Being a plumbing and heating business poses a significant challenge. Balancing hands-on work with administrative tasks like scheduling, invoicing and customer communications can be overwhelming for one individual.
With 27 years of experience in the plumbing industry Paul, the owner of Cosy Home Services, recognised that while spreadsheets, customer files and paper invoices may look simple, they are inefficient, error-prone and time consuming. With contracts for local housing associations and letting agents, Paul needed job management software to keep all job-related details, from customer data to invoicing, organised and accessible in one place.
After a careful search, Paul chose Fergus and found it had everything he needed to save time and boost profits, streamlining his work and ensuring tasks were done correctly from the outset. The Fergus dashboard tracks the progress of numerous jobs from initial estimates to invoicing completion. It gives tradespeople the ability to generate invoices, track payments and even set up recurring billing, reducing manual paperwork and ensuring a steady cashflow.
Fergus is not only accurate but fast and its speed was a standout feature for Paul – jobs that had taken several minutes could be completed in just a few clicks, halving the time spent on paperwork. The ability to pre-populate routine information has also reduced the time Paul spends filling in job sheets, significantly reducing his administrative burden.
“I can go to a job and when I come back, it’s there on the system and within three clicks I can send an invoice to that customer and attach any legal documents to it straight away,” says Paul. “Fergus does things a lot quicker than I would normally, so the value is the fact that I’m not losing time like before.”
Fergus eliminates the risk of human error and is a huge time-saver. Aside from quickly creating quotes, it can send automated payment reminders, pinpoint areas where excess resources are being used, enable automatic reordering when supplies run low and keep customers in the loop about their project’s progress through automated text or email updates. The software also has a swift search capability which has significantly improved Paul’s professionalism and client engagement. He can instantly retrieve a customer’s details, review past services and proceed accordingly.
“When a customer I worked with a year ago phones me and wants a new quote, I can just type in the first line of their address and within three seconds I’ve got the information in front of me,” explains Paul. “I can then see what I’ve done at the property the last time I went and go from there.”
Paul’s journey with Fergus shows that adopting the right technology can help small businesses flourish. The software has streamlined his admin tasks and elevated his client service. As his company, Cosy Home Services, expands, Fergus is a constant ally, underscoring that the right investment in job management software can be key to business success.
For more information visit www.fergus.com
