Information Technology Improves Business Operations in the Plumbing Industry
If you’re in the plumbing industry, you already know that it’s not that easy. It can be very time-consuming with all the quotes to manage, plumbers to dispatch, customers to please, and endless accounting paperwork.
Managing Quotes and Customers
Without your customers, you wouldn’t be able to do what you do. When you offer a quote for a customer, you must manage that quote and remember what you quoted, as well as whether or not a follow-up was made.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a phrase commonly used to describe enterprise software that covers a broad set of applications and software to help businesses manage customer data and interaction, access business information, automate sales, and manage employee/vendor/partner relationships.
Today, CRM software is customizable and scalable, allowing businesses to gain customer insights with a back-end analytical engine, view business opportunities with predictive analytics, personalize customer servers based on customer history and earlier interactions with your business, and effectively streamline operations.
Monitor Dispatched Vehicles
For many years, heating and plumbing firms have used vehicle tracking technology to protect their vehicles from theft while reducing vehicle insurance costs. Recent developments within the technology provide access to a whole host of new applications for the plumbing industry, with benefits extending from improving customer service to reducing administrative processes.
Modern vehicle tracking technology offers many features that enable plumbing companies to introduce positive changes throughout the entire business. With the right software in place, vehicle tracking allows plumbing contractors to meet major improvements for a small investment.
In the plumbing industry, engineers spend a large part of their day ‘on the road’, and managers are required to find a way to oversee and protect their staff from a distance. One of the most important aspects of maintaining a successful plumbing firm is developing a reputation for ideal customer service. With tracking technology, companies can easily achieve this by providing key data that allows managers to make sure customers are updated, with accurate arrival times and notifications on the status of engineers.
Tracking technology also promotes financial business benefits, with the obvious benefit of reduced fuel costs. The software encourages drivers to plan more cost-efficient routes and detailed journey information, which promotes improved driving practices. With tracking in place, engineers are more likely to self-monitor their driving behavior. This reduces carbon emissions, thus improving the company’s environmental commitment while saving on fuel charges.
Managing Inventory
Plumbing companies must watch inventory on all equipment, including equipment in use by employees. When tracking this information carefully and correctly, the business owner can invest in equipment while knowing that any missing inventory can easily be tracked to the employee responsible for it.
If inventory reaches a certain threshold, the plumbing company’s inventory management system can be programmed to notify managers, who can reorder that product before the company runs out. This helps to avoid running out of products and securing too much capital in inventory.
Inventory management software, a computer-based system, can track inventory levels, orders, deliveries, and sales. Prior to inventory management software, inventory data was generally stored in hard-copy form or spreadsheets, which isn’t nearly as convenient.
Your San Jose plumbing, heating and air conditioning company has unique IT requirements. Don’t trust them to just any IT consulting firm. Our team of professional IT service consultants can help your San Jose plumbing company maximize IT and help streamline operations and improve efficiencies. Call Veltec Networks today to learn more about how we help businesses in San Jose maximize their IT.
Call (408) 849-4441 or email us at info@veltecnetworks.com.
