Your customers are delighted with your work and bookings keep coming in, but somehow your profit sheet doesn’t look as good as it should. You’re worried that your plumbing business is losing money, but you’re not sure why, and you can’t work out what to do about it.

The answer to both questions is specialized business software. Plumbing businesses that don’t use business management software often end up hemorrhaging cash and leaving opportunities on the table. But those that do implement the right business management platform see productivity, efficiency, and income soar.

The struggles of running a plumbing business without business management software

Running a plumbing business without software designed for your industry can cost you time, money, and customers. According to research by IBISWorld, revenue for plumbing contractors in the U.S. totaled $126.4 billion in 2023, and has been climbing slowly but steadily for years. Yet approximately 45% of small businesses, including plumbing businesses, fail in the first five years.

What’s the difference between businesses that score a segment of the billion-dollar industry, and those that can’t pass the five-year mark? Although there are many factors that contribute to business success, using tools built for plumbing companies can have a major impact.

Without tools like a cloud CRM (customer relationship management) system, invoicing software, and an online booking system, plumbing businesses can face many challenges, including:

  • Double-booking plumbers and having to disappoint a customer
  • Missing out on a job because the customer couldn’t reach you to schedule a visit
  • Irritating customers by forgetting their previous interactions with you
  • Customers who cancel at the last minute or forget that you’re coming
  • Late payments and failed payments
  • Customers who claim they didn’t receive your invoices
  • Headaches at tax reporting time because of unclear record-keeping
  • Poor marketing that isn’t relevant to your customers and doesn’t reach the right people
  • Uncertainty about what to do to improve and grow your business

Thankfully, plumbing business software can address all of these issues and more and make your business more efficient and profitable.

How plumbing management software improves your profitability

Running a plumbing business means juggling a lot of moving parts. As a plumber, you have to manage scheduling, invoicing, inventory, and customer service—all while actually doing plumbing work.

Using plumbing management software can help streamline operations, increase efficiency, and boost your revenue. Here are some of the ways that plumbing business software can help your business to grow.

Streamline your scheduling

Scheduling software lets you efficiently manage appointment bookings, service schedules, and dispatching. You’ll gain visibility into your technicians’ availability and workload, enabling you to optimize their time and avoid overbooking, and technicians can immediately see where and when their next job is, all on their mobile device. An online booking system also makes it easy for customers to schedule with you 24/7, so you won’t miss out on work just because you couldn’t answer the phone in time.

Automate invoicing

Invoice management software can automatically generate professional invoices, track payments, and send payment reminders. Because it pulls information from your other systems, it also helps cut manual errors that make you look unprofessional and can delay payments. This means fewer late or missed payments and less time spent on admin work.

Gain valuable insights

A cloud-based CRM gives you data to help grow your business, with a dashboard that you can access from anywhere. Track which lead sources generate the most revenue, identify warm leads which are most likely to become customers, and find opportunities for cross-selling or upselling based on customers’ service history. Business insights also empower you to make data-driven decisions about which services to offer and which technicians are the most appreciated, so you can grow your business.

Improve customer experience

An online portal lets customers schedule visits, view upcoming appointments, make payments, and review invoices anytime, anywhere. They’ll appreciate the convenience and transparency. Integrated messaging also enables quick, personalized communication that boosts customer satisfaction.

Speed up payments

Online payment processing allows you to invite customers to pay you online using their credit card or bank transfer. When you make it easy for them to pay, you’ll reduce the incidence of late or missed payments.

Improve record keeping and reporting

When all your invoices, payments, and customer interactions are stored online, it simplifies all your bookkeeping processes. When tax season comes around, it will be easy for you to gather all the data you need from your organized digital records. Some plumbing business software even does this part for you. With clear records, you’ll also be able to see overdue or missed payments and identify unreliable customers at a glance.

See more results from marketing

A plumbing business management solution that includes marketing tools like email marketing automation and SMS marketing helps you roll out better promotions that attract more customers. Use business analytics insights to segment customers so you can send personalized promotions that are more relevant to their needs, and automated email newsletters that keep you top of mind.

vcita: the all-in-one software for plumbing companies

Make managing your plumbing business easier by choosing specialized software with everything you need in one place. vcita is an all-in-one app designed specifically for plumbing companies. It provides a centralized platform to schedule jobs, track leads, manage invoices, and much more. Here are a few of the major benefits that vcita offers to plumbing business owners:

Streamline operations

vcita’s integrated CRM and scheduling software allows you to handle booking, scheduling, invoicing, billing, and lead tracking all in one place. No more toggling between multiple systems to get work done. This can help reduce time-wasting and costly errors.

Improve customer service

vcita’s client portal gives customers an easy way to communicate with you, schedule or reschedule jobs, and pay invoices online. An online booking system means fewer phone calls and less time spent coordinating with clients. Studies show that 73% of customers want to be able to complete tasks on their own.

Increase sales

vcita makes it easy to upsell current customers and cross-sell new services. Using the system you’ll see what customers are purchasing and, with a sound cross-selling and upselling strategy, you’ll be able to recommend new services or products that might interest them. vcita also helps you identify your most valuable leads and understand how people find your business, so you can optimize your marketing.

Plumbing business software is what your plumbing business needs

In today’s competitive market, plumbing companies need specialized technology solutions to gain a competitive advantage. vcita provides an all-in-one management platform tailored to the unique needs of plumbing businesses, so you can streamline operations, improve customer service, increase sales, and boost your bottom line. Using software tailored for plumbing businesses eliminates manual processes and helps you provide amazing customer service. The end result? A more profitable plumbing operation.