As a tradesperson it’s easy to find yourself constantly;
- juggling multiple tasks
- struggling to keep track of where your employees and contractors are
- wondering what they’re doing and when
If you can relate to these challenges then you should contemplate using a job management system to help you get on top of things.
Why do you need job management software?
The main reason for choosing to use a job management system is to achieve better control over your business.
A good job management system will allow you to easily control your jobs throughout the whole process; from initial enquiry to providing a quote, scheduling your staff, managing the progress of the job, issuing invoices and managing payments.
Without a job management system in place you’ve likely found yourself using a messy combination of emails, calendars and your accounting software to try and achieve the same result.
Except you’ll be wasting time you don’t have and taking years off your life!
However, choosing the right one for your business can be a bit of a minefield.
Which is the right job management software for your business?
When deciding which job management software is right for your business it’s important to consider your specific needs and the type of business you run.
There are a number of great systems available in the market now, but we’ve partnered with two we believe best meet the diverse needs of trade contractors.
- SimPRO
- ServiceM8
Whilst they both achieve “job management” how they achieve this is very different.
ServiceM8
We’ve found ServiceM8 to be a great solution for smaller businesses that need to be more nimble and able to adapt to changing circumstances. Service businesses that are less reliant on stock control will greatly benefit from ServiceM8 (e.g cleaners, mobile car detailers, etc).
The ServiceM8 app is designed to be used by the business owner to allow them to completely manage their business from anywhere.
SimPRO
SimPRO is very popular within the electrical and plumbing trades and we’ve found it more suited to larger operations (4 or more employees).
The cost of SimPRO Enterprise can be seen as a barrier for some smaller businesses. For those it’s worth considering SimPRO Service which has a few less features but is far more affordable.
The following is a summary of what we consider some of the key features to consider of both SimPRO and ServiceM8:
SimPRO |
ServiceM8 |
| A large number of reports available, most of which can be customised to provide the information you’re looking for. | ServiceM8 reporting is simple and easy to generate. |
| Comes with default templates for invoices, quotes, etc. which can be tweaked but not fully customised. | Fully customizable invoices & forms by editing DOCX (word) templates. |
| Allows you to attach multiple sites and contacts to one customer. | Reminders and notifications can be sent via the app, SMS and email. |
| The Connect App is designed to be used by field staff and not designed to manage your whole business. | Modern app allows you to manage your business from anywhere. |
| Provides two product offerings (Service & Enterprise) depending on the size and needs of your business. | Add-on’s are additional modules that you can activate in order to unleash additional features. |
| Ability to integrate with SimTRAC for GPS tracking of your entire fleet. | Allows you to track staff based on the GPS location of their phone or tablet. |
| Integrate with Autoflow to automatically create jobs from work orders received via email. | The dispatch board allows you to quickly and easily monitor the progress of all your jobs. |
| SimPRO is billed on a monthly license fee depending on the number of admin licenses and field licenses you require. | ServiceM8 is billed on a per job basis with the first 20 jobs per month free of charge. |
How should you choose between ServiceM8 and SimPRO?
Consider the needs of your business today; but also think about where you’d like your business to be in the future. What are the key factors that you are looking for in a job management software program and which meets them best?
- What are the key factors that you are looking for in a job management software program and which meets them best?
- Do you need a simple, easy to use system?
- Or are you’re ready to take your business to the next level so you’re looking for something more powerful?
Implementing a job management program can be a huge task and learning brand-new systems is time-consuming.
However, if your aim is to grow your business then we believe it’s worth investing the time and money into a system that will allow and even assist you in getting to that stage.
Ask other tradies what their experience has been (and run a free trial)
Recommendations are hugely valuable so speak to other people in your industry about what they use and their experience with the software.
Don’t be afraid to contact the companies directly and request a trial of their product.
Most offer free trials for limited time periods and these could be vital in helping you to decide which will work best for your business.
It’s often not until you put each of them into practice that you realise whether they do or don’t work for your specific needs.
Ask an Expert (like us!)
And lastly – consult with an expert.
Most job management systems will offer a partner program to consultants who have experience with the system.
They can provide valuable experience and advice to help you make the right decision.
Whatever your decision, make sure that you take advantage of all the possible training and resources available with your new software package.
There are many extended features offered on both packages which could save you and your company time and money.
