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5 Reasons to Manage Work Orders from Your Desktop
Imagine your work order management (WOM) software to be a limitless file cabinet. Each customer has its own file, only searching through the digital file will take seconds compared to flipping through a paper file. WOM software is most powerful from a desktop, which can act like a command central sending out information to your work crews near and far. Here are a handful of benefits to managing work orders from your desktop computer.
1. Make sure work orders are complete.
WOM software generally requires you to enter data into a form. For every work order, the form stays the same. Those notes you scribbled in the car after a call with a client most likely aren’t complete. But, when you go to enter the information into the computer, it’ll be easy to see what information is missing — just look for the blank fields. You’ll also set a pattern with creating work orders, training yourself to remember all the details.
2. Save time with organization.
Because WOM software uses forms to enter data, you or your project manager will be entering information in a systematic way. The fields won’t change locations, and this means once you get used to your software, your eyes will know exactly where to look on the screen for the information you need.
(Want a comparison? Take three recent work orders you’ve written on the fly and put them in front of you. Can you quickly find the client’s name and number? How about the number of workers needed to complete the project? Is the equipment needed for the job even described on your notes? If these projects were entered into a WOM system, you’d be able to find all this information and more in a matter of seconds. All the info would be in the same place on all three work orders!)
3. Access existing information…
Today’s WOM software usually allows users to use existing customer information. By using this “autocomplete” action, you won’t have to go digging around for a client’s contact information. Find the client in your list of clients, and the computer will link the work order to the client.
4. …and info from past jobs.
WOM software keeps data from past jobs, and let’s you access that information with a few clicks. View costs, check labor costs, verify client payments, see before and after pictures — what information is available is based on your particular WOM program, but whatever you have stored is valuable when planning new and upcoming projects.
5. Know what’s available, at the start of the project.
WOM software synchronizes most aspects of your business. It keeps track of inventory and staff. A project manager entering data into a desktop version of a WOM program (such as Service Proz) will be able to check whether equipment is being used at another site or if it can be used with this job. The PM can also look into labor availability — and even schedule the job then and there with the client.
WOM software helps you in managing your business, but even more important, having information readily available and organized projects to your client that your company knows what it’s doing…and has the capability to do the work.
Looking for solid WOM software to use for your service-based company? The Service Proz Solution is specifically made to help keep track jobs, customers, and crews.
What do you like most about using work order management software? Tell us in the comments section.
Download the app and try out Service Proz for yourself. While you’re at it, sign up for an account on our website and talk to Billy about scheduling a walk-through!
Getting the Most Out of a Lead
Focus on CRM, Part 1
Whether your goal is lining up one new customer a day or one a month, having a strategy to manage customer leads will save you time and energy. This is the first of a four-part series on CRM, customer relations management.
Not every referral will turn into a sale — turning a lead into a customer takes patience and constant contact. CRM, or customer relations management, software can streamline the process, keeping track of who contacted your lead and what transpired during that conversation.
Let’s start by talking about leads, and how to make the most of one. Every customer starts out as a lead, a person who either found your business or whom you found. This prospect might have filled out an online form, or you might have been handed this person’s business card by a friend, colleague or client. He or she might be within your target demographic and might need your service, but this hasn’t been verified.
When you get a lead, consider how viable this lead is. Some considerations:
- Does this person fit your demographic?
- Is this lead located in your service area?
- Was this lead given to you by someone trustworthy?
- What is this lead’s business reputation?
- How great a need does this lead have for your service?
After verifying the information and deciding that this lead can realistically turn into a client, it’s time to make contact. For most people, it’s easier and more effective to pick up the phone and make your pitch. In today’s business work, however, it might be more effective to use softer marketing techniques, such as sending the person an email with information about your service. You might add this person to your mailing list to keep them aware of your services and offers. Show this potential customer that you’re active in your business and that your business is worth investing in.
The CRM feature of the Service Proz Solution was built for service-based businesses to organize leads. The software allows managers to import leads and then assign leads to staff. Each time you contact your lead can be cataloged in the system. We call contact with a lead a “touch”. When this lead turns into a client, the system moves the contact information over to the customer section, keeping this record with it.
What do you do with your leads? Tell us in the comments section.
Download the app and try out Service Proz for yourself. While you’re at it, sign up for an account on our website and talk to Billy about scheduling a walk-through!
5 of The Biggest Mistakes Small Businesses Make
Sometimes, it’s hard to be the little guy. You don’t have a big budget behind you like a large corporation does, you don’t have the manpower that a business with 500 employees has, and you probably don’t have an executive team of Harvard grads making the big decisions for you. Lacking the things that bigger businesses have can make life difficult, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful. However there are some big mistakes that small businesses should avoid at all costs in the endeavour to make their business profitable. Here are the 5 of the biggest mistakes that small businesses make, and suffer from.
1. Not Having a Website
It’s 2012. Cars that can drive themselves are in development, our phones can do SO much more than call people, and the world might end. Not having a website is detrimental to your business. In fact, while your business might survive short term without a website, it definitely won’t long term. Today, people want information about your business at their fingertips so they can ensure your company does what they need and compare you to your competitors. Why would they take the time to call your company to ask you these questions when they can easily get the answers from a competitor’s website? Not having a website makes you invisible to most of your potential customers. Being invisible eventually means you won’t have a business.
2. Not Having a Call to Action on Your Website
Ok, so you have a website. That’s good. But that’s just the first step. Then there is the website content, the SEO (Search Engine
Optimization), and most importantly the calls to action. What is a call to action you ask? That is your first mistake. A call to action “is a term used for elements in a web page that solicit an action from the user.” These usually come in the form of buttons such as “Contact Us Now,” or “Learn More Here.” Buttons like these allow you to capture information about your website visitors. They give you free leads that you can then follow up with.
3. Not Investing in Branding
Your brand is your business identity. Not only is it your customers’ first impression of your business, but also what sets you apart from your competition and makes your business memorable in people’s minds. It is why people can spot a McDonald’s from a half a mile down the road; everyone knows the golden arches. If you don’t have a unique, identifiable logo, a catchy tagline, and a consistent color scheme, you not only fail to look professional and competent, but you also look cheap. Why would someone choose to use your company if you don’t LOOK like a capable company?
4. Not Having A Strategy Plan
Too many businesses open their doors and start operating without a written strategy plan. What is your chosen target market? What is your mission statement? What is your pricing structure? Is it flexible? What marketing tactics are you going to use to gain a customer base? Businesses that don’t have a written plan that addresses these questions and more are foolish. It’s like shooting without a target. Without a defined direction you risk missing the perfect opportunity or, worse still, chasing customers who actually do not match your business’s skills and competence. It’s the quickest way to waste time, effort and money, all resulting in no new customers and jeopardizing your existence. Having a strategy plan gives you, and your employees, direction so you are all chasing the right type of business.
5. Not Managing Cash Flow Properly
It may sound like a cliché, but the phrase “cash is king” is very true. Without it, your business is doomed and your survival becomes very short-term. Many small businesses are quickly excited by their initial successes and overall enthusiasm. And the result? They extend themselves too far, and too soon and simply do not have sufficient cash to fund their progress. It’s simple; no cash means no business so build a business within its means by managing your cash flow properly.
Take a look at these five mistakes. Is your business the victim of any of these? If so, take the time, effort, and money to correct the mistake. It can be the difference between your business succeeding or failing. And remember, it takes a little more effort and money now to get things right the first time. Usually the ROI is much better if you invest now, you will end up saving in the long run.
Building a Better Business 