a photo in the app and annotate your thoughts to figure out the problem quickly without pulling out a notebook.
ImageMeter is available for Android and Apple devices.
ImageMeter helps you save time by:
- Automatically measuring pipe lengths or the total area based on photos.
- Create clean annotations and notes that you can share with the team to get feedback or advice.
- Increasing communication with your clients with accurate descriptions and measurements of systems
Plumber’s Handbook is a reference Android app covering natural circulation, water heaters, wiring diagrams, and more. With this plumbing software, you can look up how to perform basic tasks if you need a refresher.
Topics are split into theory and practice. You can skip practicing if you’re already familiar with the theory.
Plumber’s Handbook provides:
- Almost 50 topics that you can quickly reference while on the job instead of using Google.
- Articles that are continuously updated so they will remain relevant as the plumbing industry changes.
- Quick, easy-to-read tips that you’ll use daily to improve your performance.
The best way to choose plumbing software
To choose plumbing software, ask yourself these 4 questions to narrow down the suitable options for your team.
- What are our business problems? Determine the most significant money and time wasters you are experiencing. Are you losing track of inventory? Are you spending too much money on gas for vehicles? Once you’ve pinpointed your problems, you’ll know which software suits your needs at the time.
- What are your non-negotiables? Deciding what features and qualities your plumbing software must have will eliminate ones that aren’t a good fit. That includes features, pricing, and ease of use.
- Which tools meet our standards? Make a shortlist of software and apps. Compare and contrast means to see which ones come closest to the technology and budget you have in mind.
- Does our team find value in the new tool? Get feedback from everyone on the team to see how the app performs in the office or the field. Always test drive your plumbing software with a free trial (if available).
Final thoughts – the future of plumbing apps is promising!
With a mountain of new software growing every day, it’s tempting to choose one that’s not made specifically for your industry. After all, it can take months, even years, to find the one to accompany you in your daily operations.
But, business owners must resist the urge to settle. As the demand grows, we’ll continue to see all-in-one solutions be the preferred choice for small business owners who need to simplify their workflow and save money.
