Every business choice you make, and opportunity you seize ultimately comes down to whether the result will benefit your business. As a plumbing business owner, you frequently evaluate these choices more carefully than a franchise company or a big corporation. You must carefully consider every investment you make and every service you provide to guarantee that it will advance your company rather than harm or stagnate its growth.
Inventory is nothing more than your money waiting to be returned to you, and with some profit for you if your business is operating efficiently. But nearly 50% of U.S.-based small businesses with 11 to 499 employees don’t have an inventory system to track their goods, while another study revealed businesses with an efficient inventory management system generally see fewer losses and higher profits.
Plumbing Inventory Management
Inventory management involves ordering, storing, managing, and utilizing the necessary tools and parts to run your business. The most frequent plumbing inventory tracking and management problems include:
- High potential for errors and data loss
- Compatibility issues with financial apps and accounting software
- Lack of scalability as business needs change
- Limited overview of inventory
- No automatic updates
- Requires manual entry
Behind labor, inventory is the most costly business-operating expense for most small businesses, often accounting for between 17% and 25% of their budget. With the right inventory management system, they can recoup that 17% to 25% and make a decent profit. But without one, they could be losing money instead.
Inventory Issues
There are many inventory issues that you can face as an owner of a plumbing company. It is a challenging task to keep your inventory under control. Yet, the lack of inventory management can harm many aspects of your business. For example, you can lose track of the supplies you need, and look unprofessional when you stop in the middle of a job to run to a big box store to buy supplies. You can also lose money if you do not keep track of work scheduling or provide accurate estimates and bids.
Some of these inventory issues include the following:
Inaccurate Data
Knowing everything you have in your inventory at any given time is important. This information will help you to see if you have the right amount of inventory, where it is (or isn’t), and which items need updating.
Free Plumbing Inventory Software
Inconsistent Tracking
Using spreadsheets is time-consuming and can leave you vulnerable to errors. Centralized inventory tracking software can minimize inputting redundant information.
Inaccurate Plumbing Truck Inventory
You can lose customers if you do not use exact data to identify the right tools and products for daily plumbing jobs. With reliable information, you can make better predictions about your client’s needs and have the tools and parts ready to finish the job on time, profitably.
The Benefits of Inventory Management Software
Managing inventory is a key part of running a plumbing business. That is why having good inventory management practices can help your business run smoothly and efficiently. It can help you streamline your entire business, from scheduling to dispatching. In addition, using software that integrates inventory management into the rest of your business processes will free up time for you to focus on other aspects of your business, including marketing.
One of the essential decisions you can make as the owner of a plumbing business is whether to go with a standalone inventory app or to implement one that seamlessly integrates into all your business operations. Choosing the latter will allow you to save money because it can handle multiple business functions, such as inventory, accounting, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
Another important benefit of inventory software is the ability to optimize your workforce. Saving time on jobs having the right parts, materials, or components inventory reduces expenses and can improve your technicians’ overall performance to help you grow your business.
The best plumbing inventory software can also give you an overview of your business’s overall stock valuation. This valuation will help you understand where your inventory is at any given time, which items are underperforming, and which ones are selling well. In addition, you will have access to a wealth of data about each item in your inventory, including information like the name, code, description, quantities on hand, and more. This information gives you a full picture of the state of your inventory, so you to make informed decisions about restocking.
Field Service Management Software
The right FSM software program, like FieldBin, can help your plumbing business track inventory with ease, while automating several processes like enhanced customer communication, improving employee productivity, and keeping track of inventory, invoicing, and bookkeeping. In addition, FieldBin has many features that can help you streamline your operations to attract new customers. Some of these features include the following:
Customer Communication
A good plumbing FSM system will allow you to organize your customer data in one place, making it easy for you and your team to find information quickly. You can send customers text or email appointments and service reminders and provide them with automated receipts and invoices. This communication will make your customers appreciate your service and encourage them to remember you when they need plumbing services.
It will also enable you to schedule appointments with your clients and keep track of employee schedules and appointments. You can also use it to create estimates and invoices for your clients to bill them accurately.
Inventory Control
Tracking tools, parts, and equipment can be a difficult task across storage warehouses, multiple trucks, or office locations. An FSM tool like FieldBin can make it easier to track what you need to complete a job. Knowing how much you have at any given time is necessary for effective inventory management so you can accurately estimate and give customers a price for a job without worrying about running out of tools and equipment to complete the job.
Accounting
Accurate accounting is an essential part of running your plumbing business. It helps you track your financials and meet tax reporting requirements. It also provides valuable information about the overall financial health of your business, which can help you make important decisions about growing your company. Investing in an FSM program with accounting software can be a great way to save time and increase productivity. It can automate tasks such as generating financial reports, tracking expenses, and creating customer invoices.
Good field service management software can sync with your accounting software solutions, including with cloud-based systems like QuickBooks. For example, FieldBin has QuickBooks integration can automatically sync your accounting information to another program. As a result, you can go paperless and track transactions in real-time.
Free Plumbing Service Software
Inventory Software Solution
A successful plumbing business needs to know where their capital is invested in inventory, equipment, and other assets. You need to provide superior customer experiences at every level. The profitability of your business depends on not losing money in the form of inventory losses or time wasted making purchasing runs or manual stock checks regularly. The solution all starts with top-notch FSM software that enables you to efficiently manage your inventory and costs, so you can focus delivering exceptional customer experiences in the field.