As demand for skilled tradies continues to increase, most contractors are flat out. Great work if you can get it, but more jobs means more admin — more quotes, more invoices, more paperwork. That’s why trade business owners are turning to technology to help them keep organised, automate business processes, and stay stress-free.
1. Tech for your toolbelt
With the right technology a trade business owner can get more organised, ditch the paperwork, save hours on admin, and live a life less stressful. There are apps that can help with every part of the job these days:
- Managing enquiries
- Quoting & estimating
- Invoicing
- Scheduling staff & subcontractors
- Job tracking
- Timesheets
- Website building
A smartphone has become the most versatile multi-tool a tradie business owner can have, allowing you to carry a full digital toolbox right in your pocket. The Tradify app, for example, helps tradies with all the tasks listed above and more.
2. Make more money on jobs
With a manual system on paper or a spreadsheet, it can be easy to miss some hours or materials. That leaves money on the table. Drop a few fittings or a couple of hours off an invoice, and your profit margin might disappear entirely.
Even with good records — if you’re saving all your invoicing to do at the end of the month, it might not be obvious which jobs certain records relate to. Without the ability to tick off admin on the fly, things fall through the cracks. This can mean you might not have a clear picture of which jobs are making (or losing!) you money, or if you’re even quoting jobs at the right rate.
Eddy Kendall of Kendall Electrical knew he was probably losing money on jobs:
“I wouldn’t have a number on how much profit I was making. I’d go out to these little jobs without writing them down. I could have lost money from not including stock on invoices.”
“As soon as I got Tradify I was like, ‘Woah! I’m not going back.’”
Try out Tradify’s free Charge-Out Rate Calculator!
3. Take control over every part of your business
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in or what size your business is, if you’ve got admin & paperwork to deal with, then job management software will make your life easier. With Tradify, you can use the app to save time, money, and become more efficient with the following features:
Quoting & Estimating - Create quotes & estimates quickly from any device and send by email or text message.
Invoicing - Create professional-looking custom invoices and send by email or text so you can get paid faster.
Automated Reminders - Automatically send follow-up emails or text messages for unread quotes or unpaid invoices.
Timesheets - Create and submit digital timesheets and use the live job timer to record hours and track time.
Scheduling - Get a real-time view of active jobs and the locations of staff or subcontractors.
Subcontractor Management - Connect with subcontractors in the app, organise jobs, and send/receive important job information.
Job Tracking - Keep track of time spent on jobs, organise work, and create individual tasks for your staff or subcontractors.
Enquiries - Easily respond to enquiries wherever you are and whenever you like.
Creating an Instant Website - Easily create a custom website tailored for your business and potential customers.
Forms & Certificates - Create, sign, and send digital safety certificates including SWMS, JSA, ESC, and COC.
“They said, ‘Once you get into it, you won’t regret it’, and they were absolutely correct. It has paid for itself every month a couple of times over - Andrew McCormick, Handy Andy, Auckland
4. Ready to build a better business?
With the right system you’ll create happier, more productive staff, make more money, and reduce stress. Get some free time back again!
Quote & invoice immediately: You can fill out all of the job details on-site, so any changes are updated immediately. You can right from the job management app, as soon as the job’s done. Or if you need to head back to the office, it’ll take just a few clicks to get the invoice sent.
Let Tradify chase clients for payment: Sending invoices through Tradify means you can see if clients have opened them or not. Better yet, you’ll be able to send automated payment reminder emails or texts to chase customers who haven’t paid their invoices.
Offer customers an online payment option: Going digital means you can provide customers with the choice to pay their invoices online with a credit card. Just submit the invoice and watch the system get to work.
Grow your team without growing your workload: With a proper system, you’ll be set up to scale your team without being chained to a desk. Make admin easy – that’s the shortcut to a happy team of tradies.
Lift your bottom line: When your team can do their timesheets and job notes on the go, it means more time on the tools and more money in your pocket.
Sign up for a 14-day free trial of Tradify and see what it’s like to take full control of your business.